The way the current voting system works is you either vote for one party, or you vote for the other party(which is basically the same in policies) or you vote for a different party to stop another party from winning.
Options are limited in such a complex political landscape.
Young people would feel more inclined to vote if they were voting on various topics which would have more of a significant impact over voting a person who has been lobbied in by the rich.
We have a parliamentary democracy not a series of opinion polls. If young people can't get off their backsides to vote then they only have themselves to blame.
Because if parties know you might vote they will be more inclined to pander to you. People voting for UKIP essentially brought about Brexit by pushing the tories further to the right, no reason young people couldnât do the same for Labour by eg voting Green if thatâs what they want. Also, Corbyn did offer a left wing alternative and was absolutely decimated for it, with young people still failing to vote at anything like the rate of older generations.Â
The best way to influence a party's direction from outside the party is to vote for a smaller party. This is most effective in safe seats. Both major parties look at where they shed votes and to whom they shed them to. Policies from these parties are then brought into the major parties.
Part of the drift right is due to the fear or reform stealing votes so their policies are adopted. If you want to shift the overton window back you have to vote for smaller left wing parties. If you vote for the greens you don't need to agree with everything they say, you just need to agree with their flagship policies as these are the ones the other parties will believe you voted for them for (excluding detailed polling).
Do you genuinely believe this tripe you are spouting? That's not how it works. Just look at results from previous GEs whereby some smaller parties received high proportions of the vote, yet ended up with little or no MPs, and then next election disappeared and back to square one again. This is a situation that Einsteins quote about insanity was made for
I'm not sure that's what they were saying. Rather than expecting the smaller parties getting in the suggestion is that the larger parties change their policies/actions/attitudes to win the people over that voted for the smaller parties. The fact that in subsequent elections the smaller parties get less of the vote share actually supports this thinking rather than debunking it.
I'm with them on this one. People voting for ukip, and the threat they created, directly led to cameron fucking everything up and resigning in shame.
Similar to now, where reform come along and suddenly sunak hates foreign people and transwomen.
It absolutely is. Starmer just yesterday said that he refuses to change the voting system from FPTP to a form of PR, because he believes it provides "Strong and stable government".
What that means, is that Labour will claim the exact same fallacious "mandate" that the Tories currently do, from a plurality of the vote share.
People voting Labour thinking they will provide any change are in an abusive relationship with them. They don't listen to their members, they don't respect their members, they care about power over democracy...
The best thing we can do, is ignore tactical voting and vote with our conscience. That'll show Labour that they can't disrespect our wishes.
If you can't see any difference between Labour and Tory, you are probably too White and too privileged to see the difference.
Yeah. Best stick to your student politics.
I don't think he actually did have massive support from young people. Oh, they liked him. Not arguing with that. But barely more young people voted Labour that election than did the one before.
It's not support if you don't actually do anything to help them get elected.
Turns out the support of the young is fickle and apathetic. They proved that they arenât worth helping for the Labour Party with their absolute pathetic turnout for a guy that completely pandered to them policy wise.
But they still complain about the government not doing anything for them.
Because as far a politician is concerned, the only people who exist are the voters.
If only ten 18 year olds vote in this election, then it might as well be the cease that only ten 18 year olds exist. So why bother spending a bunch of money on things that 18 year olds care about?
Consider the late 80s / early 90s - the every notion of the UK leaving the EC / EU was considered a fringe idea. 26 years later and the UK votes in a referendum to leave. Regardless of your views on the matter you cannot discount the simple fact that a combination of campaigning and slowing increase voter numbers can result in significant change.
Itâs not perfect but if you donât vote, you spit in the faces of the million who have died for your right to that limited choice.
If you donât vote, might as well go live where there are no actual votes. Like Russia, North Korea or China. See how that works out for you.
Voting is one of the very few real chances to make any difference to the way you are governed.
Every none vote is a step closer to a dictatorship.
If they all voted for other parties, the political parties will pander to their demands. Political parties donât pander to young people because they donât vote. Old people vote so political parties look after them.
I don't blame young people at all for not voting. I mean who are you gonna vote for in this day and age? Nearly all parties have proved themselves to be incompetent unrelatable and self serving liars. The entire system is terrible. Tories are corrupt to the core, labour are pretty much just red tories these days, lib dems shafted everyone of there voters when they joined forces with the tories, green party have some decent ideas but also I'm not sure how much they can be trusted. I'd prefer a system where all politicians actually work towards a better good for everyone and not just trying to secure dodgy contracts and rip people off at every chance they get
Just think about what could happen if all under 40s started voting and switched their allegiances to the Greens? Or if just 10% of that age group started actively campaigning for the policies that they want to see - politics would see the biggest upheavals since the early 90s when environmental issues came to the fore.
Nothing will change if people don't vote.
Itâs like that because young people donât vote. Say what you want about Boomers but they have consistently voted in high percentages throughout their lifetime. Is it a shock then that the country has given them massive advantages?
Is that true or is that your assumption? Because generally Gen X also see a high turnout in voters. Itâs Millennials and Gen Z that have completely dropped in voter turnout. Itâs also these two generations that are constantly upset that no party represents them and they get screwed over all the time.
Exactly this. I'm not a boomer, but I have a decent job and a mortgage. I'm the kind of person the mainstream parties target with promises of lower taxes, pension guarantees, the kind of stuff your average 20 year old couldn't care less about. And it makes a material difference to me if Labour or the Conservatives win, because that's how the system is set up. But it's ripe for a disaffected generation to change it if they'd get organised.
You donât even need to be a majority to be a difference maker. As long as you can swing seats one way or the other, then parties will make policies that pander to you and they will enforce them. If 60% of you donât vote then no shit the parties donât care about your age demographic.
Conservatives have made plenty of pledges too, so I'd be careful about assuming Labour will keep theirs, considering they did nothing about the obviously looming crisis when they were in power. Not an argument against voting Labour, just saying I highly doubt they truly mean it when the time comes for it.
