SNP Tactical Voting has posted an interesting guide to the EP elections from a Scottish perspective, which is well worth reading. It’s always nice to see someone in the normal political world writing about Europe.

You’ve probably guessed from previous posts that I’m just a little bit interested in the EU, so the European Parliament elections next year are occupying my mind a fair bit. Unfortunately, according to this Eurobarometer poll, they don’t seem to be doing the same for most people in the UK. When asked when they thought the EP elections would be held, 94% of British respondents didn’t know, and 62% said they were disinterested in the election. I’m pretty sure I’ve blogged about this before, but evidently the question of how to engage voters in the EP hasn’t been answered yet.

Anyway, it seems that the people who do vote will be planning to focus on the economy. Though, once the parties start their campaigns based on national issues, I have a feeling that people, in the UK at least, will forget about what the EU could do about economic issues, and have a go at Gordon instead. That is, if he still has a flat on Downing Street then.

I put my name forward for the Scottish Green’s EP elections list. I’m not sure I’ll actually be lucky enough to get on the list, but I’ll certainly be doing as much as I can to help with the election campaign. Which will in a sense, be a little disheartening.

The problem is, while the political blogosphere will be alight with talk and gossip about the campaigns, and the pan-European media that has developed over the past few years will be busy offering slightly more serious coverage, the general public will potter along, for the large part oblivious to the whole process.

If only everyone were as conscientious as Rousseau: “the very right to vote imposes on me the duty to instruct myself in public affairs”.

I don’t know what exactly could be done to engage the electorate, but there might be something in Monica Frassoni’s suggestion of the parties having a “big fight”. Whatever happens, 45.6% turnout is too low, and just feeds the Eurosceptics claims of legitimacy problems with the Union. Unfortunately the cynic in me can’t help but think it’ll be the 2013 elections before anything is actually done about it.