Reply to: New EU Commission President nominee to prepare for Brexit Delay

[BlasterBates]

Link which appears to explain the various complexities:

How movement between party groups has affected the balance of power in the European Parliament | EUROPP

So don't bother voting on party lines, you can't trust MEPs not to switch sides!

Not all MEPs. You shouldn't vote for the Brexit party or Tories as they sometimes switch sides, but the other UK parties have been in the same groupings since they entered the European Parliament.

[darmstadt]

So don't bother voting on party lines, you can't trust MEPs not to switch sides!

Sounds very much like what has been happening with UK politicians since the referendum...

[Mordac]

Link which appears to explain the various complexities:

How movement between party groups has affected the balance of power in the European Parliament | EUROPP

So don't bother voting on party lines, you can't trust MEPs not to switch sides!

[BlasterBates]

If anyone felt strongly enough about the EPP they could have registered and stood for the EU elections, aligned with the EPP.

Democracy is all about getting off your backside.

[BlasterBates]

It's alien if the party system is an artificial one. I can't vote for the EPP, I have to vote for a UK party, who then nominate MEPs, who can then choose to join the EPP. Or some other party. Or none at all. So the chances of UK votes influencing the EU Commission Presidential outcome are practically zero.
We don't even know (because none of them ever discuss it) which EU party MEPs are signing up with. I'd call that a bit alien, given that when we vote in UK elections, we know exactly which party each candidate* is aligned with.

*Except Chuka Umunna, who can't seem to make up his mind...

No only the Brexit party isn't aligned. This is the reason why a vote for them was wasted. All the other parties were supporting candidates to head the EU commission.

[Mordac]

Are you saying you don't know because you didn't ask the party you voted for, you don't know because you don't care, or because it's someone else's fault that you don't ask and don't care?

Who might one ask? Candidates' contact details are not published.

[WTFH]

We don't even know (because none of them ever discuss it) which EU party MEPs are signing up with. I'd call that a bit alien, given that when we vote in UK elections, we know exactly which party each candidate* is aligned with.

*Except Chuka Umunna, who can't seem to make up his mind...

Are you saying you don't know because you didn't ask the party you voted for, you don't know because you don't care, or because it's someone else's fault that you don't ask and don't care?

[Mordac]

What's alien about the party that wins the election having their person in charge?
Is that different to how the UK works, or is there some secret rule we don't know of where Neil Fromage should run the country even though he has no votes in the UK parliament and has never been elected as a UK MP.

It's alien if the party system is an artificial one. I can't vote for the EPP, I have to vote for a UK party, who then nominate MEPs, who can then choose to join the EPP. Or some other party. Or none at all. So the chances of UK votes influencing the EU Commission Presidential outcome are practically zero.
We don't even know (because none of them ever discuss it) which EU party MEPs are signing up with. I'd call that a bit alien, given that when we vote in UK elections, we know exactly which party each candidate* is aligned with.

*Except Chuka Umunna, who can't seem to make up his mind...

[Bean]

What's alien about the party that wins the election having their person in charge?

Is that what happened this time around? No
She was a spitzenkandidat? No
The EU followed their own agreed process? No
(So that’s Selmayr & Leyen both installed, not by the agreed process now is it?)

Is that different to how the UK works,

Do you not know? Google is useful for such things.

or is there some secret rule we don't know of where Neil Fromage should run the country even though he has no votes in the UK parliament and has never been elected as a UK MP.

No, it seems you’re just obsessed by him and introduced him into another thread...it’s becoming a habit for you

[WTFH]

Alright, I get that that's how the EU does things (even though it's completely alien to normal people)

What's alien about the party that wins the election having their person in charge?
Is that different to how the UK works, or is there some secret rule we don't know of where Neil Fromage should run the country even though he has no votes in the UK parliament and has never been elected as a UK MP.

[Mordac]

The Lisbon treaty states that the European Parliamentary elections should determine who heads the Commission, in 2014 Juncker's party EPP won the election and so he was appointed, i.e. he was elected by the European electorate. He was still opposed by all the Eurosceptics and was labelled an "unelected bureacrat" even though it clearly wasn't true.

This election was a "hung parliament" so the heads of state had to propose a candidate.

Alright, I get that that's how the EU does things (even though it's completely alien to normal people), but the question one has to ask is why the hell choose Juncker? Even you rabid pro-EU peeps don't have much of a good word to say about him, wasn't there somebody vaguely competent available?

[BlasterBates]

The Lisbon treaty states that the European Parliamentary elections should determine who heads the Commission, in 2014 Juncker's party EPP won the election and so he was appointed, i.e. he was elected by the European electorate. He was still opposed by all the Eurosceptics and was labelled an "unelected bureacrat" even though it clearly wasn't true.

This election was a "hung parliament" so the heads of state had to propose a candidate.

[BlasterBates]

The slogan "unelected bureacrats" was the Eurosceptic war cry, but when the Maastricht Treaty came along to rectify it they opposed that as well.

[BlasterBates]

Link needed. I'm suddenly excited. Probably not for long though.

Santer Commission - Wikipedia

In response to the report, PES withdrew their support from the Commission[8] and joined the other groups stating that unless the Commission resigned of its own accord, it would be forced to do so.[11] So, on the night of 15 March, Santer announced the mass resignation of his Commission.

Supervisory powers

The European Parliament has the right to approve and dismiss the European Commission.

[darmstadt]

MEPs can change their mind and vote von der Leyen out of office whenever they like, so whatever she does won't be against the will of the majority. That's how a democracy works.

This is one of the problems with Brexiters, for years they've believed the lies that the Eurosceptic press have fed them (journalists like Boris Johnson who has not only admitted he made tulip up but will say what people want to hear) and have become immune to the actual facts. Myabe if they got off of their fat stupid lazy arses and actually thought for themselves, then the UK wouldn't be in such a poor state, they are the ones to blame, not the EU...sad isn't it?