CAN’T BE BOTHERED – OR CAN’T SEE THE POINT?
The UK’s under-35s could decide the result of the 2015 general election, says new research – but that’s only if they bother to vote.
The list of problems facing young people seems to grow every day (student debt, poor job prospects, unpaid internships, low pay, zero-hours contracts, bad landlords, rip-off rents, sky-high property prices…) So why aren’t more of them engaging with the political process? Is it because they can’t be bothered – or do they feel the system is so stacked against them that they can’t see the point?
New stats from the TUC — released during the organisation’s Young Workers’ Month — show that in the 2010 election just 33 per cent of 18-34 year olds voted, compared to 64 per cent of those aged 35 years and older. The TUC’s number-crunchers say that in order for the voting rate for under-35s to match that of over-35s, four million more young people will need to register (and turn up) to vote at the 2015 General Election than they did in 2010.
Earlier this month, a charmingly-titled piece in the Telegraph (If you’re under 30, bad luck – you’re screwed) claimed young people “deserve to be robbed blind” by their parents’ generation – unless they start to engage seriously with politics. The author of the piece – entrepreneur Alex Proud, owner of Proud Galleries – suggested that too many young people are too lazy or self-involved to bother, writing:
“…by all means agree with Russell Brand when he tells you the system has screwed you. Like him on Facebook and retweet his polysyllabic but baffling bon mots. But for Gods’ sake learn a little bit about how the system works too. You need to do more than take 30 seconds out of Facebooking your mates in Thailand to sign an online petition or upvote a video. Social media’s great for getting Dapper Laughs kicked off ITV2, but not so good for influencing long term policy.
“You need to get involved and you need to vote. This is the only way politics will reflect your views and needs. And you need to do this now because the demographics are stacked against you. Every year there are more and more old people. If you don’t change things soon, the status quo that serves you so poorly and them so well will be locked in for a generation.
“Finally, if really you think you can’t change anything by voting, you’re very, very wrong. Had you turned out at the same level as your parents in the last election, you could have changed the result.
“It’s unlikely you’d have won it for Labour (even though you skew heavily left) but you might have made it impossible for Cameron to form the coalition that’s done so many things you hate. If you really think that’s nothing, then you deserve to be robbed blind by your parents.”
Graduate Fog’s readers are a pretty switched-on bunch, so we’re asking you: do you and your friends plan to vote in the general election in May 2015? Why is politics such a turn-off for many young people? Is it apathy – or do they feel there is no party that represents their views? We’d love to know what you think, so please comment below – thank you!
Okay, I’ll kick off…
I’ve just turned 35 and I have voted in every general election I’ve been eligible to vote in – I feel I owe it to the suffragettes (!) and all the women living in countries around the world who aren’t allowed to vote.
I will definitely vote in May, but I think it’s really difficult to know who to vote for. Just taking UK policies (as opposed to international or environment etc) none of the parties seems to have a clear, long-term strategy for resolving any of the big problems that young people are facing today.
And I think they all have problems making themselves relevant and appealing to young voters, especially those who have little idea how the political system works, or a basic idea of what each of the parties stands for (wait, does anyone know this anymore?!)
As outlined in Shiv Malik and Ed Howker’s brilliant book ‘How Britain has bankrupted its youth’, successive governments have combined to make an absolute mess of housing, jobs, pensions/welfare and the health service, to name just four issues.
But so far, all I hear is about short-term, gimmicky answers and I just don’t believe they go deep enough to fix anything properly. I would respect any party that admitted this and was committed to a more long-term vision for improving all these problems over time. As yet, I’ve seen nothing but more short-term ‘let’s-hope-this-holds-for-a-bit’ fixes.
Honestly, there isn’t a single political party I identify with. I will vote and do vote. But, every single time it’s the best of a dire bunch.
The focus at the moment is on immigration and Euroskepticism. I have no problems with either the EU or immigration. Considering that’s all political parties bang on about cutting, none of them deserve my vote.
I live in a safe Conservative seat so I am unlikely to vote given that I can’t impact the outcome of the General Election. I will get a Tory MP regardless of who I vote for.
This is a bit of an academic answer but I would characterise declining voter turnout among the young as a response to globalisation and the resulting loss of control national governments have over their economic policies.
Britain is like every nation competing for investment and jobs. It has to remain “internationally competitive” or investment goes elsewhere in the world. This limits the ability of governments to tax firms to fund stuff like more housing like Tanya wants. Tax too much and they move.
Governments are straight-jacketed into following certain policies and therefore it — arguably — does not matter who gets in.
@Tanya: As an example of how they infantilise under 35-year-old tac payers:
Now you’re 35 you’re finally a real adult as far as the council is concerned. If you’re renting privately and become unemployed you’ll get the grown up level of Housing Benefit if you’re renting a flat, whilst a 34 year old without kids or a cohabiting partners gets a rate based on being in a house/flatshare.
