Thursday, June 4, 2009

I Voted

Can't say it gave me a warm feeling, but I did it, casting my vote for a candidate who seems to take the European project seriously. Her party's slogan is: "Europe? Yes." Doesn't get the heart rate up either, but neither does its subject. But it does make a simple, important point. I haven't evolved much, by the way, as a voter, because my first time at the ballot box thirty years ago (also for the European Parliament), I voted the same way. Now I'll have to watch the performance of "my" representative in Brussels, one in more than 700. For starters, I hope that every once in a while she'll refuse to make the ridiculous monthly trek and back to Strasbourg. It would be a symbolic step, but symbolism matters sometimes. Good luck.

2 comments:

yooperprof said...

I'll be following the results from the local elections in Britain -- we may not have Mr. Brown to kick around much longer.

Btw, have you seen the current piece in the NY Times (which I bought today, incidentally) about difficulties in current German-US relations? Seems like we go through this with every new president.

Ruud van Dijk said...

yes, he seems to be teetering on the brink: a kind of John Major, only even less successful, it appears; thanks for the NYT tip, I haven't seen it yet (such value one gets for one's two bucks!)--and as J remarked just yesterday, there's real added value in holding the actual paper in your hands, seeing everything together, juxtaposed, and what have you; we certainly miss having access to the actual paper