A great place for holidays but when it comes to politics, doesn't Europe
bore you? Nowhere loves elections more than Northern Ireland but even we are
struggling to be aroused for June 10th.
With two sitting MEPs retiring, and plenty of fresh faces joining the fray,
it shouldn't be so. The candidates are currently converging on the Balmoral
Show to woo the farmers. That requires much more than kissing babies.
Jim Allister, Bairbre de Brun, Jim Nicholson and Martin Morgan could well
end up shearing sheep or engaging in some other activity that sends shivers
down the spine of city slickers.
John Gilliland is an old hand compared to many of his rivals. "The Balmoral
Show, isn't that about cows and tractors?" asks Socialist Environmental
Alliance candidate Eamonn McCann. "I've never been in my life. I've seen it
on TV though and it's not for me."
McCann is addressing European issues but opposing the occupation of Iraq is
a major part of his campaign. Whether pro or anti-war, Iraq raises our
passion. But how many bar-room or after-dinner discussions concern the EU?
Our 1999 election turnout was 57%. In Britain it was 24%.
Our turnout was motivated by local sectarian issues - the Paisley-Hume
battle to be top dog - not broader, European ones.
Besides our three MEPs, how many others could you name? Most of us couldn't
even manage one or two from Britain or the Republic, never mind Germany,
France or Spain.
Isn't that shameful given that 60% of our laws come from Europe?
Hardly. Power in the EU is hidden inside complicated, undemocratic
structures few can understand.
It's a faceless, soulless bureaucracy. There's no attempt to make the
debates interesting or accessible. They're usually drab and highly
technical. So a huge gulf emerges between the EU elite and the 450 million
people they rule.
National governments like that distance. They don't want us controlling
decisions about our daily lives. Everything about the EU is confusing. The
Parliament can't even meet in one place - it floats between Brussels and
Strasbourg at huge expense.
At least it's elected. The most powerful EU institutions - the Council of
Ministers and the European Commission - aren't. The Council of Ministers
joins Cuba and North Korea as the only legislative bodies in the world which
assemble in secret. Indeed, if the EU's own institutions had to apply to
join the Union, they'd be refused membership because of their democratic
deficit.
So you don't have to be a 'little Northern Irelander' with stereotypes of
oily Greeks, garlic-eating French, and robotic Germans, to rail against the
EU.
Our candidates acknowledge the struggle to interest voters. Martin Morgan
plans a lively campaign - he's already been handcuffed and imprisoned in a
cage in Derry, albeit by charity workers.
Ulster Unionist adviser Steven King is keeping his ideas under wraps. "All I
can say is we won't be serving up fish-and-chips this time, or even mussels
and chips - moules et frites as it is properly known - a Belgian
speciality!"
The DUP battle-bus is launched today. "We might take a spin to Connolly
House (Sinn Féin headquarters) instead of Cunningham House," jokes a party
insider. They mightn't return though - those Shinners aren't as restrained
as their UUP counterparts.
Eamonn McCann will be touring the country in his partner's three-year-old
Volkswagen Golf. "A wonderful little thing, red and reliable," says McCann
who hopes voters will think the same of him. Our candidates might inspire
us but, at the campaign's close, I reckon the EU still won't have managed
to.
