…electorates across Europe have lost patience with the squishy, soft-left, metropolitan ‘Social Democrat’ elite which has dominated their politics for the last seventy years.
Voters are going elsewhere because they can see that Social Democracy has failed them.
It has failed them economically – as the vast youth unemployment in countries like Spain, Italy and Greece can testify; not to mention the shrinking size of the Eurozone economy generally.
It has failed them socially by inflicting on them a wave of immigration by people from an alien culture which has no intention of assimilating with or showing any gratitude to the nations now hosting it.
These are perfectly plausible explanations. But I’ve added another event to the bottom of the chart above: the introduction of smoking bans in almost every country in Europe.
In my own case this was really what turned me against the ” squishy, soft-left, metropolitan ‘Social Democrat’ elite” for whom I used to vote, but for whom I will never ever vote again.
…
Elsewhere April 01, 2016
DAKAR, Senegal — The World Health Organization says a new case of Ebola has been confirmed in Liberia, days after saying the outbreak no longer qualifies as an international health emergency.
WHO said on Twitter Friday investigations are underway. It reiterated that Ebola is no longer an international health emergency, but flare-ups, at decreasing frequency, are expected. Liberia was declared free from transmission in January.
Flare-ups have occurred before in Liberia, and in Sierra Leone and Guinea, though health authorities say those are not linked to the original chain of transmission. WHO says Guinea has confirmed eight cases and seven deaths since late February.
Seven Ebola deaths in as many weeks is a “decreasing frequency flare-up”??
Frank Davis 
That graph is rather confusing. It took me a minute or two to work out e.g. how Social Democrats had managed over 100% of the vote. But fortunately European elections are not that bad yet.
I think the percentages are just figures relative to 1970. In other words if their vote proportion went up from there it would show up as over 100% on the graph.
It does look like something happened between 2005 and 2008 onward that was unprecedented compared to the previous 65 years. Of course there’s vast room for chartmanship and definition issues. What is a Social Democratic vote for example? UKIP supporters are passionate advocates of Democracy and I’ve found them pretty Sociable too.
That aside, I can only really think of two major events in the critical time. The smoking bans and the EU Lisbon treaty with its various ramifications. Banking crises and recessions came and went without too much impact.
The synchronicity of the timing of the real plunge with the smoking bans is incredible!
– MJM
Nosedive right on the money. Looks like everyone stayed home forever. I bet takeout even dived!
Interesting addition to the list of turn-offs that I hadn’t really considered before but now you have opened my eyes to it – a very valid one.
As we now see with the attacks on alcohol, fat, salt and sugar that the smoking ban was the thin end of the wedge.
Pictorial warnings: Govt slams tobacco firms’ stand
Apr 03 2016 New Delhi
“Criticising tobacco manufacturers’ decision to halt production, the Centre on Saturday hardened its stand on the implementation of larger pictorial warnings on such products, saying it will take all the necessary steps to curb tobacco use in the country.
The Union health ministry said there is “no ambiguity” in the policy in this regard and it has been made “crystal clear” that products packaged after April 1 will have to carry larger warnings.
“We want to clarify that there is no ambiguity. This is a bogey raised by the tobacco industry. The case is crystal clear. We had issued the notification in September last year. If they had found an ambiguity, why did they send their letter in March, 2016,” a senior ministry official said.
The official further added that “they could have done it earlier. Our stand is very clear. Whatever needs to be done to curb tobacco consumption, will be done. We have clarified that products manufactured after April 1 will have to carry larger pictorial warnings covering 85 percent of the display area”.
The comments come a day after major cigarette manufacturers, including ITC, Godfrey Phillips and VST, decided to shut their factories and stop production citing an “ambiguity” in the policy mandating larger pictorial warnings covering 85 per cent of the packaging space.”
http://www.asianage.com/india/pictorial-warnings-govt-slams-tobacco-firms-stand-332
I do wish that Western tobacco companies would occasionally call our governments bluff.
Tobacco Companies should have taken a stand over PP in Australia. They have no factories there and could easily have stopped the supply of tobacco products until a ruling was made by the international body in charge of the protection of trade marks.
Yup it’d be similar to what’s happening in good old Turkmenistan.
You may recall the President sort of decreed a ban on cigarette sales back in January of this year.
Now that seemed somewhat silly given the nation’s bordered by Afghanistan and Iran, and of course the border’s a porous as a colander.
Anyway the populous seems to think otherwise – and an awful lot of shops are supplying ciggies under the counter.
Naturally they get raided, but the profit’s excellent – and demand substantial:
http://www.chrono-tm.org/en/2016/02/irregular-supply-of-cigarettes-in-turkmenistans-stores/
But what the heck the President’s a control and health freak and has excellent taste in cars, but dreadful taste in colours:
http://www.ilsul6ana.com/2012/04/11/turkmenistan-wins-a-race-in-a-bugatti/
Good for the Indian firms! They should “send a message” saying that they’ll resume production only when either (A) the demand is lifted, **OR** (B) similar pictorial warnings be required on all alcoholic, sugary, and fatty products in stores. (They could even spend a bit of money on do it yourself stickers for concerned public citizens who wanted to add such warnings themselves on undesirable products.)
And I fully agree with Junican et al: very sad that the tobacco companies buckled in Australia. They should simply have said “No.” and then let the Australian government deal with the consequences. They showed a colossally disgraceful failure of will.
:/
MJM
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