The European Elections
Sunday, some citizens from the European Union went to the polls and did their civic duty by voting for members of Parliament. I say some, because not enough went, if you look at the results. The far right upset records by obtaining 30% in France. In the past eight years, I’ve been proud to live in a country that isn’t governed by an extreme party, as the USA was and may again be. Well, I hope I don’t have to swallow my pride. Even on “normal” years, elections in Europe are a culture shock for newly arrived Americans. More than a dozen parties vied for power in this election. Also, parties are allowed limited advertising, a huge change from the US of A. Since parties that receive at least 5% of the vote get government subsidies, it doesn’t take much to get on the ballot. For example, the “Animaliste” party. I make fun of them, but some of them make sense to me—convert to a more plant-based economy, get away from intensive farming, etc. But what differentiates them from a “Green”?