It’s used to be under 25 but they put it up a few years ago.
On voting, I’ve voted in every election I’ve known about, but when I was younger I lived in a Tory safe seat. My present constituency is more marginal so it’ll make a difference.
I’d agree the mainstream parties are useless. After the debacle with the tuition fee pledge and their record in p coalition voting with the Tories to hammer the poor, disabled and young I won’t believe a word the LibDems say.
Labour is too neoliberal and Miliband far too weak. And Rachel Reeves attacks the young and effectively threatens them with homelessness half the time too.
Personally I think automation means we need a far more radical evaluation of the work ethic, how shelter is provided and how most of the population can continue to have enough income to consume and share in the benefits of technology. But few parties say anything about that.
In my constituency a Tory MP will also very likely get in. However, I am NOT throwing away my right to vote, particularly because, as a woman, I would feel that not voting would be an insult to all those women who fought so hard for the right to vote a century ago.
If we don’t vote, then we’re basically saying we accept having people like THIS in charge of running the country: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBtXxYrp7mo
I always vote but I don’t feel that there is much to choose from.
I will vote. In my area, the Conservatives will win, the Lib Dems will come second, Labour 3rd, no Green candidate.
UKIP only speak about Europe & Immigration.
The Conservatives in my view are the nasty party.
The Labour Party are not vastly different from the Torys, they introduced top up fees in 1997, they made it possible for a suicidal asperger sufferer, to be extradited to solitary confinement in the USA ( a country he has never visited). His name is Talha Ahsan.
The Lib Dems can be better on a few issues , but they are a big “washout”, have lost their way.
The Lib Dems to me are the best of a bad bunch.
A Tory Lib Dem coalition makes Theresa May angry.
I hate Theresa May. I angry with Nick Clegg, regarding tuition fees, the reason is not voting for raising the university fees, he had little choice to do the u-turn, but he says it is fair. He is out of touch with the plight of graduates.
Who else do I vote for ?
@Abdul You never know, there might be someone in your constituency standing as a Green candidate come the General Election.
In the vast majority of constituencies there is usually a variety of candidates from parties other than the main ones. You might not have heard of some of them before, but there’ll probably be something you can vote for.
@All – Thanks for all the great comments here. Really interesting that so many people feel there is no party they want to vote for. I think this is true of much of the wider population too, especially this year! But the fact remains that voter registration / turn-out is especially low for young people. Why should that be, do you think?
Does anyone have any views on Alex Proud’s theory that today’s young people just can’t be bothered to engage with politics on a meaningful level, a they’re / you’re too busy updating your Facebook status (!)?
I don’t think that’s true of Graduate Fog’s readers (especially those of you who comment regularly on the site – I’m always so proud of the level of discussion we have here!). But you must have friends, siblings, etc who say things like, ‘Oh, I’m not interested in politics…’ What do you think is the problem there? Why aren’t they more engaged / interested / angry?
(I also think there is an issue with the admin faff of voting – it’s just a pain to register, and young people are more likely to move around more so less likely to get their admin sorted in order to be able to vote come election day. Also your reminder to register / check your details will be sent to your old address, and if you’re not there any more you won’t get it!)
Why vote? The country is not going to get better and its austerity as far as the eye can see. For the next 10 years economic growth will remain at best stagnate.
Instead of voting, you should be packing up your bags and moving overseas to a country that actually makes use of your college degree lol.
My advice is all ominopoment, all omnipresent, and all omniscient :-p
“Does anyone have any views on Alex Proud’s theory that today’s young people just can’t be bothered to engage with politics on a meaningful level, a they’re / you’re too busy updating your Facebook status (!)?”
Why bother to vote when all political parties are the same and it makes no difference anyway? Might as well spend time with your friends or doing things you enjoy, whether that is updating your facebook status or otherwise…
@Chris Wells:
I’ll probably be staying put. I’ve considered Germany before cos I spent a year studying there though, but it seems like you need qualifications to do nearly everything there.
But sadly some people who might want to move abroad – or even to another part of Britain – don’t have the money/available funds to do so. Renting even a room has upfront costs of £600 or more (or over £1000 in London), and if you move abroad you will no longer receive any British social security.
Even moving from a parents’ house to a backpackers’ hostel in another city with more jobs costs some money. In another part of Britain you could sign on, I’m not sure if you can get Housing Benefit in hostel/hotel-type accommodation or not.
And, of course, if you are renting somewhere moving for anything other than a very good job (i.e. not a near minimum wage job that could fire you after a day) is a major gamble.
Moving anywhere outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland legally (Australia for instance) also requires visas and has upfront costs – except maybe in some less well-off countries perhaps.
