Election Day

For the fifth time since the erection of the European Parliament, citizens of the European Union have been able to vote for their national representatives in the European Parliament. The percentage of people that have shown up to vote for an election have been dropping for the third time in a row. There are many reasons for people not to turn up, but the ones that do, seem to use the election to send out a signal of their opinion on national politics. In this sense the elections for the European Parliament are being abused for the wrong reasons. But can this be avoided? Simply no! European politicians have always had a hard job coming accross to their fellow countrymen 'back home' and they have not been able to turn this around in the past five years either. Dutch, Irish, French, Germans, Polish and Bulgarians shouldn't become more European in their thinking and living, because they are Europeans! European politicians nevertheless should reach out to their roots better and more often. In this way they will be able to represent national sentiments better in Brussels. Let's make all members of the European Parliament obliged to 'national days' in which they return to their home-country each month so that they can really represent their country!