EU Citizens Consultation Bilge Opportunity

The European Citizens' Consultations website has just gone live. This is our chance to provide some input to our unelected masters in Brussels.

What can the EU do to shape our economic and social future in a globalised world?

Even before the recent global financial crisis, opinion polls showed that rising prices and the risk of unemployment were the public’s top concerns across Europe – and those concerns are growing amid mounting bad news about the state of the economy and its likely impact on people’s lives.

As the EU institutions begin work on a post-2010 successor to the Lisbon Agenda for economic growth and competitiveness, ECC 2009 will also provide timely and relevant input for decision-makers.

So what do you think the EU can – and should - do to shape our economic and social future in a globalised world?

Engage in the debate and make your recommendations.

Well, nice of them to make the gesture, I suppose, but it'll be a fairly meaningless exercise. That quote about the 'post-2010 successor to the Lisbon Agenda' indicates quite clearly, for example, that the Lisbon Constitution is going to be accepted whatever the people of Europe want. Democracy has no part in this project.

Interesting to note: "The website is managed by Involve; the UK national partner in the ECC 2009 process." Involve is another of Geoff Mulgan's little projects. They describe themselves thus:

Involve are public participation specialists, bringing institutions, communities and citizens together accelerating innovation, understanding, discussion and change. breathing new life into institutions and communities in the UK and across the world; working with senior people in government and business as well as community activists.

As soon as you read things like 'public participation', 'communities' and 'innovation' you know you've encountered a bullshit factory (BSF).

Still, worth a go just as a provocation. Where to start...excessive legislation? communications retention? the CAP?