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The great Daniel Hannan MEP spoke to KeepRightOnline today about the recent round of European Elections, his take on the results, and the media glorification of the British National Party. Take it away Mr. Hannan...

The first point to make is that the Conservatives were the only mainstream party to get more votes than last time. The two pro-Brussels parties, Labour and the LibDems, were hammered. Anti-federalist parties won seven out of every ten ballots cast.

Sadly, this news was completely lost in all the noise about the tiny BNP (whose share of the vote, by the way, went down slightly from last time.) Why? Because journalists, like Labour politicians, indulge themselves whenever the BNP comes up. They like to make themselves feel better by ranting about fascism - thereby underlining what nice, caring, anti-racist people they are. The trouble is that, by bigging it up, they give the BNP precisely the disproportionate coverage that brought it its two seats.

By the last week of the campaign, Labour activists had given upon any attempt at positive arguments. Instead, they went around saying: "Vote Labour to stop the BNP". Sadly, their party is so detested that their words had the opposite effect.

Incidentally, I hope Nick Griffin's acceptance speech will finally have driven into the skulls of some BBC reporters that the BNP is not "far Right". The man barely mentioned immigration; instead, he spent all his time excoriating the privatisation of state industries. His is a far Left party: it believes in nationalisation, higher taxes, state subsidies for factories, massive expenditure on the NHS and state pensions and (although it tends to keep quiet about this one) the abolition of the monarchy.

Not that BBC producers care about any of this, of course. For them, "Right-wing" is a handy synonym for "baddie". Anyone who is sufficiently odious - from the revolutionary ayatollahs in Tehran to the Stalinist nostalgics in Russia - is "Right-wing" in the idiom of our state broadcaster. Is Griffin a total arse? Yup. Therefore, to your earnest BBC producer, he must be Right-wing.

Daniel Hannan MEP is a British politician and Member of the European Parliament, representing South East England for the Conservative Party. He presently serves on the Committee on Fisheries and the Delegation for Relations with Afghanistan. Daniel is also a journalist, writing leaders and a blog for the The Daily Telegraph. He has also published several books arguing for radical democratic reform, the most recent being the incredibly sound, "The Plan," which is a KeepRightOnline 'must have'.

This week, KeepRightOnline welcomes to its pages, Miss Serene John-Richards, 21. Studying Economics with East European Studies at UCL, she is also the Universities Officer for London CF and works part time as a pupil supervisor. Take it away Serene...

[caption id="attachment_267" align="alignright" width="164" caption="Serene John-Richards, London CF"][/caption]Is our political system really doomed? "Yes!" I hear you say, "Politicians only help themselves. Our economy is beyond repair, it's the end of capitalism!" Are people frantically twittering in the vain hope of warning Jesus of the looming apocalypse?

People are angry, yes. People are fed up with poor value for money, and are realising that their votes don't count for much, what with 85% of our laws coming from Europe and what not.

But hang on. Hasn't Egypt's Hosni Mubarak been president since 1981? And I'm pretty sure they've postponed Habeas Corpus until the state of emergency is deemed not quite so grave. Don't even get me started on Iran and even our friends in America, the blueprint of democracy, until recently sent people to Guantanamo Bay. And contrary to the exotic name, we're not sipping sangria: I can tell you that.

Our politicians are clearly a fairly relaxed breed. The heavy burden of constituency dinners, case work, trips abroad, and long weeks of recess can be testing. Are they now simply glorified social workers? I wonder if the blame really does rest in our politicians or indeed in us: the electorate.

There is little doubt that, thanks to the Labour Government, we've become a blame society: rarely taking any responsibility ourselves and some even miss the 'good old days, when Council officers would flip my mattress'. No jokes.

Change comes from within. There is no doubt that Obama's powerful message of change earned him the presidency. Although, will he in time tire of dragging a rather large sack of potatoes, and realise that his offer of change does not mean the people themselves have changed?

It is our job to campaign and to hold politicians to account, as well as to engage with our fellow voters. Politicians can't do it, unless it's more of Hannan and less of our dear PM on YouTube. We are a democracy, and have all the necessary tools at our disposal. It is up to us, therefore, to dictate its agenda.

With the latest brouhaha regarding second coming of Charles Clarke on the horizon, KeepRightOnline welcomes a guest piece from the blogger only to be known as Dean Swift of Hammersmith, who sets us right on what to expect from the Labour Party over the coming months. Over to you, Dean Swift.

Political consultations in Ancient Rome could involve official forecasters known as ‘haruspex’ whose task was to make predictions on the future of the state from the steaming livers of freshly sacrificed chickens and sheep.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="184" caption="Is this Labour's new messiah?"][/caption]A cruel form of divination for sure. But assuredly as accurate a means of predicting the future as examining the torn and scattered innards of mobile phones and laser printers in the Downing Street bunker.

So what then are we unseasoned observers into the arcane rites of the Labour party’s leadership to make of the machinations of former Home Secretary Charles ‘Two Pizzas’ Clarke?

With electoral disaster in the June elections, publication of MPs expenses and some decision on the future of the Royal Mail slated, is it possible that the Parliamentary Labour Party could possibly make things any worse?

I think at this stage you don’t have to be Mystic Meg to predict that the usual combustible mix of greed to retain power and authority, inwardly directed savage anger and incomparable stupidity will answer that.

Matthew D’Ancona’s lead article in the Spectator sets out the latest scenario in which the ravenous supporter of relegated Norwich City, fresh from laying down a marker in the Mail on Sunday against Ed Balls (who ironically also follows Norwich) will put himself forward as a leadership candidate like an, er... canary down a coalmine.

And what are the likely outcomes from all this plotting? It will generate more heat, further rancour and greater disunity at Westminster and travel the airwaves and YouTube. But it will only succeed in making an already dire situation far, far worse.

For when it comes to taking decisive and ruthless action to cut the bully down to size, you can bet on the Labour PLP displaying another distinguishing characteristic of the canary. Yep. Yellow through and through as it flaps hopelessly against the wind into electoral oblivion.

Thanks, Dean Swift. Someone put this man on a tenner.