Inside the Brussels building of the European Parliament blue banners are strung across the main walk way. "How much should we tame financial markets?" reads one, below the picture of a pussycat and a lion. "How open should our borders be?" proclaims another, beneath a picture of a fortress and a hedge.

Other attempts to persuade us all to go to the polls are the subject of a very funny assault by the Daily Telegraph's man in Brussels, Bruno Waterfield.

But the determination is not surprising. A Eurobarometer poll just released indicates that 28% of those Europeans questioned probably won't vote. A startling 30% in Britain said they definitely wouldn't vote: not "perhaps not", or "maybe" - they have made up their minds they won't cast a vote. That is more than double the figure before the last elections. And 71% of those who had decided, firmly, not to vote said it was because they were not sufficiently informed. So some will blame the media for not reporting enough of the goings-on in the parliament.

But I am not sure it is the whole story. General disillusionment with the EU may be the reason, but this isn't very logical: Conservatives and Libertas are both very critical of the existing structure and want to change it and UKIP want to pull out. So there is no shortage of options for those who dislike the EU in greater or smaller measure.