Thread: No more new or smaller parties in Portugal

Horrible nasty news from the EU; which is to say, the EuSSR. Relates to Sean Gabb’s postings about “Banned Video back on web” and “the most astonishing video you will ever see.” « The Libertarian Alliance: BLOG

Nigel Farage on his blog and the UKIP website have brought to our attention a rather alarming situation that our colleagues in Portugal are about to find themselves in. The PND [Partido da Nova Democracia] under Manuel Montiero have some similar aims to ours, especially to regain control of their fishing and to oppose the constitution. However 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. Additionally, the names and addresses of the members must be given to the Portuguese authorities. This will mean that ten of Portugal’s fourteen political parties will disappear and the PND is one of them. This intolerance to opposition means that new parties would never be created, existing ones become more powerful and they alone would control party funding.
This situation is caused by Article 191 of the Nice Treaty, regarding party funding. If it can happen in Portugal, it can happen here. A good reason to increase our membership as fast as possible. Although I hesitate to compare it, it does bring to mind the identification of Jews in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. UKIP is currently safe from extinction on these grounds as we have more than three times that many members.

So if applied to Britain (after the testcase in Portugal), then you may see all the new small parties and possible some existing ones, such as the English Democrats, wound up due to lack of size.

I would guess what might stop that, is in Britain, there is a chance this could backfire, with all the smaller parties joining either UKIP, or the BNP.

However, that assumes these two parties won't be made illegal.

I have not heard about the above development and I do not know whether it would apply here. I assume not.

If, however, it did occur in the UK, I hope there would be a consolidation of the various nationalist parties, taking the best of each party's policies and working methods. That could be a very powerful combination ... which is probably why the corrupt and frightened political British elite would try to make sure that no similar law applied in the UK.

OK, this time it isn't actually an EU thing.

It is not authorised by the treaty, the author has drawn a really strange and impossible connection.

Things like this only damage the anti-EU cause. Though we should be vigilant, Gordon must be excited that western powers can get away with this!