The European Elections? Who actually cares?
The European Elections are fast approaching, and although I doubt millions of people in the UK are scrambling to register, blowing up balloons and eagerly anticipating Election Day in an Obama-esque fashion, it’s something that the Great British population really does need to think about and get behind. Unfortunately the whole scandal surrounding MPs expenses have taken focus away from the politics and what is best for the country. We are now into the realm of mud flinging and sleaze slinging. Who can we vote for? Everyone is just as corrupt as each other. There are two ways I can see this turning out: hardly anyone will turn out to vote and the minority parties will be more successful than they have ever been before, or, everyone goes out to vote for anyone except the three main parties, and again, the minority parties will come out on top. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with being a minority party, but when parliamentary sleaze means that extreme right wing parties like the BNP are becoming more and more appealing to the general population, and especially in what were before Labour strongholds, Manchester and Merseyside, we might have a little bit of a problem.
First of all I have to say that I am not necessarily pro-Europe. With 27 countries all being represented by one parliament, there is no way a general consensus can be reached. The economic and social interests of the UK are no where near similar to those in countries such as Estonia or Lithuania. Many are of the opinion that it doesn’t really seem fair that our hard earned taxes should be sent over to other countries when there are so many problems at home that need just as much money and attention from the government. Most of us don’t really seem to care. We’re proud to say we’re English, not European. I’m guilty of this myself. I’ve had more than one argument with friends of mine from Europe where they turn around and say to me ‘yes, but you’re European too’, my answer always being ‘but I’m English. It’s different’. Does this mean we shouldn’t care what the results are of the European elections? In fact it’s quite the opposite. Being a member state of the EU means that the majority of our money gets spent by Brussels and most of our laws are set by the European Parliament.
The website for the European Government tells us that our MEP is our ‘voice in Europe’. No matter what your political leanings, or your frustration over the expenses scandal may be, we need to think who we want to be representing us as a country. I think that part of the problem is that no one really knows who represents us in Europe and what, in fact, they actually do. The European Parliament represents nearly half a billion people in 27 member states. The European Parliament is the only directly-elected body of the European Union and the MEPs are our representatives there. MEPs are elected once every five years, the next election to be held on 4th June.
If this whole business over expenses has taught us anything, it’s that we need to involved and aware in what’s going on. We all have the right to vote, and we have a responsibility to make our voices heard. We need to make it our duty to be informed and to make the right decision. Don’t come crying to me in two years if you don’t agree with what’s going on, you have no right to complain if you don’t make the effort to get involved.
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