A manifesto for Europe

Given my apathy regarding the EU election, a friend of emailed me with some advice regarding who to vote for. Well, he passed on some guiding principles. Not his own you understand, those of the Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition.

The SSEC, for those who don't know, is a lobby group whose primary focus is social enterprise - that is, business that is driven by a social or community focus and not by shareholders trying to maximise profits.

Anyway, it seems that its not only political parties who produce a manifesto in time for an election. The SSEC has put one together here - with several main principles, including:

• Fairer funding for social enterprises
  
  
• Partnership working across Europe
  
  
• A year of social enterprise

The organisation are basically asking people to use their vote (and parties to use their MEPs) to advance these principles - ideals which appear to be fairly relevant given the collapse of economies around the world.

Anyway, for anyone wavering about who to vote for (or indeed, looking for a reason to vote) it might be worth having a wee look at their manifesto and finding a party who shares those principles.

Of course, you might be as well skipping the polling station altogether and heading to the pub instead. It is entirely up to you!