Barely 100 days old, party born from indignados movement now has five MEPs and determination to change political landscape Until recently, it appeared that the Spanish indignados movement had fizzled out. But on Sunday evening, a fledgling party born from its ashes proved otherwise, winning five seats and 1.2 million votes in Spain's European elections. Barely 100 days old, and lead by Pablo Iglesias,...
Nigel Farage discusses the results of the European elections on Tuesday, saying the broad base of EU opposition cannot be ignored. His party now has MEPs in Scotland, Wales and every region of England after storming to victory in the vote. It is the first time since the general election of 1906 that a party other than Labour or the Conservatives has topped a national election Continue reading... ...
I was a member of the Winchester Liberal Democrat campaign team in the runup to the last general election. In spite of a massive marketing effort, the Tories triumphed, so I can imagine how desperate the local party is to succeed this time. Unfortunately strategy still seems to be dominated by marketing rather than political conviction. Changing the brand name, in this case Nick Clegg, doesn't make...
Thank you, Kate Sayer ( Letters , 27 May). Does the Guardian really have to print that inane smirking face of Nigel Farage? I am 83 and feel the world is going mad again, as in my childhood. I took quite a lot of pleasure in placing his visage on the floor and placing my not inconsiderate weight firmly on it. A temporary euphoria, but it helped. Elizabeth Poland Coventry Continue reading... ...
Two coalition party presidents – Igor Luksic of the Social Democrats (S&D) and Gregor Virant of the Civil List (Alde) – have resigned over their respective party's election results, low voter turnout and Slovenian EPP parties' EP victory. Centre-left Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek has urged fragmented centre-left parties to reunite. ...
European election monitors and EU officials have endorsed Ukraine’s new, pro-Western leader, but doubts remain on Russia’s next move. ...
"France needs an economy portfolio" in the next EU commission, former French finance minister Pierre Moscovici said Monday on France5. Moscovici is one of the names floated for France's next EU commissioner. He added that the post could be about fiscal discipline but also industrial policy or energy. ...
Ireland's foreign minister Eamon Gilmore has resigned as Labour leader following the party's disastrous local and European election result. The junior government coalition partner took just 5% of first preference votes in the EP elections, and although final results have yet to be announced, has little chance of a seat. ...
The billboards that surrounded the European Parliament's buildings in Brussels proclaimed "this time it's different". That, at least, was the idea. ...
Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo tendered his government's resignation Monday. It will continue in a caretaker capacity until a new administration is formed. Di Rupo's Socialists finished on 30 percent, behind Flemish separatist party N-VA, who won 32 percent of Sunday's national vote, making them the largest party. ...
Ukip's win is first time neither Tories nor Labour have triumphed in national poll since 1910, plus what else we've learned Farage can claim to have won a truly historic victory, with Ukip becoming the first party apart from Labour and the Tories to top a national poll since December 1910. This was when Herbert Asquith won the highest number of seats, though not the largest number of votes. Continue...
PM hits out at Ukip leader's claims to being ordinary, portraying him instead as supremely tactical, with big expenses claims Ukip sweeps to victory in European elections live reaction David Cameron has launched a personal attack on Nigel Farage for pretending to be a "normal bloke down the pub" when he was really a "consummate politician" with big expenses claims and a wife on...
With barely half the continent now in favour of union, EU leaders can no longer ignore the writing on the wall Yesterday's European vote was not an election, it was a referendum. Britain's Ukip will in time slide from the stage, as will France's National Front . The vote does not upheave party politics: it was the emphatic assertion of Euro-scepticism, the moment when a critical mass of Europe's voters...
French PM admits country has been shaken by 'earthquake' after far-right party won 25% of votes in European elections French prime minister Manuel Valls has ruled out any policy change as the mainstream parties reeled from the stunning victory of the extreme-right Front National in the European elections. Valls, speaking on RTL radio before heading to the Elysée Palace for an emergency mini-cabinet...
PM Matteo Renzi's centre-left PD trounces anti-establishment Five Star Movement as Italy prepares to take over rotating EU presidency The European elections have handed Italy's prime minister, Matteo Renzi, a resounding victory as the centre-left leader's Democratic party (PD) won more than 40% of the vote and trounced the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S). In an astonishingly strong showing...
London mayor says European election results are expression of revulsion and a signal for the EU to change or die Boris Johnson has described Ukip voters as peasants in revolt after Eurosceptic parties swept to victory across the union. The London mayor painted a scene of "pitchfork-wielding populists" converging on Brussels "drunk on local hooch and chanting nationalist slogans and preparing...
Nigel Farage in danger of falling into his own trap, but Tories and Labour must not kid themselves by resuming business as usual Let's try to be positive about the overnight victory for saloon bar populism in countries right across the European Union, the peasants' revolt as Boris Johnson calls it in his lofty knockabout way. It's a triumph for democracy, for the universal suffrage for which their...
Ukip's leader Nigel Farage is riding high after his party's historic win in the European elections. He says the party has silenced its critics and is now setting its sights on winning seats at Westminster in the general election next year. David Cameron and Ed Miliband also reflect on Ukip's win and their parties' lacklustre results Continue reading... ...
Numbers suggest 50% of Ukip voters last week will stick with party in 2015, enough to profoundly alter electoral arithmetic across UK The function of experts on big news days is very often to calm journalists down, by drawing on long memories to put things in a bit of perspective. But after the Euro-elections, even the most hardened number-crunchers are disinclined to dismiss the Ukip insurgency as...
Which nations bucked the trend in the Euro elections and surged towards leftwing parties? The headline gains were for nationalist and Eurosceptic parties witness all those pictures of "evil" Nigel Farage smiling into his pint glass, or of Marine Le Pen, whose Front National party triumphed in France , throwing back her head and cackling. But some member nations bucked the trend in the Euro...