Friday 24 April 2009

European Parliament elections 2009 (88): The PES campaign launch (my Twitter coverage) - updated

Huh, I made the effort and followed the full PES campaign launch event tonight in Toulouse, 2 1/2 hours of political campaign speeches. That is even a lot for some geek like me.

Allow me just to copy-paste my tweets from this event into this blog post, and the only thing I would like to do besides is to again regret sincerely that the European Socialists did not have the guts to present their own candidate for the Presidency of the next European Commission to counter Barroso, who, even according to them, is weak and without vision!

Update (26 April 2009): The major speeches from the event are now available as videos.

My Twitter messages from the event (starting around 7 pm, ending around 9:50 pm; attention: reverse order!):

  • Good mood and more or less optimism at the Socialists. Event too long, too much repetition! 2 1/2 hours... #PES #eu09 #ep09
  • Whatever they do now, they cannot win. They can have good ideas, visions, hopes. But without a candidate, they are nothing! #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • I am disappointed: The #PES does not announce a candidate for EU Commission Presidency. They leave the field to #Barroso! #ep09 #eu09 #eu
  • Rasmussen: "Winning means to work, it means to be optimistic.We Socialists might be living apart, but the hearts are close" #ep09 #PES #eu09
  • Rasmussen: "The best thing to do is to do campaigning. The is a new chance to have 'citizens first' in #Europe." #ep09 #PES #eu09
  • #Rasmussen: #Barroso has no vision! He is weak! #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • Rasmussen: This is the end for fiscal paradises, financial speculation, disproportionate bonuses, the disrespect of workers #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • Speech of Martin Schulz: Good tone, but not very well structured. #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • Martin Schulz: With a socialist victory, the (fascist) past will never be repeated. #ep09 #eu09 #PES
  • correction: Somebody like Le Pen should NOT preside the first session of the EP
  • Martin Schulz: "Having nazi concentration camps in mind, somebody like Le Pen [French nationalist] will preside the first session of the EP"
  • Martin Schulz: attacks Graham Watson (#ALDE leader) who said Schulz was "the past" last week. MS: "Liberals are the past!" #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • Schulz: "The system of speculation is disgusting."
  • Martin Schulz: "End the neoliberal policies of the Right of the last two decades"
  • Martin Schulz: "As soon as the crisis ends, the others will return to the old concepts: No democracy in the economic world" #ep09 #eu09 #PES
  • Martin Schulz attacks #Barroso and the Commission, the right-wing majority in the EP #ep09 #eu09 #PES
  • #German Social Democrat and Leader of #PES group in the EP Martin Schulz speaking
  • "#Europe is #woman" #PES #eu
  • President of European Socialist Women: More and more female socialist leaders, even the new #ECOSY president. #PES #eu
  • #Spanish representative: "The next EP will be the most powerful of the history. We will win these elections. With hope." #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • #Portuguese Socialists: "Vote for left majority,against right majority in institutions.Against markets without regulation." #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • #Romanian Delegate: "Europe is not misunderstood by the citizens, it's badly explained" Me: Excellent!! Best speech. #PES #ep09 #eu09 #eu
  • #Romanian Social Democrats: "Set the flame of values. For a EU Commission of the Left, because they start legislation" #ep09 #PES #eu09
  • #Austrian Social Democrats: "Running for EP is a challenge; this Europe needs change to become a social Europe." #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • #Cyprus Socialists: "For a strong progressive majority in the EP. People have to reject catastrophic proposals of conservatives" #ep09 #eu09
  • #Polish Democratic Left: "Our country ruled by conservative parties promoting intolerance, but we will support #PES manifesto" #ep09 #eu09
  • #Italian Democratic Party: "The right cannot solve the problems of the crisis." #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • #Lithuanian Social Democrats: "Crisis caused by 'banksters' and right-wing governments. We shall fight and win!" #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • 500 people following the stream, one French speaker says. He greats us :-) #PES #e09 #eu09
  • #Hungarian Socialists: "PES will be strongest EP group. Europe needs solidarity." #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • #Czech Social Democrats: "Neoliberal recipes were already bad for Czech R. 10 years ago. #PES has better leaders and people" #ep09 #eu09
  • #Finnish Social Democrats: "Not liberal money needed, but common vision. Politics back to politics." #pes #ep09 #eu09
  • #Danish Social Democrat: "Socialists have the vision of and will for a social and greener Europe, without discrimination" #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • #Estonian Social Democrats: "..." #PES #eu09 #ep09
  • #Belgian Socialist leader: "This is a historical moment: We will beat the Right, and find Europe again. Need a united Left" #PES #eu09 #ep09
  • #Italian Socialist leader: "The Right is not unbeatable!" #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • #Maltese Labour Party leader: "This time we can make a difference." #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • #Dutch Socialist speaking: "It's not an easy time to campaign. Populists and extremists. Against crazy #capitalism." #PES #eu09 #ep09
  • British labour representative speaks in French! #PES #eu09 #eu #ep09
  • #Latvian head of list speaking: "socialist spring starts in #Toulouse"; #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • #PES leader #Rasmussen starts his speech. #eu09 #ep09
  • French PS leader: attack on French Liberals of Bayrou, and to #ELDR concerning competition in the field of public services #eu09 #ep09 #PES
  • French PS leader: we need an emotional connection to Europe, the Europe of peace, of social cohesion, of intelligence #PES #ep09 #eu09
  • We need a new majority to change the President of the European Commission, says French PS leader. Me: Who will it be? #PES French PS leader speaks mostly to national audience. Quite boring from a European perspective. #ep09 #eu09 #eu #PES
  • on 07 June we can change the direction of Europe with a #PES majority, says French Socialists' leader #ep09 #eu09 #eu
  • internationalism, change, hope - that's what Kader Arif proposes as Socialist guidelines. #PES
  • First #PES speaker doesn't address the public outside the room. We are not welcome? #ep09 #eu09 #ue09
  • finally the images. Heads of #PES lists are gathering on the stage #ep09 #eu09
  • #PES campaign launch seems to start. Waiting that the image comes back #ep09

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Under the category "European parliament elections 2009" I am following up national and European activities on the path to the European Parliament elections 2009.

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