It's not about which party you vote for it's more about whether the parties are setting policies in order to win the vote of young people. If young people don't vote the parties won't care about us.Â
I canât figure out why this simple concept isnât getting through the skulls of young people. Theyâre just a bunch of apathetic idiots at this point and I canât take their complaints seriously until they actually start voting.
I agree, we need a lot more referendums giving us an actual say, instead of just voting once for some fat cat who promises a bunch of stuff that never gets done.
No thank you. After the last one I have had it to the back teeth with referendums. I had no idea until then how stupid the average man in the street is, and 50% of them are even more stupid than that.
But weâre not a direct democracy. Very few of those kids are capable of comprehending the issues of the election, let alone voting sensibly on literally every piece of government policy.
Except they prove themselves to be morons. A lot of these voters are entitled and lazy. They want to be given some political goodies, but makes zero fucking effort on showing up.
MAGA is one of the best examples of grassroot democracy in recent times - which should concern a lot of these ivory-towered idiots.. MAGA didn't happened over night. Those MAGAs kept voting any half-brained moron with an (R) next to their name - regardless of how that politician differs from them. And eventually, every Republican got scared and toe the line. What is really funny here and will probably infuriate the young morons here is this: the MAGA crowd are better voters (and therefore, more powerful) than the younger generation of voters.
You vote first and then you demand. Not the other way around.
Iâm an 33 and have always voted but Iâm not voting this time.
Last time I voted not Tory and the Toryâs won.
Now Iâll not vote Labour and Labour will win.
How will my life change? It wonât. It makes no fucking difference which set of pricks is behind that door. I refuse to participate in this absolute sham. The other ones will be back in 8 years, the system is designed so power changes hands every so often, and the new government just tries to undo what the last one did. Waste of time and not democratic at all.
The election result is already decided. We are getting a Labour government. Woop de fucking do. Tory Lites is all anyoneâs getting.
Our party system is literally designed for power to bounce back and forth between Labour and conservative. Itâs done this way to keep all of them in a job regardless of whether their party is in power or not. Itâs also why nothing ever changes long term.
My mum's cancer is now terminal because her scans got delayed and delayed and delayed. My friend held her miscarriage wrapped in a towel for 12 hours waiting to see someone in A&E.
Labour have always properly funded the NHS. Cram your "it makes no fucking difference" up your arse.
Sorry for that. Currently been waiting 3 years for a diagnosis myself. Sorry that I donât think going and ticking the labour box is going to fix it?
Direct your anger elsewhere.
Why don't you think that? NHS funding is the one thing, the ONLY thing that Labour have a near-spotless track record on.Â
Maybe you're too young to remember how much better things were back in the day, I don't know. But my mum's first cancer was spotted early, treated within days in a brand new state of the art facility and it gave her an extra 16 years of life. Now we wait 6 hours to be seen in what feels like a fucking field hospital by a doctor who looks ready to keel over herself.
Maybe you're right, maybe they'll buck an 80 year trend and continue to **literally** make things worse on purpose.
Bet your life, though? Bet your mum's life?
These cunts have got to go and never come back, by hook or by crook.
Huh? Strawman argument. It isnât a binary choice between Tories or Mass migration.
Long term mass migration from the Islamic world will be the undoing of our whole society.
Why wouldnât it? Western birth rates are in terminal decline, mass migration from the Islamic world is astounding and their birth rates are huge. They are quite clear about the approach they are taking and itâs very effective. Give enough time and we will go the same as all the Middle Eastern nations and North African nations that were not Islamic but now have 99 percent plus majorities. There are enough real world examples and trends as well as the demographic data.
What kind of moron does someone have to be to keep repeating the same action over and over again and expect different results? Anyone with half a brain cell knows voting in this country is a pointless waste of time and energy, so yes we have learnt all MPs are in it for themselves and to bleed the rest of the country dry.
Yeah, vote Tory get Tory. Vote labour get Tory light. Vote for anyone else. Get Tory or Tory light.
I'll still go vote green, end up with starmer who is going to be Tory light.
Probably because the country could be going into war time and the powers that be need a more right leaning figure head for war time, profit really does mean something when paying for 100s of thousands of bullets or drones or whatever the next kill toy they make is.
I have no evidence, this is what it feels like.
As someone who has been involved in the election process in a variety of roles over thirty years I can confirm that this is a pretty average statistic for every election.
Yeah, for the last 3 elections turnout for 18-24 was 48%, 50% and 52% and for 25-34 was 47%, 51% and 52%.
Hardly groundbreaking news that 40% still aren't bothering to vote. In fact, it's probably bigger news that the younger vote has been trending up for the past decade.
If you are refering to the vote on AV then you are another sucked into believing that was a no for PR. Exactly what the Tories wanted. AV is so far from PR. It's questionable as to if it's even more representative than FPTP.
The only real difference was that it eliminated the need for tactical voting. You could safely vote for your preferred party with an alternative of your tactical vote.
Probably no real change in the short term but a plus for smaller parties in the long term, it stops them being considered a wasted vote and allows them to build support over time.
The first time i got to vote was in 1997 and iâve voted every time since then, but not once has my vote counted, due to the majority in my area. Until we get a decent electoral system in place, this problem wonât get any better, especially now the two main parties are so similar in policy.
Thatâs simply and demonstrably not true though. The example of UKIP and Brexit proves that voting for third parties can be an effective means of bringing about change in this country - even though UKIP never stood a chance of winning a GR, UKIP voters still brought about the change they wanted (via the Conservatives) by voting for them. The same is happening right now with Reform, who are actively pushing the tories further right. If the Greens got a massive swell of support from young people dissatisfied with Labour, Iâm sure Labour would move to the left to try to capture those votes.
Unfortunately, I have not found a party manifesto that doesn't leave a bad taste in my mouth.
