Voting Day

Today we were voting for Members of the European Parliament (MEPs); in our region, the South East of England, we get 10 MEPs in total. We arrived at the polling station in good time, as we were going out for lunch afterwards - not a problem, as it turned out, as it was quite deserted. The ballot paper was a long one, with 15 different parties listed and each one having up to 10 names against it. The choice of parties ranged (in alphabetical order) from An Independence From Europe to YOURvoice, via The Harmony Party and The Roman Party.

Completing the ballot paper was straightforward, since you only had to put your X against the party of your choice and I didn't have much trouble deciding on my preferred option. But I did come away wondering what the overall turnout will prove to be, and whether people are as truly apathetic about politics, or perhaps disengaged/disenchanted, as is sometimes suggested. And, if that is the case, what it says about the health of our democratic systems and the prospects for their future.