European Parliament elections 2009 (47): The PR and candidates of the Party of European Socialists (PES)

Today I received an email by the Party of European Socialist (PES), the second within a week.

First, they have invited me (addressing me personally) in my "function" as blogger to participate in the launching of their campaign website www.elections2009.pes.org, which I could not take advantage of because, well understood, I don't live in Brussels.

And today a second email that started with "Dear bloggers", showing that the PES campaign team is taking its PR job relatively serious, not just relying on the national level campaign but engaging also in concrete PR activities on the European level, in this case directly mailing to European bloggers.

The style of their campaign website reminds me of their Manifesto site, a design I am not the biggest fan of. It doesn't really appeal to my eyes and I don't feel very invited to continue reading. That is quite subjective, but luckily I am a blogger and not a journalist.

What I like is the sub-site with the top candidates of the different national parties, an overview that will be quite helpful to see who will be in the next European Parliament from the PES side (especially since most top candidates will probably make their way into the assembly).

And although I don't think that it is the task of a blog to promote PR materials of parties, I would still like to present to you a quotation from Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, President of the PES, that was part of the PR message sent to me:

“The EPP and ELDR have no coherent response on financial market reform and the economic recovery. They will be found out. The PES has a plan: coordinated investments in smart, green growth and regulation covering all financial players at European level and at global level. Already our governments have been proposing progressive job creation programmes. We are the only party that is actively putting pressure on Barroso and McCreevy to come forward with concrete proposals at the spring summit.”

So the campaign has started, the Socialists attack their main adversaries - the European Peoples Party and the European Liberals - saying that they don't have answers to the present crisis. The PES leader also mildly attacks Commission President Barroso (EPP) and Internal Market Commissioner McCreevy (from a party of the national-conservative Alliance for Europe of the Nations).

I hope that the debate(s) will continue on this level, European leaders attacking European leaders, bringing more profile and personalisation to the European dimension of the elections, which might soon be covered by the cacophony of national discussions.

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Under the category "European parliament elections 2009" I am following up national and European activities on the path to the European Parliament elections 2009.

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