Really, I am serious. OK I know that most of you who may turn up here are the sort of people who, by dint of that single fact are interested in the June polls. But what about everybody else. Why should they bother?
Worse still, this little bit of slightly silly rhetoric is merely a mirror of reality. After all the latest Eurobarometer poll reads pretty grim reading those of us who do give a damn. According to the Commission’s figures frankly things are looking pretty grim. Across the whole EU 27 only 34% are planning to vote at all. That is appalling. In Germany the prognostications are at 43%, in the UK a pitiful 22%. Worst of all are the figures for Luxembourg and Belgium at 64% and 70% respectively. Not to bad you say. Well yes, other than the fact that 30 and 36% of the citizens would prefer to break the law than endorse anybody in the elections.
As Margot Wallström herself pointed out in a letter at the end of last year to the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Parliament, a low turnout damages the legitimacy of the Parliament itself, and she said of the “entire European project”. When quizzed on the specifics of this of course she couldn’t or wouldn’t respond with any real figure, but the point is still moot, and she, one of the more honest members of the Euro elite at least recognises the problem.
Oh yes everybody in Brussels knows that the slow collapse of turnout since the first election to the Brussels Assembly in 1979 is bad news. Everybody recognises that it looks bad, but that is mainly from a PR perspective. The hundreds of millions of Euros being thrown at MTV and so on in a desperate attempt to raise figures are about this. But whether the philosophical aspect has been considered at the top table I very much doubt.
At what point, at what level of participation does the European Parliament become illegitimate? Democracy requires participation for it to have legitimacy. Lack of engagement does not mean that the elite can presume consent. The referenda in France, Holland and Ireland should at least have put paid to that idea. What they suggest is a deep disillusion with the whole project, an deliberate disengagement with the governors by the governed. The response of the elite to those referenda just confirms that consent is not required for the European leviathan to keep lumbering on. The great problem and fear is that when there is such sparse contact between these two things then something has to give. History is littered with unhappy examples.
The good news? Eurobarometer is rubbish. It informed the world that the people of Holland supported the old Constitution by about 60-40. Two weeks after they had voted 63% against. Genius.
(22 votes, average: 3.64 out of 5)
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Excellent post, Gawain.
You’re completely right: there is not an awful lot of legitimacy in an election result with a 34% turn-out.
I’m not convinced, either, that it is enough to say “well, they had the opportunity to vote, but they didn’t.” If the turnout is as low as predicted, then something is fundamentally wrong.
I’m also not sure that an “education” campaign will help matters.
This isn’t, of course, a problem unique to the EU. Voter turn-outs have (I’m pretty sure) been falling all across the democratic world. I do think, though, that if people won’t vote in a national election, then they DEFINITELY won’t vote in a European election, which might be part of the reason it’s so bad for the EU.
Of course, as you point out, the turn-out could be much better.
But I’m not holding my breath about that.
Alright, master Towler - your suggestion then? If the low turnout is unacceptable and the PR campaign is useless, what exactly are we (as in, interested Europeans) supposed to do about it?
Why bother? To avoid your type of political group coming back to Brussels, that’s why!
Belgian EU elections’ turnout has been the same as for national elections, EU elections coincide with regional ones, which a great way to enhance democracy and save taxpayers money. Belgian politicians are not afraid to talk about the EU in a way other than blaming them for all their misfortunes (sounds familiar?)
Btw., your populistic style of politics has actually increased the awareness of UK citizens to EU affairs - so thank you for that
The bright side of EP low turnout could be that problem is related to EP but not necessary EU itself. EU (and euro) are probably more popular among citizens.
As many voters see EP insignificant so why to vote. If they want some influence to EU issues, they may vote in national elections and their national government is deciding EU tasks with other member-state governments.
The whole EP election hype seems to be only a show to pretend having some democratic image.
I had expected a more provocative or at least a more straightforward article from you, Gawain!
This is a rather lame summary of what’s been said all around recently, and nothing new, especially no (new) arguments.
Hundreds of millions being thrown at MTV and so on Gawain? I think you’ll find the total direct spend by Parliament and Commission on the elections is in single figures. I make it about 2 cents per voter…
Joe - when you say “2 cents per voter”, do you mean per potential voter i.e. every EU citizen, or those who actually use their vote?
My mind… it hurts… the grammar… the logic… the structure… and from a Britt, to boot!
Etan - potential voter, i.e. those old enough to vote regardless of whether they do or not.
@Patrick - From a Britt or a Brit?
@Julien - True, Gawain’s post wasn’t very provocative. But it seemed fairly well-balanced, which is perhaps more important.
Joe - that’s a big difference. Surely by definition, a voter is someone who actually votes.
If it’s two cents for every potential voter, how much is it per actual voter?
Etan - well we won’t know until afterwards how many voted, but let’s say for the sake of argument it is 38% of the electorate. That would make about 5 cents per voter…
As a European living in Belgium, who will be voting for Belgian candidates in the elections, can I remind Ivo and Joe that voting is compulsory in their country, which is why so many of us will turn out - as for what we vote, I am sure it will be on local issues, so I will vote Ecolo, as a cyclist appalled by the Belgian authorities lack of progress on road safety, or maybe for the chap who wants Wallonia to join France, since I do belive in sovereignty and national identity, something Belgium sorely lacks, or maybe even Front National - I do want my compulsory vote to count, after all !!
After the fall of France in 1940, England was probably the 5% free land in Europe, while the other 95% were Nazi-controlled. Are you suggesting Churchill should have given up the fight?
I would very much like to know when a UKIP canvasser will knock on my door! I’m waiting patiently
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu6_AslGxY0
Why bother about European Parliament?