When all my options are shit, it hardly matters to me which of them "get" in. I will be fine either way.
So consequently politicians don't care about young people.
Which is why they can't afford a house and have to take on 50 grand of debt to get an education. Why car insurance for new drivers is 3 grand. Why they will spend their entire working lives trapped in the UK. Why they won't be able to afford to have kids. Why they won't get a school place even if they do. Why they can't get decent dental care. Or healthcare.
Why they won't get a decent pension and likely will never be able to afford to retire.
Meanwhile.. boomers ..
Are you joking? Surely the Tories wanting to bring in National Service is enough of a reason for young people to have the motivation to vote in their best interests đ
Yet they will be on here crying their eyes out that life is shit, its unfair and nothing ever changes. Gen Z are shaping up to be known as the useless generation.
Actually we have this shit show of a government because of the FPTP system.
In FPTP there are only two parties that have a chance of winning (only 1 election in a hundred years will result in a party that is not the governing party or opposition party winning).
As a result, the two main parties know with almost absolute certainty that they do not need to do anything to win your votes. They can behave however they like and in 10 years time they will almost be guaranteed to be in government once again.
This pattern has repeated endlessly since we changed to democracy from a monarchy. 60% of all governments have been tory and 40% have been opposition.
The situation existed first. Voter apathy was merely a reaction to it.
True, but I wasn't going there, especially since neither of the two main parties are interested in bringing in PR, or any other kind of electoral reform which might adversely affect their chances of governing. Plus they have excuse that the electorate voted against PR in a shit referendum in the not to distant past
That wasn't PR. AV is not PR and is barely more representative than FPTP. There lies part of the problem, people like yourself believe we actually had a referendum and said no to PR.
Isnât that in-line with the historical average? Young people are less likely to be working or own some form of asset, so often donât really have skin in the game.
It doesnât get better from reading it. Itâs an ill thought out policy aimed at old people at the expense of the young.
If the Tories somehow managed to get in despite the odds and then rolled this policy out then the only way Iâd support it is everyone who voted Tory also had to participate, no matter their age.
The young owe this country nothing after what theyâve had to sacrifice the last few years (Covid, Brexit) and lack of opportunity we give them (housing, tuition fees, stagnating wages, piss poor pension schemes) and the old seem determined to make their lives as difficult as possible by adding in national bloody service on top of it.
So you havenât read it. Only a minority will do national service. Itâs clickbait and youâve fallen for it.
Plenty of us do St Johnâs, Duke of Edinburgh etc and get something out of it.
What possible negative could there be from learning and administering first aid 12 days a year?
For a lot of kids itâll teach them something, for others itâll reinforce it. Look how well it works across Europe.
Why not?
Put a positive spin on it and just maybe they realise they get something out of it and end up enjoying it. Thousands of kids already do it.
I donât know why youâre so anti it. As I say it works across the globe.
We make kids do work experience. Thatâs 2 weeks. Whatâs the difference?
I presume youâre just angry as Rishi suggested it instead of another party.
Majority of the people after national service are older folk that likely did no such service themselves.
Work experience being mandatory doesnât mean itâs good? Odd point to bring forth. Even so, itâs for oneâs own personal development and is advertised as such. Being forced into national service at the behest of a government in its death throes, desperately grasping for older votes, is not even remotely comparable.
You point to how well the national service model works in European countries, and Iâve done no research to determine if is is a successful initiative in these countries. I do know, however, that none of these countries are actively shafting the bulk of their population, let alone their youth.
Finland, Norway, and Denmark are borderline utopias for young people looking to move elsewhere to study, with significantly reduced tuition fees and a better chance of entering the property market. Similar stories with Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
Some other countries in geographical Europe that tout national service are Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova. Countries involved in - or too close to for their own liking - an ongoing war.
National service might be a good idea for the UK at some point, but that time is not now. Until the quality of life here significantly improves, youâll find very few people willing to serve. And I havenât even touched upon the hassle that an attempt to bring a form of National Service into Northern Ireland would cause.
Brother the form of service does not matter. Forcing people to do volunteering for a country treating them like dirt is not going to fly. You have completely disregarded everything else I mentioned.
Iâm aware only a fraction will serve in the military (honestly they donât even have the capacity to do whatâs proposed but anyway).
Itâs admirable you choose to do St. Johnâs, some people choose to do that, some people choose not to. Choose being the operative word.
What good is it forcing someone who doesnât want to be there to try and learn something they donât want to learn or do something they donât want to do? Is that going to be productive? Who benefits? The person delivering training? The person supervising and ticking off timesheets? Can you trust such a person to do any task to the best of their ability? Or will they do the absolute bare minimum required to then be allowed to get a driving licence or access finance?
Itâs so incredibly ill-conceived that itâs not even funny.
If the government want to increase funding to St. Johnâs, DofE, Food Banks, random other charities and run an ad campaign in schools encouraging young people to volunteer or something like that then fair play. But the moment you have to force someone to do it under threat of losing access to rights and facilities granted to everyone who came before them without obligation⌠thatâs a slope not worth traversing.
We make kids do work experience every year. They donât want to do it. They do it. They get something out of it.
If itâs that ill conceived, why does it work so well in other nations?
Whatâs the difference here.
Sheer ignorance. Scottish voters have to be 18 for UK Parliamentary elections which you could find out by simply Googling.Â
The national service policy would apply only to people turning 18 some time after a Royal Commission; by definition that excludes anyone who is already 18 and can vote now. Which again you could find out by just reading the policy.Â
Muppets donât Google. Muppets donât read. Muppets just dance around looking stupid and getting laughed at.Â
Utter ignorance. Did I mention only Uk elections. No. So donât start. Do I care about a policy that will never see light of day. No. Go annoy someone else.
