Apparently 2/3 of all Swedes don't know the European Parliament elections are coming up in 2 months – as reported in Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter.
Now, this could be something to be upset about, which I'm quite sure some will be. The more interesting angle would be to explore and understand why these elections don't create more public interest. Could it be that Brussels is too far off? Or that the issues are too complex and distant from ordinary Swedish life? Or that Swedes in general mostly pay lip service to the "European project".
If I turn to myself, I'd say all of the above. I knew the election is coming up. I just don't care much about it. And in all honesty I should also mention I don't care about Swedish general elections either.
Politics and democracy need to be reinvented. And making people feel guilty or stupid about them not knowing about upcoming European elections is not the way to do it. (This is not what Dagens Nyheter did today. They "just" reported facts neutrally, which I give them credit for.)
//jan