Maybe the author from the article would say that I am a nerd, but when I go to a seminar in the European Parliament, and I have the chance to discuss about the role of the EU in the word, I dont feel that it’s talking about nothing.
(EG: http://www.socialistgroup.eu/gpes/newsdetail.do?id=123415&lg=fr)

And more important, in my daily life I can feel that I am in Europe, because living now in Brussels, or going on holidays to Germany, or talking to my friends from Greece… i can see that we have something in common. We have the chance to leave in countries where people can study, you have the right to fight for a better life and is not about having the freedom to do it, but about having the way to go for it.

Furthermore, I believe that having a political Union, we, THE EUROPEAN CITIZENS, can get much more than leaving the world being international only for bussiness.

And there, we have come back to the central issue. You claim that it doesnt’ make a difference to have left or right? Would you say the same for your country???

I think that you couldn’t be more wrong. You are probably kidding yourself if you think that your left or right wing party can make a difference and that those same parties at a European level dont. I am utterly convinced that our national governments can’t take but secondary deccisions, just because the biggest issues are not on their hands anymore (think of who own the banks in your country and how nobody controls the financial markets…). And that’s why it makes so much sense to vote for the European elections, and why it is so sad that some try to convince the people that it’s useless.

Oh… and a socialist saying that “It just doesn’t matter who wins a seat. It makes no difference to what Europe does if my MEP is left or right. I can’t see any real difference between when the Party of European Socialists was a majority and now, when the European Peoples Party are the largest group”…. i don’t know who could have said that, but I know lots of people who believe in their job and for me it doesnt represent the engagement from the socialists.

USE YOUR RIGHT and VOTE!

Yet, so much of what the EU does is boring administrative stuff. How can people be motivated to be interested? Perhaps this the root of the EU-sceptic position? ie wanting an EU of some sort but not quite sure of what. Note that EU-sceptics want a pan-European organisation, Anti-EU types simply want to return to the “simple” times of nation-states.

As for Barosso, for so long as the Lisbon Treaty is not ratified then his flaccid style is OK by me. I will get really annoyed (ie I will pester my EMP) if he should get the vote with the Lisbon Treaty in force.

But it did not HAVE to be like this! Last week EPP de facto nominated Barroso as their candidate for the position of Commission president. He is backed not only by them but also by socialist Zapatero and Socrates (!) and it odes seem like the voters had no say on the matter – Barroso is in no matter what is the largest group in the EP!

So why does not PES nominate a conta candidate? I asked Rasmussen and he said “we have not decided if we will do it YET”. Well maybe it is slowly time to do it…. At least if Europe’s voters should get any influence on the composition of Europe’s executive and if their votes should have any real effect”. This weekend the Greens are having their Congress – lets see if they ar prepared to take the lead to make Europe more democratic – unfortunately I doubt it…