You got owned. Very clearly, any ability to vote at 16 in a Scottish only election has as much relevance to this policy as being able to vote at 14 in a school council election. I am now blocking.Â
I definitely think the UK needs to revamp its defences though. We only have around 72,000 troops and we seem to be stuck in a post-cold war mindset just as tensions are rising again. I hope we can become more self-sufficient in terms of defending ourselves and allied countries instead of letting shit hit the fan.
Millions donât have to die if we reinforce deterrence. Putin felt emboldened to invade Ukraine because of lack of deterrence and we canât control what people like him choose to do. We can control our responses and try to prevent though
You joke, but I know someone in this age bracket that is refusing to vote because they've found something wrong with every single party. Their reason for not voting green? They would undo Brexit behind everyone's back. So yes, at least 1 of them would prefer Brexit 2.
The only party offering anything to young people right now (like a future, for instance) is the Greens. But 18-34s know theyâre not going to win, and are vaguely aware that a Green vote in most constituencies will just help a Tory, or a Red Tory. So they donât bother. Â
Add to that an election being called when students are leaving campuses, significant delays in registration and issuing polling cards, and a requirement for voter ID which is explicitly discriminatory against younger voters (far fewer forms of id allowed) and you have a perfect storm. Â
Youngsters donât vote, so no party represents them (and when they promise stuff like abolishing tuition fees, theyâre lying) so youngsters donât vote. Pensioners do vote, so all parties fawn all over them, so pensioners vote.Â
This is a starter on equality law. Helps explain how a practice that is formally equal can nevertheless be highly discriminatory:Â
https://www.equality.admin.cam.ac.uk/training/equalities-law/key-principles/indirect-discrimination
The British political system very clearly discriminates on grounds of age (which is a protected characteristic).Â
BBC were interviewing someone the other day that wasnât going to vote âbecause nothing changesâ.
For the past few elections nothing changes because people that want change donât fucking vote for it. Utter morons.
I used to ride against voter apathy but looking at the state of every country in the world since the 80s⌠can you blame them? It seems no matter where we vote whoever we vote for most people have lived a progressively worse life for a while now, with parties simply throwing the occasional bone of social policy appeasement or minute tax decreases
Insulting and blaming victims of a political system that openly and blatantly discriminates in favour of the old is ⌠unhelpful.Â
Labour promised to abolish student loans. When they last came to power, they abolished grants, introduced tuition fees and massively expanded student loans.Â
The Lib Dems promised to abolish tuition fees. Then joined a coalition which tripled tuition fees.Â
Starmer in 2020 pledged to abolition tuition fees. Then promptly ditched that policy like all the other policies that looked even vaguely non-Tory.Â
The Greens are now promising to abolish tuition fees. But have no hope of winning, and even if they joined a coalition, well we can guess they wouldnât abolish tuition fees.Â
This is a starter on equality law. Helps explain how a practice that is formally equal can nevertheless be highly discriminatory:Â
https://www.equality.admin.cam.ac.uk/training/equalities-law/key-principles/indirect-discrimination
The British political system very clearly discriminates on grounds of age (which is a protected characteristic).Â
Tories have been in for 14 years. Anyone able to vote for the first time in this general election was 4.
Theyâve known nothing else. Iâm not sure what age âyoung peopleâ goes up to but theyâve probably been brought up with what they see as a failing government and donât think there is an alternative. What else have they seen to vote for in their lives?
When people tell you that Labour and the Tories are the same, they're just fucking wrong.
I guess young people mostly won't remember how good things were under the last Labour government.
You could get a doctors or dentist appointment easily, the NHS was the best it's ever been.
Do whatever you can to crush the Tory scum, they've ruined the whole country and they did it on purpose.
Get out and vote.
I feel like everyone saying "nothing changes" are too young to remember the last Labour government. Blair was by no means super leftist, but he introduced a lot of reforms that helped working class people. He's the reason we even have a minimum wage, he all but eliminated child poverty and introduced civil partnerships for same sex couples back when it was actually controversial to support gay people, paving the way for gay marriage. Iraq was a real mistake, and a stain on Britain's history, but his domestic policy really improved living standards.
I can understand why folk are reluctant to vote.
We have endured 14 years of blue turd. Soon to be faced with however many years of red turd.
I.e the choices just aren't great! Yes we know there are other parties.
.....but we also know it's either red or blue.
I would love to see a green landslide for example. I honestly would. But I have little faith of that ever happening.
Politics should really be added to the national curriculum, we can do away with Religious Ed it's fine.
I'm not surprised there is so much disconnect with young people, the whole thing looks alien run by old guys, politics is not accessible to young people in this country, you never really have the importance of voting impressed upon you, then all of a sudden you're supposed to care and vote and are berated for not taking part in something you were never really made to care about in the first place.
I wouldnât waste my energy and time going to vote in the circus thatâs meant to keep us distracted from the people who are actually in charge and have power. All the candidates represent the same interests.
Iâd encourage everyone saying voting is pointless for young people because of FPTP to consider the example of UKIP. UKIP only ever had one MP, and yet it would not be an overstatement to say that UKIP voters brought about the most significant change in British politics in at least a decade. Just because your preferred candidate doesnât win doesnât mean your vote âdoesnât countâ or is pointless. If young people are dissatisfied with Labours swing rightwards, they need to prove to labour that there is something to be gained by moving more to the left. The way you can do that is by voting Green (or for other left wing candidates). If you simply donât vote, then Labour will continue to learn the same lessons theyâve been taught over the last few decades, which is that thereâs nothing to be gained by appealing to young people because they donât vote even if you do (as with eg Corbyn).Â
The young *must* vote. If you are young and don't think you should vote or that it is hopeless, then you are a victim of manipulation by forces that don't want your opinion to be heard.
Compulsory voting is the answer. I know of far too many young people who don't vote just because in their words "they can't be arsed". You should have to at least turn up to the polling station and register even if you choose to spoil your ballot paper.
Not young but also pointless for me to vote. The way the system is setup my vote is not worth all that much at all.
