who the hell will i be voting for?

I've just read Sheryl's entry on the forthcoming European Elections that take place this coming Thursday, 10 June. Let's be honest, few members of the general public know what they're voting for, where the European Parliament sits, what powers it has (broadly speaking it is the unelected commissioners who set the wheels of legislation in process not MEPs - so much for democracy!), the wider alliances each domestic party belongs to and, most importantly, what it means to them. Christ, do we even know what it does? I'm fortunate enough to know the basics from my studies and the thing that struck me is just how ignorant most of us are about the EU.

I guess that a lot of people won't vote because they don't feel it affects them, afterall Bruxelles is on the other side of the channel. Either that or they will blindly vote in the same way that they have always done simply out of tradition. Thing is, every vote cast in these elections counts as the European Parliament operates on a far fairer system of proportional representation. What this means is that my vote will actually mean something as I live in a town that doesn't field candidates in the local and national elections. I can actually put a cross in the box rather than spoiling the ballot paper with the words 'I'm not voting for any of these self-interested twats'.

Needless to say, you can probably guess who I'll be voting for and why. Whilst I don't agree with everything in their manifesto I think that the Greens' overall agenda is the closest to my own beliefs.

Aside from the usual centre-right Conservatives, New Labour (same party under different banners) and the occasionally agreeable Liberal Democrats there are also some more interesting parties standing for election.

The dear old BNP are the acceptable face of the far right and always appeal to those who have been up against it on the social ladder. Set the unemployed non-whites to work in the jobs nobody else wants and encourage economic prejudice on ethnic lines. Even so, there are a couple of slogans that I agree with before entering into the detail such as encouraging employers to call a halt to positive discrimination (I believe integration through equality, hence why I won't be voting BNP!) and the need for zero-tolerance on anti-social behaviour. Unfortunately these people bring the race card into everything and that's something I cannot accept. Sad to say my future father in law actually said over the weekend that he's going to vote for these people. If you're reading this and you weren't joking all I can say is that once they've sorted out the blacks, asians and anyone else non-white they'll come for the apes.

Whilst many people view the BNP as the mortal enemy I look to the UK Independence Party as the worst of the lot...these people actually have a chance of winning some seats simply because they have spent so much on horrendously cheap and nasty looking advertising. I was unfortunate enough to grow up in the constituency of UKIP leader Roger Knapman when he was a member of the Conservative Party. I remember the occasion he branded us all as a 'right scummy lot'. Isn't that right Mr Knapman? Self interested, isolationist and Euro sceptic the UKIP's approach seems to be to cling to the belief that Britain is still a major world power. We want special free trade treatment. Okay, I don't agree that the EU has everything right (far from it...ask the accountants!), but I believe that it will in the long term pay for Britain to be a member of the EU as a trade organisation rather than to slip into isolation.

Another odious party in my eyes is the Countryside Party. Surely it is impossible for anyone with such a horrendous first stab at HTML website to win any votes. These are the folk who represent the old land owner class and their welly licking serfs. They apparently stand for 'freedom and common sense' but they love their bloodsports and want to restrict the right of ramblers to roam. Give us our guns back. Let us sustain unsustainable rural businesses and encourage more employers to move to the countryside. So, do you want a countryside or not? Have you considered that it is the rich faux country dweller that has pushed up house prices and private rents that mean it is currently impossible for me to even consider moving back to the rural environment where I lived for 27 years? Remarkably I am sympathetic to a few of their policies especially reform of the student loan system but they're still completely at the opposite end of the scale to me. A party for the rich where the onus seems to be on self interested subsidies directed solely at rural areas. Gash to the rest of us.

Finally, the other choice we have is the bizarrely named 'Respect - Unity Coalition', what the media would have us believe is the choice of the lunatic left. I make no apologies for saying that I actually support a lot of their causes. However, they won't sway my thinking as the onus tends to be more for those from a background of trade union radicalism whereas my roots are less urban. Old labour new identity and the association with George Galloway may do them more harm than good given the Saddam Hussein association.

trellech church (2)

More photographs from Trellech church, visited on Saturday 5 June. Note the unusual four sided sundial that used to stand outside but has been placed just inside the main entrance to prevent further erosion and damage to the stone.

trellech church (1)

Yesterday I made the trip with Jo to Trellech in Gwent, South Wales, a village that seems to have a greater number of spellings than residents. Literally meaning 'three stones' (according to Julian Cope!) the village is famous for the three prehistoric rocks that stand at the southern end of the settlement. I'll return to those later but Trellech is also reknown for its church that dates back to the 12th century.

Although the spire is more modern the church possesses a tidy appearance from the outside and amongst the graves is a tall cross placed atop a pyramid of stone steps. General concensus is that this structure (below) dates back to Saxon times and was later used as a preaching cross: the priest would use it as a stage for his part and his congregation, presumably small, could kneel on the steps for prayer. Sign of the times that the current priest is female and the cross now stands as a curiosity rather than of any use.

Although not pictured, at the southern foot of the preaching cross is a large stone slab supported by two smaller rocks, known locally as the Druids' Altar. The village is rich in Pagan heritage but no surprise to see certain people associated with the local church dislcaim it is a more modern creation. Chances are that it may very well be, but it seems that these same individuals discount the Terret Tump in the village as a Norman built motte & bailey rather than as a barrow. They may be right but excuse my cynicism as the Church seems to have a habit of distancing themselves from anything 'pagan', nevermind that they adopted some 'pagan festivals' for their own use. There is even a school of thought that Jesus himself followed a form of Paganism that has been reinterpreted down the centuries. Can't be doing with devil worshippers and those unsavoury types. ;)

Remarkably for an empty building, the church itself was unlocked and I was able to wander in and later be joined by Jo. I usually find deserted churches unnerving but not here, it was a relief to be out of the sun and the sunlight was turned pale yellow through the stained glass windows to the right of the altar.

More photographs to follow.