Who to vote for in the Euros ?

As one of that rare breed, a largely eurosceptic (but not little englander) left-leaning liberal who can I vote for in the 2009 EU elections ? I have never understood Lib Dem enthusiasm for the EU. It is a centralising, unaccountable, undemocratic institution which few people in the UK pledge any allegiance too. That unelected figures - previously discarded by the UK electorate - like Patten, Kinnock and Mandelson had more say than elected parliamentarians hardly endears the EU to me. The case for massive reform is unanswerable and you don't need to be a swivel-eyed right-winger to believe this.

It seems the EU of today is far removed from best liberal principles and practice. To vote for the most slavishly pro-EU party, the Lib Dems, is quite a challenge. Without question the rancid racism (and residue fascism) of the BNP is a no-no.The xenophobia and right wing nature of UKIP rules them out, as should their performance in Brussels. And, if we want to talk about dodgy expense claims and disreputable behaviour, their MEP's take some beating. The Tories ? They seem set to align themselves to the wilder fringes of the EU. They are swapping influence for ideological purity, which is never a good move by a mainstream party. There is the added factor of the Tories I see 'in action' or should that be 'inaction' locally. Of course I am many things, but never a Tory.

On the left there's the No2EU - Yes to Democracy group, with a ragbag slate including trade union bureaucrats, stalinists from the Communist Party of Britain, the 'tanned trot' Tommy Sheridan and the Liberal party's EU-obsessive Steve Radford. As one might expect, no-one got to vote on who the candidates should be. 'Leftism' of the worst kind.


Labour ? What position do they take on the EU ? The Greens ? Well more to the point which Greens ? At the last Euros, the UK Greens were pretty Eurosceptic, but the wider continental Green group was much more EU-friendly.

In short, who can a progressive, liberal, left-leaning voter positively vote for this June ?

A lone Liberal voice critical of the EU ?

This year sees the EU parliamentary elections and I'm not intending to be active at this time.

Now, I am not some swivel-eyed anti-European little Englander with nasty nationalist tendencies like many in the Tory party, UKIP or the BNP. I accept a good number of EU directives have had a positive impact upon this country, but as an institution it's centralising and undemocratic nature seems contrary to liberal values. That failed and unelected British politicians like Kinnock, Mandelson and Patten have had more say in the direction of the EU than elected parliamentarians seems an absurdity to me. That power is removed further away from the people it alleges to represent and decisions taken are often at odds with the political compass of individual member states jars with me greatly. Ever more qualified majority voting will only exacerbate matters.

Previous referenda where the political establishment has been defeated (such as in Ireland) only leads to further polls to 'correct' such outcomes. Yuk ! In short, to me, liberalism and the EU seem strange bedfellows.


Apart from Nick Harvey (I think) are there any other well known figures who are agnostic or sceptical as to the direction of the EU within the Lib Dems ? Anyone else on Libdemblogs feel this way too, or am I in a minority of one (again) !