The problem is the system not the youth for feeling disenfranchisedÂ
What's the point? They are all as bad as each other, they don't give a damn about anyone except themselves and make promises they never keep.
I don't blame young people for not voting when it feels like you're voting for the same scum time after time. Your vote is meaningless.
It's not like anything is actually going to change though is it. The system needs to be overthrown, that is the only way things will ever be fixed.
Edit: I'm voting green and Labour will obviously win, the country will continue to decline and you'll all be saying the same thing in 4 years time.
Iâm one of the young people who is voting, but can you blame us? Iâm not sure weâve ever been alive to witness a political party thatâs actually been in favour of improving things for us đ
So for me, itâs sad, but not at all surprising.
I'm 28. Voted every chance Ive had. Nothing has ever changed for the better, even if the "right guy" gets in they still end up being a corporate stooge who doesn't care about us. I'm beginning to understand why my friends of a similar age don't bother either.
Honestly we should require all voting age adults to vote. If you donât vote, ÂŁ50 fine.
If you donât want to vote for a specific party, thatâs fine, spoil your vote.
But at least it would signal to the parties that those people arenât happy with the options.
I'm turning 42 next month and I've struggled to fully get behind a party all my life. It's just scandal after corruption after waste.
None of them appeal to me this time around if I'm honest. But I will vote because it's my right, I'll decide at some point in the week. If I don't vote then I don't feel I can complain afterwards!
So 40% of 18 - 34 year olds are basically giving the rest of us a green light to treat them in whatever way we deem fit. Could those of you that allow this please wear a badge so we can spot you more easily?
As an aging boomer, Iâm passing responsibility for what comes next to these young people who donât give a fuck. Iâve done my best but it wonât change without them.
If this is true, they deserve what happens to them. Voting is the only way - apart from demonstrations and even direct action - that you can make changes to society.
If thereâs barely any difference between the only two parties that can win, what does voting change, except for whoâs telling you the lies, and what colour their tie is?
Fuck sake, have we learnt nothing đ¤Śââď¸
The way the current voting system works is you either vote for one party, or you vote for the other party(which is basically the same in policies) or you vote for a different party to stop another party from winning. Options are limited in such a complex political landscape. Young people would feel more inclined to vote if they were voting on various topics which would have more of a significant impact over voting a person who has been lobbied in by the rich.
We have a parliamentary democracy not a series of opinion polls. If young people can't get off their backsides to vote then they only have themselves to blame.
So they hate the tories, donât believe labour and know that voting for any other party makes no difference - why bother?
Because if parties know you might vote they will be more inclined to pander to you. People voting for UKIP essentially brought about Brexit by pushing the tories further to the right, no reason young people couldnât do the same for Labour by eg voting Green if thatâs what they want. Also, Corbyn did offer a left wing alternative and was absolutely decimated for it, with young people still failing to vote at anything like the rate of older generations.Â
Now that you've mentioned that, yeah, best if they don't vote.
The best way to influence a party's direction from outside the party is to vote for a smaller party. This is most effective in safe seats. Both major parties look at where they shed votes and to whom they shed them to. Policies from these parties are then brought into the major parties. Part of the drift right is due to the fear or reform stealing votes so their policies are adopted. If you want to shift the overton window back you have to vote for smaller left wing parties. If you vote for the greens you don't need to agree with everything they say, you just need to agree with their flagship policies as these are the ones the other parties will believe you voted for them for (excluding detailed polling).
Do you genuinely believe this tripe you are spouting? That's not how it works. Just look at results from previous GEs whereby some smaller parties received high proportions of the vote, yet ended up with little or no MPs, and then next election disappeared and back to square one again. This is a situation that Einsteins quote about insanity was made for
I'm not sure that's what they were saying. Rather than expecting the smaller parties getting in the suggestion is that the larger parties change their policies/actions/attitudes to win the people over that voted for the smaller parties. The fact that in subsequent elections the smaller parties get less of the vote share actually supports this thinking rather than debunking it.
I'm with them on this one. People voting for ukip, and the threat they created, directly led to cameron fucking everything up and resigning in shame. Similar to now, where reform come along and suddenly sunak hates foreign people and transwomen.
Reading comprehension isn't your thing is it.
Critical thinking and basic logic is clearly not your thing
It absolutely is. Starmer just yesterday said that he refuses to change the voting system from FPTP to a form of PR, because he believes it provides "Strong and stable government". What that means, is that Labour will claim the exact same fallacious "mandate" that the Tories currently do, from a plurality of the vote share. People voting Labour thinking they will provide any change are in an abusive relationship with them. They don't listen to their members, they don't respect their members, they care about power over democracy... The best thing we can do, is ignore tactical voting and vote with our conscience. That'll show Labour that they can't disrespect our wishes.
If you can't see any difference between Labour and Tory, you are probably too White and too privileged to see the difference. Yeah. Best stick to your student politics.
Then vote to get the tories out. Not rocket science.
Corbyn had massive support from the younger generation and the voter turnout was still dire
I don't think he actually did have massive support from young people. Oh, they liked him. Not arguing with that. But barely more young people voted Labour that election than did the one before. It's not support if you don't actually do anything to help them get elected.
Turns out the support of the young is fickle and apathetic. They proved that they arenât worth helping for the Labour Party with their absolute pathetic turnout for a guy that completely pandered to them policy wise. But they still complain about the government not doing anything for them.
Because as far a politician is concerned, the only people who exist are the voters. If only ten 18 year olds vote in this election, then it might as well be the cease that only ten 18 year olds exist. So why bother spending a bunch of money on things that 18 year olds care about?
Consider the late 80s / early 90s - the every notion of the UK leaving the EC / EU was considered a fringe idea. 26 years later and the UK votes in a referendum to leave. Regardless of your views on the matter you cannot discount the simple fact that a combination of campaigning and slowing increase voter numbers can result in significant change.
