Some causes of voter apathy cannot be fixed. The European Parliament operates by consensus, like a giant coalition government. So Euro-elections will never have the drama of British general elections, notes Richard Corbett, a Labour MEP. “In Britain it is spectacular: you vote to change the governing party, and the furniture vans are in Downing Street the next morning.” This weekend’s election will shift, a little, the balance of power among the big political blocks, but it will probably leave the centre-right as the biggest.

Some things could be fixed, however, including (if France would agree) ending the Strasbourg nonsense. Another idea would be to change the way voters elect MEPs. In many countries they choose only from a party list, with no way of rewarding or sanctioning individuals and no direct link to a constituency. That gives party bosses handy powers of patronage, but it is deadly for democracy.

© The Economist Newspaper Limited 2009