People seem too simply not know what goes on in the EU. And even if they do they feel powerless about it in smaller countries. I'm in an ex-Soviet country and some of the older people I've talked to about it have said that they think they have as much of a say in the EU as they did in the Soviet Union. (Which is none.)
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia - the only ex-soviet member states - sure as hell have way more say in the EU than they did when they weren't even countries under USSR. Those older people are deluded.
Not only do they each have 1/28th of the vote in the Council, they are over-represented in the Parliament. Those folks you mentioned probably don't even realize they have the right to vote for local representatives in the European Parliament. In fact, look at population per MEP:
The point of democracy is that individuals, or even small groups of individuals have almost no say in governance.
So, yes, you are supposed to attach yourself to larger umbrella movements, to get your opinions heard. It's by design.
One other small difference between the EU, and the USSR, is that T-54 tanks don't start rolling in, when your country decides to hold a little regime change... Or even a general strike.
>One other small difference between the EU, and the USSR, is that T-54 tanks don't start rolling in, when your country decides to hold a little regime change... Or even a general strike.
The point of democracy is to prevent a minority of society from dictating the rules to the majority by excluding it from governance. It doesn't necessarily imply that individuals or small groups have almost no say in governance, especially on matters where they're uniquely affected.
