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Party Politics
Devil's Kitchen points to Trixy who points to an article by UK IP leader Nigel Farage about reports that Portugal is banning political parties with fewer than 5000 members.
"A new law comes into force in Portugal in March 2008 that states political parties must have 5000 registered members or they will be declared illegal," writes Farage,
"The names and addresses of the members must be given to the Portuguese authorities.
"Of the fourteen political parties that exist in Portugal today, only four will be allowed to exist after March 2008.
"This situation is truly incredible. It allows the existing parties to stay in place forever and to prevent new parties and new ideas for ever being born."
EURSOC não pode falar o português, so we haven't been able to check Portugal's media for information about this outrage: It is difficult to see banning small parties fits in with the European Convention on Human Rights.
"Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of association with others, including the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests."
Prohibiting small parties prevents freedom of association - and, arguably, if one can form trade unions at whim surely parties should come under the same guidelines?
Furthermore, in Protocol 1 Article 3 seems to secure the right to free expression in politics:
"The High Contracting Parties undertake to hold free elections at reasonable intervals by secret ballot, under conditions which will ensure the free expression of the opinion of the people in the choice of the legislature."
If such a law does exist, EURSOC expects it will be challenged soon enough, perhaps by the small PND Eurosceptic party Farage works with: The PND, its leader claims, would be first for the chop under the new law.
What would smaller parties do, then, to avoid a ban? Well, one solution is to form cross-border, EU-wide parties, a stated claim of some European federalists. Smaller parties may struggle in their home countries, but could be forced into a Europe-wide formal marriage with like-minded parties. The conclusion to this would find Britons voting not for the Conservatives but for the Christian Democrats or European People's Party, not for Labour but for the European Socialists. Perhaps some bright spark might consider forming a European Muslim Democratic Party.
Not exactly an attractive prospect, but one (well, with the exception of the Muslim Democrats) EU Parliament figures would like to see in forthcoming Euro-elections.
Smaller nationalist parties, like the Scottish Nationalists, Sinn Fein, the Basques and so on would perhaps be hard-pushed to form allegiances with fellow narrow-scope groups - but perhaps that's the point.
