Democracy, or at least internet polls, can be dangerous, as organisers of European Voice newspaper's European of the Years award have discovered.
European Diplomat of the Years has gone to Romano Prodi, European Commission president, whose diplomatic skills were such that he was not allowed near Ireland during this year's Nice referendum, for fear of upsetting voters.
Business Leader of the Year went to a suprised - looking Wim Duisenberg, European Central Bank president, whose high interest rates have upset industry. And he is not exactly a businessman.
Campaigner of the Year went to Pope John Paul II, best politician to the late Pym Fortuyn, and visionary of the year to Valéry Giscard d'Estaign, European convention chairman. And - cue drumroll - the biggest gong of all, European of the Year, went to Marco Cappato. Not exactly a household name, but the Italian Radical MEP has fought a brave battle to stop the EU snooping around on the internet.
In fact Cappato is something of a legend in cyberspace, but that surely had nothing to do with the support he got in the web vote.