This isn't so different to elsewhere in the EU, where many countries - and apparently the EU as a whole - seem more interested in democracy theatre than democracy.

Healthy democracy means participation outside of the usual voting circus. But hosting a blogging competition and conference and then excluding bloggers from it because they happen not to be professional journalists shows the incredibly ineptness of the EU's communications people, and their inability to engage with their populations in an effective way.

Frank Schnittger:

The issues of jobs, taxation, economic recovery, law and order, government investment in infrastructure are all very critical issues to people's lives whereas the EP simply doesn't have much competence in these areas to engage with people and make a difference.

Actually it does, and has done, but it has also been very bad at linking positive results to EU/EP influence. So to most people the EP simply doesn't exist as a viable democratic body - it's politically invisible, giving the misleading impression that it's also politically ineffectual.