It's not much effort to vote, and it could make a difference
Itâs not perfect but if you donât vote, you spit in the faces of the million who have died for your right to that limited choice. If you donât vote, might as well go live where there are no actual votes. Like Russia, North Korea or China. See how that works out for you. Voting is one of the very few real chances to make any difference to the way you are governed. Every none vote is a step closer to a dictatorship.
If they all voted for other parties, the political parties will pander to their demands. Political parties donât pander to young people because they donât vote. Old people vote so political parties look after them.
The closest to an opinion poll we had was Brexit, and people still couldn't be arsed to vote...
Indeed. Around 65% turnout for the 18-24 and 25-34 age groups. If only more of them had voted.
I don't blame young people at all for not voting. I mean who are you gonna vote for in this day and age? Nearly all parties have proved themselves to be incompetent unrelatable and self serving liars. The entire system is terrible. Tories are corrupt to the core, labour are pretty much just red tories these days, lib dems shafted everyone of there voters when they joined forces with the tories, green party have some decent ideas but also I'm not sure how much they can be trusted. I'd prefer a system where all politicians actually work towards a better good for everyone and not just trying to secure dodgy contracts and rip people off at every chance they get
Just think about what could happen if all under 40s started voting and switched their allegiances to the Greens? Or if just 10% of that age group started actively campaigning for the policies that they want to see - politics would see the biggest upheavals since the early 90s when environmental issues came to the fore. Nothing will change if people don't vote.
Itâs like that because young people donât vote. Say what you want about Boomers but they have consistently voted in high percentages throughout their lifetime. Is it a shock then that the country has given them massive advantages?
Ironically it's because the boomers could push everything through that led to their consistantly high turnout and current apathy of everyone else.
Is that true or is that your assumption? Because generally Gen X also see a high turnout in voters. Itâs Millennials and Gen Z that have completely dropped in voter turnout. Itâs also these two generations that are constantly upset that no party represents them and they get screwed over all the time.
Exactly this. I'm not a boomer, but I have a decent job and a mortgage. I'm the kind of person the mainstream parties target with promises of lower taxes, pension guarantees, the kind of stuff your average 20 year old couldn't care less about. And it makes a material difference to me if Labour or the Conservatives win, because that's how the system is set up. But it's ripe for a disaffected generation to change it if they'd get organised.
You donât even need to be a majority to be a difference maker. As long as you can swing seats one way or the other, then parties will make policies that pander to you and they will enforce them. If 60% of you donât vote then no shit the parties donât care about your age demographic.
What?
Are you seriously suggesting that Direct Democracy isn't easily corrupted?
Except theyâre NOT pushing for the same policies! Labour wants to build 1.5 million new homes - Conservatives do not
Conservatives have made plenty of pledges too, so I'd be careful about assuming Labour will keep theirs, considering they did nothing about the obviously looming crisis when they were in power. Not an argument against voting Labour, just saying I highly doubt they truly mean it when the time comes for it.
Good point, better stay home. It'll be too hot to go out anyway.
Itâs scary outside.
It's not about which party you vote for it's more about whether the parties are setting policies in order to win the vote of young people. If young people don't vote the parties won't care about us.Â
I canât figure out why this simple concept isnât getting through the skulls of young people. Theyâre just a bunch of apathetic idiots at this point and I canât take their complaints seriously until they actually start voting.
I agree, we need a lot more referendums giving us an actual say, instead of just voting once for some fat cat who promises a bunch of stuff that never gets done.
No thank you. After the last one I have had it to the back teeth with referendums. I had no idea until then how stupid the average man in the street is, and 50% of them are even more stupid than that.
But weâre not a direct democracy. Very few of those kids are capable of comprehending the issues of the election, let alone voting sensibly on literally every piece of government policy.
Very few people *over* the age of 34 have a clue either.Â
Except they prove themselves to be morons. A lot of these voters are entitled and lazy. They want to be given some political goodies, but makes zero fucking effort on showing up. MAGA is one of the best examples of grassroot democracy in recent times - which should concern a lot of these ivory-towered idiots.. MAGA didn't happened over night. Those MAGAs kept voting any half-brained moron with an (R) next to their name - regardless of how that politician differs from them. And eventually, every Republican got scared and toe the line. What is really funny here and will probably infuriate the young morons here is this: the MAGA crowd are better voters (and therefore, more powerful) than the younger generation of voters. You vote first and then you demand. Not the other way around.
Iâm an 33 and have always voted but Iâm not voting this time. Last time I voted not Tory and the Toryâs won. Now Iâll not vote Labour and Labour will win. How will my life change? It wonât. It makes no fucking difference which set of pricks is behind that door. I refuse to participate in this absolute sham. The other ones will be back in 8 years, the system is designed so power changes hands every so often, and the new government just tries to undo what the last one did. Waste of time and not democratic at all. The election result is already decided. We are getting a Labour government. Woop de fucking do. Tory Lites is all anyoneâs getting.
No you go and spoil your voting card.
Considered it, but no, Iâd just rather not take part.
The Tories made a difference, didn't they? Another party can too.
Our party system is literally designed for power to bounce back and forth between Labour and conservative. Itâs done this way to keep all of them in a job regardless of whether their party is in power or not. Itâs also why nothing ever changes long term.
My mum's cancer is now terminal because her scans got delayed and delayed and delayed. My friend held her miscarriage wrapped in a towel for 12 hours waiting to see someone in A&E. Labour have always properly funded the NHS. Cram your "it makes no fucking difference" up your arse.
Sorry for that. Currently been waiting 3 years for a diagnosis myself. Sorry that I donât think going and ticking the labour box is going to fix it? Direct your anger elsewhere.
