We’ve had some lovely sunny days in Brussels and it’s been hard to stay inside researching and typing away. It’s been a busy couple of weeks as, apert from writing for New Europe, I’ve had to get a couple of articles done pretty quickly for Together magazine. One piece was not in my usual brief and it did come out very different than the editor, James Drew imagined. But he liked it and that’s all that counts.

The European elections are almost upon us and it’s gone strangely quiet as MEP’s are seeking re-election or relaxing if they’re not running again. I’m hoping to write a series of articles on reporting on the Parliament and on the elections.

In the UK it’s common to write Europe off as a mess, the parliament as people who fill their snouts in the trough. Sadly this is not accurate and disuades people from voting.

The EU does impact everyone’s lives and what the parliament decides affects us all, more so if the Lisbon Treaty is adopted. Lisbon may not be perfect but it is a real improvement on the existing system that is beginning to fail, and it’s the only game in town.

The election is important and if you don’t vote, then you’ve got no right to whinge about the EU.