[Respenus]

Schroeder, they are both to blame for what is going on. What you mentioned, 50% of blank votes, was exactly what I suggested after the EUP election with the extremely low turnout.

As for what is going on, I think, although not positive, I have an answer, for this is a difficult question, not likely to be resolved in few sentences for both groups are interconnected and the failure of one is the failure of another as politicians cannot be considered a special class of their own in the political system, (even though it appears more and more to be just that) and at the same time the peoples for politicians are elected by them and are/were them and at the same time they have forgone any action in the world of politics which touches us all in all our daily activities.

Now, unto more specific answers. Let us first look at this "class" of "politicians" which should be no more than of the people, making decisions already made by the people to the common good of all the people. Yet I see a specific trend developing in Europe (I am young, so it might have started long before my birth, so I apologise for any comment which might seem something quite ordinary). This trend is seeing people and the political parties more away from each other, while it should just be the other way around. It is seen in the extremes in such a "Bolshevik" state as Slovenia. If you are not a member of some party or another, you don't get certain information which might be of extreme importance for your survival as a citizen, or just something to make your day. Due to the disinterest by the people, we have in Slovenia (I do not know about Europe in general) a "democratic totalitarism" which seems inclusive and democratic on the surface, yet underneath, it is merely the ugly belly of the beast. With the loosing interest of the people, the politicians believe they can do anything, lie about it, "apologise" and return to normal. In the old structures of Bolshevism here in Slovenia, such tactics are working, as the mentality of Slovenes is at best of a questioning servant and at worst of a serf (I'm not the first person to write of this, Ivan Cankar did in the early 20th century, when we are more of a nation then we are today). There is no solution for this problem, no cure for this disease, it needs to be re-created by the people, so politics will once again serve the greater good.

Now, unto the question of people. What I see happening here in Slovenia (once again, I do not know of this situation in Europe) is the growing ignorance (both not knowing and not wanting to know) of the people and the lack of a work ethic from students. Most of them just want to cruise along, no matter the grades, no matter the academia, not matter the advancement of science. Coming back to the politicians, I am afraid and a mere percent of the populace will be in control of everything, achieving this by ruthlessness, cunning or maybe even merit and that the rest, with their limited knowledge will just allow themselves to be lead thirsty over water. That is why I support life-long learning and the education of the general population. This is one of the reasons we want out population to be educated, so that it might escape the traps of tyranny and oppression and create an environment which will lead to a creation of a republic system in which the voice of all will be heard and not like now as Kant put it: " "all," who are not quite all, decide, and this is a contradiction of the general will with itself and with freedom".

What the people has gained with the French Revolution, it has lost with its own ignorance and while I still believe we live in a more democratic (republican) world due to modern media and the idea of common humanity which has spread with the advent of universal human rights has made the world for the better and made it more egalitarian, at least in the West, I am afraid we shall soon need another revolution, or we shall once again become slaves not to others yet to our own human nature and this time there shall be no enlightenment ideal to pull as through.