Just received my voting cards for the European elections in Spain. I want to vote for an anti EU party if there is such a thing. Can anyone advise of it's name.

Why? You've already comlained how difficult you find it in Spain whilst it's in the EU, so why do you want to make things even more difficult for yourself?

Turkeys voting for Christmas?

I don't wish to debate the politics. I actually think Spain was an easier place to live before their EU entry and yes I'm old enough to remember that.

I just seek a party name but there seems not to be one. Podemos may change some things but the two party system in Spain is much too strong..

As Mark Twain surmised: “If voting changed anything they wouldn’t allow it.” The system has been tweaked against the interests of the electorate. These elections are theatre. Since joining the EU, one million Bulgarians have been driven from their homeland by austerity.

Much the same the Baltic States. In Greece, pregnant women give birth on hospital steps, men are publicly self immolating. It was recently (obscurely) reported that so far 500 male suicides in Greece can be attributed to bank-imposed austerity. Every weekend, massive riots and demos taking place in Europe… 49 in Spain in ONE weekend. The press is not telling you this.

EU has $11.6 TRILLION of debt (92% of GDP). EU has unemployment of 12.5%
EU potential for social unrest is world's highest. About 120 million live in poverty in the EU.

Twenty-seven unelected commissioners make the European Union’s important decisions. Jose Manuel Barroso is the unelected President of the European Commission.

He loftily declares that ‘nation states are dangerous if they are excessively democratic.’ The president of the European Council is unelected Herman van Rompuy. Everyone in Brussels and Strasburg knows that if the European Union (EU) applied to join itself it would be turned down flat because of it being undemocratic. I Quote: - Why is the EU trying to recreate the USSR? - Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. 

Which press isn't telling us this? The EWN? Because I've read in the Telegraph, the Guardian and even the Irish Times. 

 "Television lies. All television lies. It lies persistently, instinctively and by habit. Everyone involved lies. A culture of mendacity surrounds the medium and those who work there live it, breathe it and prosper by it. I know of no area of public life - no, not even politics - more saturated by a professional cynicism. If you want a word that takes you to the core of it, I would offer 'rigged'. ......... is it dishonest for the presenter to imply that the pundit in the chair is free to offer any opinion, when the truth is that 50 pundits were telephoned but only the fellow prepared to offer the requisite opinion was invited?" - Matthew Pariss. British Press Awards Columnist of the Year. Daily Mail, 21st April 1996

2 "r"s and 1 "s".

I think the most interesting question is why Euro scepticism is not a political force in Spain. It is in France, Holland and Britain and here there are vibrant political parties on the edge of a mainstream break through.

Yet in Spain the question hardly arises. For any political thinker that is an indication of how far behind the international political education of the Spanish population actually is. It is also a reason why the EU does not actually work in practice. Particularly when it comes to economics. There are dependent nations and those leading or rather dominating the political and economic agenda in Europe. The rest are left way behind with no actual influence or power. That is not democratic.

The populations of these developed and prosperous EU nations see the European Union in a very different light. They are less reliant on its so called benefits and suspicious of the power Germany wields.

They also resent having to carry the burden of negative policies and treaties that none of these populations ever actually voted for.

I think you'll find that Spain benefits enormously from their EU membership - they are experts in claiming every possible expense imaginable from the EU development funds.  So it would be "biting that hand that feeds you" - few will vote for that in Spain.

Yes I'm sure that's right Acer but like all forms of dependency, eventually it does for you.

While I get Euroscepticism those of us who live in Spain benefit from the rights being in the EU brings us - we are entitled to live here and avail of the health care system that exists so  from a purely selfish point of view we should be looking for reform of the EU not the UK's exit

Acer's comment sums it up succinctly. You don't bite the hand that feeds you.

Several years ago, when there was mention of Britain's massive subsidy of Spain being reduced, so that Eastern European countries could now be helped, there was uproar in the Spanish press. They thought it a disgrace that Britain should give them a few billion less than we usually gave. And they didn't agree at all that more recent entrants to the European Union should have their turn at receiving assistance (even though they, of course, would not be giving any money away themselves). They'd just got used to receiving. This is a psychological phenomenon that can be observed on the macro- and micro-level.

One example in our local area of how some of this money was spent (if we put aside the massive amounts of European money that went into private Spanish pockets) was a one million euro roundabout. So we hand over money for vanity projects, while just chucking a few trees and bushes onto our roundabouts. I'm sure others are aware of many more examples of European money being wasted.

If all Spanish EU membership amounts to is a gravy train then again I say it's founding principals don't work.

One of these principals is about human solidarity and the free movement both of capital and labour without restiction. Yet in practice what we all get is deeper and more restrictive rules on just about everything.

I read just this week that the EU has passed a new law forcing all new car manufacturers to install a hidden tracking device in vehicles. The purpose so they say is to improve a vehicles location in emergencies. However we can all speculate on the possible misuse it can and most likely will be used for.

There is no opt-out to these new laws for any member state and the voters have not had any opportunity to express any choice about laws which directly affects them.

So for my original post, in the absence of a party in Spain that reflects my views on Europe I shall abstain and tear up the voting card as a small and futile protest.

When it comes to the EU that is all any of us have the power to do.

