Reaching for the attainable at the ballot box
People may have all sorts of excuses for not voting today. It’s hot, the main parties have not given us the best choice of candidates so that we could go and vote happily and they have not inspired us with the certainty that at the next crucial session of the European Parliament we will be represented by people who understand what is at stake and can hold their own in Strasbourg.
There are some – very few – worthy candidacies. They stand out in a sea of people who are either products of obvious party shenanigans or are betting on the fact that they were in voters’ homes every day through television.
Also, no one is convinced that the country’s political stability is at stake. The prime minister was re-elected in a landslide victory a year ago and there is no serious opponent or contender for his post in sight. What’s more, we have three years ahead with absolutely no foreseeable obstacles or major political milestones. The next date at the polls is scheduled for 2027.
Nevertheless, we risk shooting ourselves in the foot. If abstention breaks all records we will further undermine our democracy at a time when its standing is not entirely self-evident, especially among younger generations who have never had to live without it. It’s a generation that grew up in the wake of a major economic crisis, experienced the coronavirus lockdown and lives in the world of social media. But there is another danger, too. These European elections are something like primaries for who will claim our vote for the governance of the country in three years’ time. In addition to a large party that will likely come first, we also need other parties and political leaders who – if necessary – will participate or even take over as government. A low turnout favors the unqualified and the extreme. Logic, you see, doesn’t need emotional tensions, especially in this day and age.
If Sunday’s polls produce anything like the 2012 election result, with a significant addition of nutcases and lifestyle candidates, our political stage will resemble a circus. We, therefore, have a responsibility not to let things get out of hand. Of course, the primary responsibility rests with the prime minister himself, whatever the result. As a veteran but very active commentator used to say, “lose, win, he must govern as if he had suffered a setback, a defeat.”
As for us, we need to put our pessimism aside and consider what is attainable. No matter how much our politicians push us towards pessimism, a phrase by Anne Applebaum still rings in my ears: “Pessimism is ultimately an irresponsible attitude towards things.”
