In 2005, voters in France and the Netherlands rejected, in two referenda, the treaty of Rome establishing a European Constitution. In 2008, Irish voters rebuffed the Lisbon treaty, Rome’s watered down successor. Amid much wailing and gnashing of teeth, Brussels struggled to figure out what went wrong. Indeed, the rebukes came despite support from national politicians and a flood of pro-EU campaigns. It was clear that voters’ mistrust of the EU had been underestimated, and that no amount of advertising could bridge the divide between Europe’s politicians and the citizens they are meant to serve.