@Alex W
Yea bro. I understand. We are screwed, no matter what you do. I live in New Zealand and the education system is the same as the British system.
I just quit my BS Corporate (Cubicle Drone) job and scored a new job working at a backpackers. My new job is way more fun, but only pays me $15.75ph (£7.78ph). Everyone, I work with has a bachelor degree too.
One of my co-workers came from Australia and said it was really bad over there. All his friends have 6-figure student loan debts and are working in jobs that do not require a degree. He came to NZ hoping for a better life. He told me that the Australian Government was going to raise tuition fees. But thankfully the students stopped the bill from going through.
My flatmate just finished his mechanical engineering degree and he is working at Pak n Save – grocery store (Similar to your guys Pound land) and cannot find a job. Only two people in his class were able to find internships. So, out of a class of 150 people, only 2 found a job in their field.
A girl arrived last night from the UK and she has just graduated with a degree in biology. We spoke about Nick Clegg, Cameron Brown, and your corrupt Tory government that is privatizing everything from education to the NHS.
She was really surprised how much I knew about your guys political system. Thanks, to the internet I can keep up with international events. We are now living in interconnected world and information is only a google away.
Personally, Alex I have given up. My parents are factory workers who do not even have a high school education. I cannot even have a basic intellectual conversation with my parents about economics, politics etc.
Some days, I wonder how these people are my parents? I am just waiting for my heart to stop, so god can call me home and free me from this spec of dust we call earth.
Thanks
Chris Wells
I am not voting Tory,
http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2014/apr/24/cuts-disabled-students-allowance-put-studies-at-risk
Concerns do not end here. Proposed changes to DSA funding may fundamentally redefine disability in higher education. Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs), such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADD/ADHD, have been singled out for the largest cuts, and there is a real danger that their needs become invisible.
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/may/20/disabled-students-shut-out-government-cuts-allowance
From September 2015 it will only pay for support for students with specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, if their needs are “complex”, although the definition of this, and who decides it, remains unclear. It will no longer pay for standard computers for disabled students, or for much of the higher specification IT it now subsidises. And it will no longer fund non-specialist help, likely to include note-takers and learning mentors. The costs of specialist accommodation will be met only in exceptional circumstances.
The Torys really are mean and nasty, out of touch.
I’m 38 and have spent my life avoiding voting for the same reasons as everyone above, lack of choice, lack of impact, safe seats etc but the recent Scottish referendum made me aware that none of these issues have any bearing on whether you should vote or not!
The secret is to let the political parties know that we are prepared to go out and vote. If the politicians know that only 35% of people will bother to vote, there is no incentive for them to do what the people actually want – they know they are safe and as such will continue to push their own agenda. But if they know that 70% of people are going to head for the polling stations they will start to fear the power of voters.
We can stand up and take away their big salary and expenses, we can take away their chances of a book deal or place on the after dinner speaking circuit. We can send them back to whatever they were doing before!! We just need to let them know that we are prepared to do so!
We do have the power to change things, we just need to be aware that it takes time. One election with a significant turnout will make a difference, admittedly we may be left with a lame duck in charge for a while; but if we let them know that we will go to the polling stations – it might just give Westminster a wake up call!!!
The system in the UK and the USA is stupid because there is a popular vote and electoral college votes or seats. Certain seats are going to be won by certain parties.
In the USA, there maybe a democracy every 8 years, because a President can only run twice for the White House. Hawaii is going to be Democrat. Oklahoma is going to be a Republican state. If the President is seeking reelection, the voting patterns does not change much, rarely does an incumbent loses. It swings 8 years, Republican , 8 years Democrat. In 1980 Jimmy Carter lost, In 1992 George Bush lost after the Republicans had 12 years in power. In the 2012 election, if the Republicans found a decent candidate, Barack Obama would have lost.
In 2000, Al Gore won the popular vote but technically lost Florida by around 600 votes because of the electoral college vote system
In the UK, the Torys were in power for 18 years, Labour had 13 years in power.
In the UK, the only votes which count are the people who change their mind in certain seats.
I think the UK and the USA should decide the result of the election on the popular vote because everyone would have a say, everyone’s vote would count.
Hi everyone
Just a reminder that today (Monday 20th) is the last day you can register to vote in the general election. It doesn’t matter who you vote for (nobody likes anyone of them!) but it’s vital that you do it, even if just to show that young people ARE watching and listening to what’s going on.
It’s only when politicians know that young people are paying attention – and will reward / punish them at the polls – that they will start to do more to help you out.
So if you haven’t registered yet, click here now! http://bit.ly/1Gagjid
I’m almost 22 and I voted in the 2015 election for the first time. 🙂 It drives me crazy that so many people my age don’t vote – if they did we wouldn’t be getting shafted by this governments young-hating poor-bashing policies. (Or at least not so much).