The only piece of research I did find about anti EU parties in Spain was a study from Sussex University some years ago which basically says, no hard or soft anti-EU parties in Spain which is really quite remarkable. So I am hoping there is a good local independent on the card when I vote.

As for people talking about the EU helping us in Spain I find that is against my experience. Where I have been asked to prove my income, savings, seperate health plan, agreement of local major etc, etc, just to get a replacement to my NIE card which had just been stolen. Plus I am onto my 30th month trying to get my UK car officially matriculated, for what the EU considers to be an illegal tax anyway. So the EU is irrelevant to us in Spain, they just want our cash just like any other country in the World and we have to prove we have some. But lets not fool ourselves that the Spanish adhere to EU laws and processes.

Even Denmark, Sweden and Germany have some Euro septic groups. In Denmark they currently gaining a lot of political ground.

I have come to the conclusion that politically the Spanish people are somewhat politically innocent and are simply content to be spoon fed anything the EU dishes out. There is this naive belief if it’s from the EU the medicine must be good for them.

I guess the country will mature politically eventually and realise when it’s too late the cost of such dependency was way too high.

I think we all underestimate the cultural affects of Franco and before that the Inquistion. Why would anyone speak out and challenge the status quo? In the Alpujarras I still see the hate of the Spanish Civil War. One aspect in Andalucia is almost an anti-learning culture within many families and their children. The only thing the EU is to them is a possible means for a quick buck, which needs to be grabbed now before it goes away. You can see this in the huge number of wasteful EU projects in each pueblo in Andalucia and their farming practices surrounding the Common Agricultural policy where they wreck their own land and environment just to get a cent..

Yes I agree with that to a certain extent. The common thread of opposition to the EU throughout Europe principally comes from a generation over about 40. The core support of the eurosceptics are disillusioned with main stream government.

The young still believe institutions can be reformed by dialoge and debate. They feel there is still great opportunity in Europe for their generation. That may or may not be true but the Europe they will inherit will be a very different one from the past and in my view not in a positive way for so many reasons.

I can recall when the UK entered the EU being so opptimistic for the future. Well at least there have been no more wars. 

All the points you are coming out with are reasons for the UK to leave the EU, not Spain. This I can understand. But why would Spain want to leave when you all agree the EU has been good for Spain? They get a lot of out of it and the only major problem would be with the euro which is not allowing it to adjust interest rates. 

On the whole, Spain has done well which is probably why there is no opposition party to the EU.

Other reasons being mentioned are with individual countries, not the EU. Yes, Spain has ignored some of the EU directives and been fined heavily for it. They eventually come round to following the rules.

Problems in proving income, healthcare, asset declaration? Do you really think this only happens in Spain? Try going to live in many of the non-EU countries like the USA or Australia and see how you get on. In France, you not only have to declare your property and monetary assets but thinks like jewellery, cars and so on. And, yes, you actually get taxed there. Italy has the same asset declaration rules. But these are individual countries requirements, not those of the EU although they get blamed for it. Much like the Spanish cycling organisations are blaming the EU for the compulsory wearing of cycle helmets when it has nothing to do with the EU.

The EU gets blamed for many things, such as the ECHR which has nothing to do with the EU.

Let's go back to trading with our Commonwealth partners, shall we? Oh, one thing brought up is the French ban on British beef imports. As it was, the EU fined France loads of money until they agreed to restart the import. Now, which countries in the world still don't allow beef imports? Well, Australia, New Zealand and Canada to name just a few of our Commonwealth partners. At least the EU managed to solve that problem which is alone worth a couple of billion quid to the UK..

So I can't see why voting for an anti-EU party in Spain (if there is such a thing) would do any good at all.

If the argument is for the UK leaving the EU then that is a whole new ball game. Just remember things like back in the 90s when Spain tried to ban right hand drive cars until the EU (fuelled by rather a large outrage) stepped in and stopped it. If Spain could try that, what about visa free travel, healthcare for pensioners, reciprocal tax agreements and so on if the UK left the EU? 

One of the big arguments in UK is about immigration from EU countries. Leaving the EU and banning EU immigrants might have some effect on the millions of Brits who work and live in EU countries at the moment. 

Methinks you are l'agent provocateur.

You have misunderstood my position. It's nothing about Spain or the UK the election is about the European Union where ever the voter happens to be registered. The voter franchise is European wide. I agree it's for a Spanish representative in the European parliament but since that's the only vote I have, I want to express my own views. That is what democracy supposedly represents, except I can't in Spain because no party holds my views.

So for this enfranchised voter the election has no meaning.  It’s all fairly pointless really, like so many things European except subsidies and freebies, so I have destroyed my vote.

The British won't give me a vote because I am beyond their time of registration, cast out if you like. I would be more than happy to live in a sovereign independent Spain than a rump of the unaccountable, undemocratic, monolithic Europe.

Call me anything you like but, please, not in French.

I was just pointing out why Spain would not have an anti EU party. However, were you aware that Spain shows a lower confidence in EU institutions than the UK?  Apparently the UK has a 49% disapproval of the way the EU works whilst Spain has a 52% disapproval rating. Surprised me as well. 

European Council on Foreign Relations are the ones making that claim. I've no idea if it's an official body or not but have a read of the link.

I don't know where you live but just down the road from where I live they elected a British councillor to the town hall. It didn't work out very well, apparently. Maybe that's the answer. Start your own "Espana Contra EEUU" party.