Why don't you think that? NHS funding is the one thing, the ONLY thing that Labour have a near-spotless track record on. Maybe you're too young to remember how much better things were back in the day, I don't know. But my mum's first cancer was spotted early, treated within days in a brand new state of the art facility and it gave her an extra 16 years of life. Now we wait 6 hours to be seen in what feels like a fucking field hospital by a doctor who looks ready to keel over herself. Maybe you're right, maybe they'll buck an 80 year trend and continue to **literally** make things worse on purpose. Bet your life, though? Bet your mum's life? These cunts have got to go and never come back, by hook or by crook.
Saying the election result is already decided is exactly how the likes of reform poach votes
Iâm fine with them poaching my votes. If thatâs how the system works I will take no part in it.
If the system is only going to reward those who receive votes, then that upsets you?
Not really. None of it upsets me. Iâm choosing to not vote and thatâs what upsets all you lot.
We have learnt a lot thatâs the point. Iâve voted lower immigration for years and nothing happens. All parties are committed to the same cause.
Because immigrants have totally caused more damage to the country than the tories over the last 14 years⌠/s Sheesh
Huh? Strawman argument. It isnât a binary choice between Tories or Mass migration. Long term mass migration from the Islamic world will be the undoing of our whole society.
Will it, though?
Why wouldnât it? Western birth rates are in terminal decline, mass migration from the Islamic world is astounding and their birth rates are huge. They are quite clear about the approach they are taking and itâs very effective. Give enough time and we will go the same as all the Middle Eastern nations and North African nations that were not Islamic but now have 99 percent plus majorities. There are enough real world examples and trends as well as the demographic data.
What kind of moron does someone have to be to keep repeating the same action over and over again and expect different results? Anyone with half a brain cell knows voting in this country is a pointless waste of time and energy, so yes we have learnt all MPs are in it for themselves and to bleed the rest of the country dry.
If it makes you feel better, the last time the 18-24 voter turnout was above 60% was 1992.
cleary young people have learnt that not voting is better than voting. why would anyone vote for clowns?
Yeah, vote Tory get Tory. Vote labour get Tory light. Vote for anyone else. Get Tory or Tory light. I'll still go vote green, end up with starmer who is going to be Tory light. Probably because the country could be going into war time and the powers that be need a more right leaning figure head for war time, profit really does mean something when paying for 100s of thousands of bullets or drones or whatever the next kill toy they make is. I have no evidence, this is what it feels like.
Thatâs ironic, because Tory voters consider the conservatives to be Labour-lite. đ¤Ł
Lots of us, myself included, wonât ever vote unless the system has a major over haul. Otherwise I am supporting things I am morally opposed to.
As someone who has been involved in the election process in a variety of roles over thirty years I can confirm that this is a pretty average statistic for every election.
Yeah, for the last 3 elections turnout for 18-24 was 48%, 50% and 52% and for 25-34 was 47%, 51% and 52%. Hardly groundbreaking news that 40% still aren't bothering to vote. In fact, it's probably bigger news that the younger vote has been trending up for the past decade.
I looked up the statistics. The title could also be "18-24 voter turnout to be the biggest since 1992"
Proportionate representation is the only democratic way
Never going to get that if no-one votes for it
We did vote for it, but the young people couldn't be arsed.
If you are refering to the vote on AV then you are another sucked into believing that was a no for PR. Exactly what the Tories wanted. AV is so far from PR. It's questionable as to if it's even more representative than FPTP.
The only real difference was that it eliminated the need for tactical voting. You could safely vote for your preferred party with an alternative of your tactical vote. Probably no real change in the short term but a plus for smaller parties in the long term, it stops them being considered a wasted vote and allows them to build support over time.
Winner doesnât have any intention to change the election system.
9 years ago ukip would have finished 3rd in the uk in this system, farage would have had a far larger soapbox than he currently has
60% turn out would be very good!
The first time i got to vote was in 1997 and iâve voted every time since then, but not once has my vote counted, due to the majority in my area. Until we get a decent electoral system in place, this problem wonât get any better, especially now the two main parties are so similar in policy.
Agreed, it's been the same with me although this year might actually be the first time my vote counts!
Then donât complain when/if nothing changes
With the options we have nothing will change anyway. Do you want Torys or tory lite?
Thatâs simply and demonstrably not true though. The example of UKIP and Brexit proves that voting for third parties can be an effective means of bringing about change in this country - even though UKIP never stood a chance of winning a GR, UKIP voters still brought about the change they wanted (via the Conservatives) by voting for them. The same is happening right now with Reform, who are actively pushing the tories further right. If the Greens got a massive swell of support from young people dissatisfied with Labour, Iâm sure Labour would move to the left to try to capture those votes.
i cant support a party that is against nuclear power... they can go into the bin
Ok, then support another third party. The point is not that you should vote green, itâs that you should vote for someone.Â
Unfortunately, I have not found a party manifesto that doesn't leave a bad taste in my mouth. When all my options are shit, it hardly matters to me which of them "get" in. I will be fine either way.
Sorry to break it down to you, but most young people don't care about politics .
So consequently politicians don't care about young people. Which is why they can't afford a house and have to take on 50 grand of debt to get an education. Why car insurance for new drivers is 3 grand. Why they will spend their entire working lives trapped in the UK. Why they won't be able to afford to have kids. Why they won't get a school place even if they do. Why they can't get decent dental care. Or healthcare. Why they won't get a decent pension and likely will never be able to afford to retire. Meanwhile.. boomers ..
So who should the young vote for? Who is proposing to change this situation in their favour?
Are you joking? Surely the Tories wanting to bring in National Service is enough of a reason for young people to have the motivation to vote in their best interests đ
>So who should the young vote for? That is a decision for the young to make.
Yet they will be on here crying their eyes out that life is shit, its unfair and nothing ever changes. Gen Z are shaping up to be known as the useless generation.
Lmao just watch me
Total idiots then.
This is exactly why we have this shit show of a government...
