Just heard on the radio that a newly elected member of the European Parliament has been heckled, shouted down and pelted with eggs during a press conference being held outside the palace of Westminster. the MEP has said that this is a "very sad day for British democracy".
This is the BBC coverage of the story.
The question is, does it make any difference that the new MEP is Nick Griffin, leader of the British National Party who,despite securing a lower number of votes than in 2004 got a bigger share of the vote due to a terribly low turnout and secured the first two ever BNP seats in a nationwide election?
It's nothing new for people with views that others consider abhorrent to stand for election and even gain power. It's a sad thing that people share those views and vote for them, but even sadder that others did not care enough to turn out and vote. More votes for, well, anyone else would've made a difference.
I really hope that all the supporters of Unite Against Fascism - who have pledged to do what they've done today whenever Griffin tries to speak in public - turned out and voted and so cannot find themselves to be partly responsible for the BNP success.
But the election of the BNP to represent the UK in the European Parliament tests our commitment to the Voltaire principles, that freedom of speech as a principle is more important than living in the sort of world where only that which is approved can be said, or: "Monsieur l'abbé, I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write", as Voltaire puts it.
I think I'm realising that one thing I get really animated about is democracy and threats to it, whether deliberate (as in via a political viewpoint) or accidental (through voter apathy and disengagement). It matters who's in charge, and we have a responsibility as well as a right to put them there and hold them to account.
One argument I've seen made on this is that you can counter apathy by making it compulsory to vote, but including a "none of the above" option on the ballot paper.
I'm not sure that's ever really going to be enforceable - even countries like Belgium where voting is mandatory are not imprisoning the 10% or so of their populaiton that does not turn out as far as I'm aware - if you live there and read this, could you please let me know what the enforcement method is and whether it actually gets used?
But I digress.
The fact that the BNP were able to secure MEP seats is being given by some commentators as a reason why "first past the post" is a better voting system than the varous forms of proportional representation that are available.
For the reason above, i.e. Voltaire principles, I find I have to disagree.
A democratic system should be about ensuring that the voice of the demos, the people, is represented.
I may not agree with the views that the BNP hold (I vehermently disagree with it and hate, hate hate that they are trying to co-opt my religion as if they are its defenders which is absolute rubbish - Jesus was Middle Eastern Jewish the average Christian in the world is an African black woman in her 30s and I can't really see them as their champions, can you?).
But why on earth should I therefore support a voting system that I know is by its very design going to mean that the views of fellow citizens which may even be held in great numbers will never get the chance to be represented?
We're not even necessarily talking tiny fringe parties (like the English Democrats but actually they've just secured their first even Mayoral role!), we're talking the Lib Dems, and middle-weight political forces like the Green party and even UKIP.
And independents too - an individual needs a massive campaign behind them to get elected under FPTP but potential much less under PR especially if there's a second preference vote, or vote transfer version (like STV) in place.
I guess the question that those of us living in democracies need to ask ourselves is whether we are going to allow our commitment to democracy to be threatened by our response to those that don't agree with us? It won't be easy to stick wth the Voltaire line but I think, no, I believe we have to try.
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