[Menydh]

I could seem like that there is a point in no voting, and letting democracy lose strength. But it does not help in reality. Democracy is already bankrupted and yet it keeps walking, like a zombie.

Often, with very low levels of participation from elligible voters, they pretend that whatever result is a success.

Take for example the referendum of the E.U. Constitution, almost exactly two years ago in Spain.

After the result, this is the title of the news in El Mundo newspaper, which is in opposition to the government:

"Spanish say "Yes" to the European Constitution"

And here is the subtitle:

"76.7% of electors ratify the treaty"

That's a lot of support, don't you think? The picture for the news shows Mr. Bean.. erh, Zapatero smiling for what he called an overwhelming victory and success. Democracy is working. And Europe is fashionable and popular as is. Or so they would like us to believe. Clearly you would not expect a charlatan to try to sell you a product admitting that it is flawed and that it doesn't work, would you?

But it was not. It's a mirage, an illusion. If you search for the word 'elector' in the dictionary of the Royal Academy you find it defined as: "He who elects or has power or right to elect". The other definition refers to the German Electors of the Holy Empire. Which would be as good as the other.

The problem is that only 42% of the elligible voters actually voted. Of which 6% gave a blank vote and 17.24% voted "No". If you add those to the 58% of Spaniards who did not bother with voting, you get a ~67% of elligible voters who did not vote in favour of the EU Constitution.

Under all lights, that is a big failure for democracy and a huge failure for the EU Constitution.

In the European elections before that referendum, the percentage of elligible voters who actually voted was of 45%. Still below the 50%.

That should have brought up the issue of if democracy is working or if it is bankupted. Or the European Union if you prefer it. But no one made much notice out of it.

It is like a cyst that is rotten. Yet it is there.