A single, Europe-wide campaign has been launched to raise awareness of June’s European elections in which the capital will elect eight of the UKs 72 MEPs. For the first time, the elections will be promoted one logo and one set of adverts. The campaign slogan in the UK and most other Member States is: “It’s your choice!”
In addition to the adverts, interactive multimedia “Choice Boxes” will allow voters to record messages giving their views on the choices facing the European Parliament. In the UK the boxes will be placed London, Belfast, Glasgow, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Norwich, Cardiff, Plymouth and Southampton. The videos will be available to watch in Brussels on giant screens, on YouTube and EuroparlTV.
Officials say the total amount spent promoting the elections will be €18 million across the 27 member states, of which €420,000 will be spent in the UK.
External link: www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2009
It may be “your choice” but unfortunately no one is quite sure what they are choosing – parties stand under national names, but when they are elected then belong to groups in the European Parliament which often have policies that are anathema to those who voted for them. And when you ask people what powers the European Parliament has they almost invariably get it totally and absolutely wrong. So it’s “your choice” to select a political party on a platform you don’t know about to do unknown things when they get there. All great stuff.
Hi Damian,
It’s also your choice not to remain ignorant. All the information you’ve mentioned is available to anyone to research and educate themselves.
I agree that the level of public debate regarding this EU election has been disappointing at best. But I remain unsure as whether the candidates or the voters should take more responsibility for that.
Unfortunately Eoin, it is the politicians who, on purpose, wish to confuse so it is very difficult for the voter to actually find out any facts and to not remain ignorant! Indeed I touched on this in another comment piece for Mayorwatch. I would challenge anyone to really come up with the truth because of the level of disinformation about the EU peddled by the political class and the total lack of transparency of EU bodies…allied to the perception that this is “foreign” news in much of the UK media and indeed on UK state radio and television.