If I didn’t study Politics and take a general personal interest in it, I don’t think I would be able to tell you one thing going on in the political world. I wouldn’t be surprised if most 18–24 year olds didn’t have a clue of what the government process of a bill was or even the useless jargon politicians use in debates and speeches.
Don’t you find it funny how our age group are the last to be reached when it comes to the political sphere, yet most decisions made are going to affect our future more than anyone else’s? Perfect example was the EU referendum where over 70% of 18–24 year olds voted to remain, however only just over 60% of that age group actually turned up to vote. Imagine if like the 65’s and over, 90% of young people had voted, what the result would have been. There’s many reasons as to why young people don’t vote, I think we can boil them down to the fact that we are rarely reached out to especially young BAME people, and because we’re rarely reached out to, we feel that we can’t make a difference, and finally we feel alienated from society in general and choose to go against politics, and therefore against political engagement.
Well to tackle the first, the best way to get back at the system is to realise that if we are being ignored in politics it is probably because our engagement would make revolutionary change (something the bourgeois fear). If they do not reach out to us, it is probably best that we actively make sure we’re up to date with politics and what is going on in our country, otherwise we are just puppets going along with the system. It is a common thought that democracy is a lie and decisions are made regardless of our engagement but that is just a conspiracy theory and should we not make use of the little power we have? In fact in the UK we have it pretty easy and we are lucky that we are not living in dictatorships like many other countries, so let’s make use of this.
I think many hear the word politics and straight away get put off, but politics is the governance of people and therefore politics is our life because it is how the system we live in, is run. How can you not want to be involved in what affects how we live and the world around us? Furthermore with all the political jargon (ultimately bullshit to put us off) it is another way of shutting us out, the best way to resist this is by making sure you understand all that ‘bullshit’ so you know what these politicians are really suggesting in their policies. You can easily do this by reading the newspaper, watching daily politics, and looking up anything you don’t understand.
It is NOT uncool to be engaged with politics, we should all be passed that type of thought now, these are decisions that affect our lives and especially getting older we need the best start in life. Now I don’t want you to think of this as some type of propaganda as I’m simply trying to encourage you all to get off your lazy butts and vote! These elections coming up are even more important now especially as we are leaving the EU, the government will have even more freedom and power so why not give it to whoever you believe is the right person?
So tell a friend, to tell a friend; if you haven’t already hurry up and register to vote, the deadline is Monday 22nd May, and make sure you vote online or at the voting stations on Thursday 8th June.
To register: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
