ࡱ> 8:7 bjbj * 55555IIII] IiZZZ$ J5ZZ55)))L55))))@MYz]I+)}0)+)5A<ZZ@)4(ZZZ|ZZZZZZZZZZZZ : save democracy: abolish elections ! Baron Frankal Every election tells a story. Wednesdays european elections told many: by and large, one for each country. For the most part, these were national stories, about issues seen in the national context. Possibly the only story that spanned the continent was the turnout: once again the lowest in these elections short history. However, new europe is not going to join the collective navel-gazing nor claim that such a low turnout removes legitimacy - it was much better than voting for the us congress, and no-one calls that illegitimate. Also, particularly in the new member states who only voted on europe a year ago, it all seemed rather superfluous. In fact, it is all rather understandable why the dog ate most voters registration forms because these elections, and the meps that they elect, are totally unnecessary, and, even worse, actually corrosive to the european project. That is not to denigrate the parliament, nor much of the (actually very good and very important) work that it does. The ep now has a very important role in the european firmament, and a crucial institutional position in european law-making, of particular note due to the drop-dead technical (read: boring) nature of very much european legislation. In whatever ways it has succeeded though, it has failed in its primary aim, which was always to fill the so-called democratic deficit. If there was ever a misplaced concept though, and the setting of a mission impossible, that was it. In trying to create a european polity that simply doesnt exist, in an eu where decisions are taken increasingly overwhelmingly by national governments, a big mistake was made and the time to admit it is now. Everyone in europe already directly elects representatives, to their national parliaments. While even in national voting there is a trend of falling turnout, if there is one institution in europe that has democratically legitimacy, it is our national parliaments. A far-sighted europe would seek to bolster these in any we can, not dissipate voters limited resources even further. Governments working together is great: not only for national governments, but for the eu, as ministers are forced to engage in Europe, to see it close up and see how it works, to shape its habits, to understand and even explain it. They are forced to find workable solutions compromises - to practical problems that are not the same across the continent, but which are nonetheless best dealt with at a european level. Not so oppositions or lowly parliamentarians they are virtually ignored in the european process, and so can happily say whatever they want without ever having to get their hands dirty with reality. The british conservatives (who won the uk elections) are an excellent example: their platform of rejecting the constitution, pulling out of the common fisheries policy and renegotiating a long list of things in the treaty is clearly appealing, but shear fantasy: rather like (as the uk independence party put it) going into mcdonalds and ordering a lobster thermidor. An early draft of the constitution went in this direction , proposing a second house (or senate) made up of national parliaments, but why create more when what is needed is better. Even in its short life the eu has already acquired its vested interests, but meps should go ! So how would it work ? Hungary has 24 meps of 732, so they may be expected to do about 3% of the eps work. Could these tasks not be taken on by the hungarian parliament ? Each country could devise its own system for who goes where, when and does what; and then the hungarians that sit on these obscure but important committees in brussels (lets, please, forget about strasbourg and just have one ep) will have rather more legitimacy and profile than wednesday nights victors will ever muster. It will be a two-way street. National parliamentarians better represent ordinary europeans, and so their views should be better represented in brussels. Also, national parliaments will actually have to become involved themselves in the eu, to understand it, to explain it, and in a language that helps get them re-elected. It should always have been this way, and it isnt too late to change. And if not now, when ? First published as looking to the future of a bigger union in the budapest sun, 24 june 2004,  HYPERLINK "http://www.budapestsun.com/cikk.php?id=13425" http://www.budapestsun.com/cikk.php?id=13425 !#[]jkl + 5 : x ? @ U V ^ w {   B C ? *+ɽ⮣{ph{9h)rCJaJh)rCJaJhM1CJaJh1CJaJhh+CJaJh{9CJaJh{9h{9CJaJh{9h{9CJaJmH sH h 'hYO6CJaJh 'hYO5CJaJh{95CJaJmH sH h{9h{95CJaJmH sH hYO5CJaJmH sH ,kl a$a$gdHw  MOPQRST]^qvFjn|$%;AKR ]psabʾhYOhHw0J6CJaJ jhYOhHw6CJUaJhYOhHw6hYOhHw6CJaJh{9CJaJh{9h)rCJaJh)rCJaJhh+CJaJh{9h{9CJaJhM1CJaJ5(. 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