BETWEEN THE SILK AND THE CYANIDE:

Europe says NO to EU (TREVOR KAVANAGH and NIC CECIL, 6/14/04, The Sun)

VOTERS last night gave Brussels a two-fingered salute and handed anti-EU rebels a raucous new voice in the European Parliament.

The UK Independence Party made sweeping gains at Tory and Labour expense on a blatantly aggressive vow to pull Britain out of the European Union.

All across Europe, voters were giving Brussels the cold shoulder.

Last night there were fears in the EU capital that the explosion of anti-EU feeling could wreck the planned European Constitution altogether.

In both France and Germany the ruling parties suffered humiliating defeats.
And across Europe the election of 732 MEPs attracted an embarrassingly low 44.6 per cent turnout.

Kilroy elected in Ukip sweep (Tom Happold, June 14, 2004, The Guardian)

The anti-EU UK Independence party (Ukip) and its star candidate, Robert Kilroy-Silk, stormed into the political mainstream last night, taking third place in the European elections.

The former daytime TV presenter will join 11 of his Ukip colleagues in the European parliament, a body that they wish to see Britain abandon.

The rise of Ukip caused Labour and the Tories disappointment, with both main parties seeing their share of the vote drop by 5% and 9% respectively - from their showings at the last Euro election in 1999.

Breakdown of New European Parliament (Yahoo, 6/13/04)

Center-right European People's Party — 269.

European Socialist Party — 199.

European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party — 66.

Greens — 39.

European United Left — 37.

Union for Europe of the Nations — 26.

Europe of Democracies and Diversities — 20 (Euro-skeptic party that includes 17 for UK Independence Party).

Others — 76 (includes eight seats for France's far-right National Front).

How's Old Europe lookin'?

Posted by Orrin Judd at June 13, 2004 11:39 PM