(Eleven-minute read)

Will the elections be completely irrelevant?

Because of Brexit.

No, and certainly not from a British political point of view. They could be a sounding board for a host of other domestic political issues, including the viability of new political parties – and the sustainability of established ones. In short, the elections will provide a mirror for the UK’s increasingly fractured, and fractious political landscape.

“When the UK was in, all it wanted was opt-outs. Now it’s going to be out, and all it wants are opt-ins.”

In Europe, the elections have a number of known unknowns.

“The European elections will be a referendum between the Europe of the elites, of banks, of finance, of immigration and precarious work; and the Europe of people and labor.”

The 2019 election campaign is a debate on Europe’s priorities.

The populist radical right will focus almost exclusively on migration because this is how they can best mobilize their voters.

So far, most populist MEPs have used their seats largely to fund their domestic political activities or as a platform for anti-EU rhetoric. If they were to start using them to block legislation and important measures, member governments would likely seek to bypass parliament by doing deals among themselves.

Their opponents need to counter the politics of fear by building electoral platforms based on liberal principles, pointing out the big challenges surrounding technology and climate change, and showing that migration is just one issue among many.

Who finishes first?

Is not very important as far as gauging public opinion goes.

If the existing power balance changes, a complex constellation of forces could develop with more ad hoc coalitions across traditional party divides. While this might detract from the parliament’s legislative efficiency, a more open decisionmaking process might have a positive effect on public interest in democracy at the EU level.

However, if the populist parties gain enough power to block crucial decisions, all the other parties will have to pull together to keep the EU functioning.

If one looks beyond the left/right dimension, the EUROPEAN PARLEMENT is divided into promoters and sceptics of European integration.

NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS there are two key elements for genuine parliamentary democracy at the EU level missing:

First, it is almost impossible for voters to assess the performance of individual MEPs, and, second, there has been no change in regime, as the center-right/center-left Grand Coalition has long dominated the EP.

Without a list of transnational of candidates, this will remain so.

Given the key role of the commission in shaping what the EU does, electing its president from a list of transnational candidates would give the voter a real say on the union’s future. However, this time, parliament might be more fragmented, making it difficult to assemble a majority for a lead candidate.

Rather than through institutional reform, change in the EP’s functioning may come through a deeper structural transformation of European politics.

Paradoxically, the rise of nationalist parties has created the first real opening for turning the coming EP election campaign into a truly transnational debate about the future of Europe.

Luckily there is a glimmer of hope with the arrival of DiEM25 to break the national parties’ grip on the composition of the parliament.

The dominant dividing line of the new parliament could become a contest between politicians who want to find common EU-level solutions to current challenges and those who favor safeguarding and reaffirming national sovereignty.

The number of disillusioned voters has increased, with many people frustrated about the powerlessness of national governments in a globalized world.

One of the biggest money-printing programs of all time, a geyser of cash that may have prevented the collapse of the eurozone, will officially ended in December

The European Central Bank stop adding to its stock of government and corporate bonds, the so-called quantitative easing program it has used to hold down interest rates and encourage lending.

In recent months, growth has slowed and risks have grown, including a rise in global trade tensions, China v USA.  Tumult in Italy’s politics and the continuing chaos surrounding Britain’s plans to decouple from the European Union.

The DiEM25 whats to reinvest the money the European Central Bank gets when the bonds mature into creating Green energy programs.

This, as I have posted in a previous post, could achieve a transformation in the European Union.

Before you cast your vote just think.

It’s clear that not everybody participated in the benefits of the common currency.

What if the European Central Bank were to issue European Citizens Bonds.

It would afford all citizens of the Union an opportunity to invest in the future of Europe.

It would create thousands of top quality jobs, supply green energy to the whole of Europe.

It would make Europe the leading light in the fight against Climate change.

It would protect the value of Pensions.

It would break the hold of the rich by spreading the benefits evenly throughout Europe.

It would take the wind out off populous movements.

This is what the EU should aim to do too if it really aspires to eventually become a political union.

Vote DiEM25.

All human comments appreciated. All like clicks and abuse chucked in the bin.