Beauty and the ballot
'It's-Us like an opinion poll, it's not a real Few readers of the Spectator are likely to have watched the television coverage of the European election results last Sunday night, so we feel justified in repeating one of Mr David Steel's observa- tions, as he tried to explain how unimpor- tant were the elections in which his most European of parties had just done so badly. Soon afterwards Sir Robin Day said: 'I represent the viewers at home and I'm try- ing to keep them awake.' Soon after that an Italian said: 'This is a beauty contest, it's not a real election.' Are we to endure another of these beauty contests in five years' time, or might we be allowed to drift into a delicious sleep, and dream sweet dreams of Europa untarnished by the tedium of a pretend election?
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