Monday, May 26, 2014

Europe's politicians cannot fulfil demands by citizens.

Elections for the European Parliament are the second largest in the world after India's elections, comprising of 28 member states. The results of the 2014 elections held last weekend have just been announced and there have been big gains for anti-establishment parties. In Greece, with 30% unemployment, people voted against the severe economic austerity imposed on the country by the IMF, the European Central Bank and Germany. The Far Left Syriza Party, which is opposed to austerity, took 26% of votes and the Far Right neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Party, opposed to immigration, took 10%. This was to be expected but what shocked leaders of the mainstream parties was the gains made by Far Right parties in the UK and France and even in Scandinavian countries such as Denmark and Finland. In France, which was a founder of the EU, Marine Le Pen's National Front, which wants an end to immigration and Europe, took 25% of the votes. President Francois Hollande's Socialist Party got only 14%. In Britain, for the first time in 100 years a party other than Labour and Conservative came first with 28% of votes cast. In Denmark the Far Right got 27% of votes and the Finns Party in Finland doubled the number of its seats. Immigrants are willing to work in low paid jobs, such as cleaners, waiters or construction workers, which locals are reluctant to do. By working in service industries they are very visible and are blamed for taking away jobs in a recession. European countries have generous social support and immigrants are blamed for taking advantage of such schemes without contributing to the economy. While Abu Hmaza has been convicted of 11 terrorism offences in the US his wife, Najat Mostafa and 8 children, of whom 4 have served prison sentences, are living in a council house worth 1.25 million pounds. For over a decade Abu Qatada fought extradition to Jordan on human rights grounds costing the British taxpayer 1.7 million pounds in legal aid bill. Immigrants try to get into Britain by any means, often dangerous, but once there they try to change the liberal values that had attracted them in the first place. Lurid headlines about headmasters of schools being forced out by a ' Trojan Horse ' plot, to force religious education, cause immense anger. Then there are stories about shops surrendering to demands from minorities to be politically correct but keeping it secret from the majority. In India a flood of Bangladeshis has altered the balance of population in some areas, resulting in riots. Uncontrolled immigration will lead to wars. Politicians seem to have no answers. 

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