Elections!

[Sheilbh]

The current projection of the Parliament in total has the largest group (EPP - the Christian Democrats/centre right) holding 27.5% of seats. That's the largest group

Edit: Incidentally I liked this analysis and map from Channel 4's Paul Mason (a genuine Trot - so a real Tamasian Marxist analysis )
http://blogs.channel4.com/paul-mason-blog/culture-war-crisis-mainstream-politics/831

[Tamas]

What's a trot?

And do you agree with Tamasian views? What about Marxist ones? 

[Sheilbh]

What's a trot?

Trotskyite.

I think there's a lot to Mason and Moore's opinions, yeah.

[Sheilbh]

According to the BBC 30% of young voters in France voted FN

Again far-right picking up votes in old Socialist areas

[Sheilbh]

Meanwhile in Fascist Hungary Fidesz are apparently winning over 50% and Jobbik are second on around 15%

Edit: Also I'm going to spend a lot of time tonight baffled at how Britain's PR system works here

Edit:

I'm rooting for SYRIZA to win national elections in Greece.

You may get your wish. They've pointed out that in a national election they'd have 130 seats and the government under 70. Says they've no legitimacy to negotiate debt relief or new packages and are calling for a new election

Again Greece may again have absurdly outsized influence.

Interestingly UKIP are doing well in early Welsh areas - at the expense of Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalists. Also found out this week that SNP supporters are more Eurosceptic than Tories

[Iormlund]

Iberians! Why's there not been any populist response in Spain and Portugal? Other crisis countries have thrown out long-governing parties (Greece, Ireland) or turned to new ones (Greece, Italy) and non-crisis European countries in general have seen a rise of left and right populists. Why hasn't that happened in Spain and Portugal?

I don't know about Portugal, but Spain is pretty much a two-party country.

Our electoral districts are the provinces and - out of major cities and the coast - only a handful of seats (between 3-5) are in play at each one. That puts third parties at an extreme disadvantage unless they can focus on a particular place (like Catalan/Basque/Galician nationalists).

[The Brain]

Sweden voted retarded as always. Communists, environuts, racists and feminazis.

[mongers]

Meanwhile in Fascist Hungary Fidesz are apparently winning over 50% and Jobbik are second on around 15%

Edit: Also I'm going to spend a lot of time tonight baffled at how Britain's PR system works here

I'm just replying on your for this evenings coverage, as I can't be arsed with Dimbleby and his talking heads.

[Liep]

26.7% for the Danish People's Party and clearly the largest party. Their front man M. Messerschmidt said he'd seek to work with the British conservatives, maybe UKIP but definitely not FN who he basically called idiot anti-semites.

[Sheilbh]

I don't know about Portugal, but Spain is pretty much a two-party country.

Our electoral districts are the provinces and - out of major cities and the coast - only a handful of seats (between 3-5) are in play at each one. That puts third parties at an extreme disadvantage unless they can focus on a particular place (like Catalan/Basque/Galician nationalists).

The regional aspect makes sense, but then hasn't the recession hit areas like Andalucia hardest? What's the voting system? Or party funding?

Other countries are two-party. I mean Ireland, Italy and (to an extent) Greece all match that. It seems strange that the PSOE and PP vote has broadly held up.

[Sheilbh]

26.7% for the Danish People's Party and clearly the largest party. Their front man M. Messerschmidt said he'd seek to work with the British conservatives, maybe UKIP but definitely not FN who he basically called idiot anti-semites.

Yep. UKIP have throughout said they won't work with FN (though they may admire Marine Le Pen) because they're racist and anti-semitic. The UKIP spokesman was just on saying exactly that and that the media linking UKIP to parties like that says more about them than UKIP.

Mr. Messerschmidt's quite handsome isn't he? And our populists are Alex Salmond and Nigel Farage

[The Brain]

Messerschmidt doesn't sound very French.

[The Larch]

Iberians! Why's there not been any populist response in Spain and Portugal? Other crisis countries have thrown out long-governing parties (Greece, Ireland) or turned to new ones (Greece, Italy) and non-crisis European countries in general have seen a rise of left and right populists. Why hasn't that happened in Spain and Portugal?

Because we (Spain, and I guess that it'll be similar in Portugal) are, on practical terms, a two party system with a number of secondary characters around. This system is at its historical lowest at this moment and PPSOE still get the most votes by far.

Edit: Apparently a protest party set up a few months before the elections by a leftie TV pundit/professor, with ponytail and everything, is getting 5 MPs.

[Duque de Bragança]

According to the BBC 30% of young voters in France voted FN

Again far-right picking up votes in old Socialist areas

That's Flanby for you! Trying to play the FN to weaken the right-wing backfired this time again.

[Duque de Bragança]

Messerschmidt doesn't sound very French.

Alsatian or Mosellan