However you look at it, the British National Party (a.k.a. very right wing, anti-immigration, anti-human rights, anti-equality, anti-environment, pro-W.A.S.P. party) had a good night, last night. In the European Parliamentary Elections they won 2 of a possible 69 seats, which was exactly two more than they previously had. This was accompanied by a swing towards the “centre right” (a.k.a. pro-business, anti-environment, anti-equality, anti-human rights, pro-consumerism) in most of the major European countries, suggesting that the majority of people think the answer to all our woes is to hand control of the world over to the corporations.

Alternatively, it might just mean that a hell of a lot of people have lost faith with the entire electoral system (the turnout was historically low, at 43.1%) and most of these people are to the left of centre. That would make a lot of sense; after all, the so-called democratic systems of government that perpetuate in the industrial West, are little more that a sop to real democracy, masking the real power behind governments: the corporations.

That’s certainly my view. I didn’t vote, not because I don’t think my vote won’t make a difference in the final result; not because I am turning my back on those who fought and died for this right; not because I am apathetic — I didn’t vote because whatever happens to the balance of power in any parliament, the overall plan stays the same. The BNP may have gained a couple of seats, but that says a whole lot more about the people that didn’t vote than it does about those who did vote.

And in a strange way, that makes me happy. It suggests that people are starting to open their eyes and realise that the whole system is terminally corrupt, and destructively unsustainable both in environmental and social terms. In this setup, the best move anyone can make is to reject the entire system — not prop it up by deluding yourself that your vote will change things.