[Rich Saunders]
Every day we are bombarded with reports of the next big threat to our peaceful, civilized lives. It seems there is an unofficial competition to find the “biggest threat” to our society. Simply look in the papers and you will find that these range from international terrorism and climate change to more obscure or unlikely problems such as falling house prices or meteorite strikes. But surely the pressure groups, lobbyists and journalists are conveniently ignoring another just as pressing danger– that of disengagement from the political arena? What is the point of the government and an overload of pressure groups and other bodies proclaiming their own doomsday scenarios if no-one is actually listening?
Political apathy is one of those subjects that seems to resurface with every general, European, or local election. Everyone from top government ministers to political commentators expresses their deep concern at the worrying and persistent downward trend in political engagement. But instead of doing anything about it, once the votes are counted and the seats filled for another term, nothing is done. It is not as if the problem is not obvious enough; the statistics speak for themselves. Turnout for a general election hit a new low in 2001, with just 59% of people making the effort to vote for their Member of Parliament. Worryingly, apathy is even more severe amongst young people. Research by MORI at the 2001 general election estimated that just 39% of 18-24 year olds cast a vote, and that in 2005 this figure fell to 37%.
So why are so few young people voting? We are often portrayed in the media as “lazy”, “uninterested” and “apathetic” with regards to politics. But when we look at where the balance of power lies in British politics, this is hardly surprising. The main parties simply do not seem to address the interests of younger voters in their policies and election manifestos. Anyone who’s witnessed the Chancellor’s repeated appeals to the elderly through policies such as the winter fuel allowance will realise that the older generations are on the minds of the parties far more than the interests of the young. And those in power are reassured that this is the right line to take when, come election day, the elderly trundle down to their polling stations with a striking reliability, whilst young people might just fit it in if there’s time. If we do vote, it seems to be through happy coincidence rather than a desire to exercise our democratic right.
However, it is over-simplistic to see “political action” as merely residing in the world of general elections, swing-ometers and overly smug victory speeches. It may be a favourite topic of certain daily papers to brand young people as lazy and uninterested, (second only, it seems, to stories about Princess Diana and gypsies) but it is clear that many young people are tuned in and are willing to take action. Huge campaigns were organised by student unions across the country against tuition fees, mobilising a massive amount of young people in the political arena. The government’s response was to ignore them, and push the legislation through anyway. Hardly encouraging, is it? And remember the demonstrations against British involvement in the looming Iraq war? These nation-wide protests were marked by the fact that they drew demonstrators from every age-group and social class. Years later, and British troops are still dying in a conflict most of us didn’t want in the first place.
Furthermore, it seems that young people are keen enough to get involved in a whole range of social issues. Maybe in order to get more young people involved, politics will need to acquire the same brand value as the “Make Trade Fair” and “Make Poverty History” campaigns. If that means getting ageing rock stars on board then so be it. Admittedly, there is still a long way to go, and it is highly unlikely that politics will ever be “the new black”, but the politicians themselves could at least make some effort to engage with young people and restore some respect in their profession.
It is difficult to comprehend why politicians fail so comprehensively in this respect. For years it seems that politicians have been preoccupied with manipulating their image rather than actually putting together a range of policies to appeal across the board. Personally, I don’t care if David Cameron wears Converse or brown sandals with black socks, or if Gordon Brown really does like the Arctic Monkeys, and I doubt this will be on many people’s minds when they cast their vote.
But why does all this matter? Although social and charitable campaigns, are vital, it is ultimately those in Westminster who govern this country. Did the government back down over the war in Iraq? Was world debt cancelled after Live8? No. Admittedly, placing your vote in the ballot box may not create such a buzz as taking part in a mass demonstration, but unfortunately this is where the power truly lies.