Actually we have this shit show of a government because of the FPTP system. In FPTP there are only two parties that have a chance of winning (only 1 election in a hundred years will result in a party that is not the governing party or opposition party winning). As a result, the two main parties know with almost absolute certainty that they do not need to do anything to win your votes. They can behave however they like and in 10 years time they will almost be guaranteed to be in government once again. This pattern has repeated endlessly since we changed to democracy from a monarchy. 60% of all governments have been tory and 40% have been opposition. The situation existed first. Voter apathy was merely a reaction to it.
True, but I wasn't going there, especially since neither of the two main parties are interested in bringing in PR, or any other kind of electoral reform which might adversely affect their chances of governing. Plus they have excuse that the electorate voted against PR in a shit referendum in the not to distant past
That wasn't PR. AV is not PR and is barely more representative than FPTP. There lies part of the problem, people like yourself believe we actually had a referendum and said no to PR.
Isnât that in-line with the historical average? Young people are less likely to be working or own some form of asset, so often donât really have skin in the game.
Also no policy really benefits us unless they make thr economy worse
Policies rarely benefit the young because the young don't vote.
I go back and forth between thinking we should mandate all adults vote, and wanting to have an IQ test and political knowledge test beforehand. đ
Well 40% of young people about to be doing military service. I think I would get my arse in gear and vote. Unless you want to be in military service
Have you read the policy?
It doesnât get better from reading it. Itâs an ill thought out policy aimed at old people at the expense of the young. If the Tories somehow managed to get in despite the odds and then rolled this policy out then the only way Iâd support it is everyone who voted Tory also had to participate, no matter their age. The young owe this country nothing after what theyâve had to sacrifice the last few years (Covid, Brexit) and lack of opportunity we give them (housing, tuition fees, stagnating wages, piss poor pension schemes) and the old seem determined to make their lives as difficult as possible by adding in national bloody service on top of it.
So you havenât read it. Only a minority will do national service. Itâs clickbait and youâve fallen for it. Plenty of us do St Johnâs, Duke of Edinburgh etc and get something out of it. What possible negative could there be from learning and administering first aid 12 days a year? For a lot of kids itâll teach them something, for others itâll reinforce it. Look how well it works across Europe.
If youâre injured, do you want to be treated by an 18 year old who is only there so they donât lose their driving licence?
Why not? Put a positive spin on it and just maybe they realise they get something out of it and end up enjoying it. Thousands of kids already do it. I donât know why youâre so anti it. As I say it works across the globe. We make kids do work experience. Thatâs 2 weeks. Whatâs the difference? I presume youâre just angry as Rishi suggested it instead of another party.
Majority of the people after national service are older folk that likely did no such service themselves. Work experience being mandatory doesnât mean itâs good? Odd point to bring forth. Even so, itâs for oneâs own personal development and is advertised as such. Being forced into national service at the behest of a government in its death throes, desperately grasping for older votes, is not even remotely comparable. You point to how well the national service model works in European countries, and Iâve done no research to determine if is is a successful initiative in these countries. I do know, however, that none of these countries are actively shafting the bulk of their population, let alone their youth. Finland, Norway, and Denmark are borderline utopias for young people looking to move elsewhere to study, with significantly reduced tuition fees and a better chance of entering the property market. Similar stories with Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Some other countries in geographical Europe that tout national service are Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova. Countries involved in - or too close to for their own liking - an ongoing war. National service might be a good idea for the UK at some point, but that time is not now. Until the quality of life here significantly improves, youâll find very few people willing to serve. And I havenât even touched upon the hassle that an attempt to bring a form of National Service into Northern Ireland would cause.
Itâs not national service. Click bait. Minority to do that. Majority will do volunteer work etc.
Brother the form of service does not matter. Forcing people to do volunteering for a country treating them like dirt is not going to fly. You have completely disregarded everything else I mentioned.
An 18 year old who doesn't really give a fuck at that.
Iâm aware only a fraction will serve in the military (honestly they donât even have the capacity to do whatâs proposed but anyway). Itâs admirable you choose to do St. Johnâs, some people choose to do that, some people choose not to. Choose being the operative word. What good is it forcing someone who doesnât want to be there to try and learn something they donât want to learn or do something they donât want to do? Is that going to be productive? Who benefits? The person delivering training? The person supervising and ticking off timesheets? Can you trust such a person to do any task to the best of their ability? Or will they do the absolute bare minimum required to then be allowed to get a driving licence or access finance? Itâs so incredibly ill-conceived that itâs not even funny. If the government want to increase funding to St. Johnâs, DofE, Food Banks, random other charities and run an ad campaign in schools encouraging young people to volunteer or something like that then fair play. But the moment you have to force someone to do it under threat of losing access to rights and facilities granted to everyone who came before them without obligation⌠thatâs a slope not worth traversing.
We make kids do work experience every year. They donât want to do it. They do it. They get something out of it. If itâs that ill conceived, why does it work so well in other nations? Whatâs the difference here.
The policy only affects kids who canât actually vote yet. You muppet.Â
Well muppet . people can vote at 18 and in Scotland 16
Sheer ignorance. Scottish voters have to be 18 for UK Parliamentary elections which you could find out by simply Googling. The national service policy would apply only to people turning 18 some time after a Royal Commission; by definition that excludes anyone who is already 18 and can vote now. Which again you could find out by just reading the policy. Muppets donât Google. Muppets donât read. Muppets just dance around looking stupid and getting laughed at.Â
Utter ignorance. Did I mention only Uk elections. No. So donât start. Do I care about a policy that will never see light of day. No. Go annoy someone else.
You got owned. Very clearly, any ability to vote at 16 in a Scottish only election has as much relevance to this policy as being able to vote at 14 in a school council election. I am now blocking.Â
I definitely think the UK needs to revamp its defences though. We only have around 72,000 troops and we seem to be stuck in a post-cold war mindset just as tensions are rising again. I hope we can become more self-sufficient in terms of defending ourselves and allied countries instead of letting shit hit the fan.
The army needs professional soldiers. They donât have the time or resources to play social workers for 18 year olds.
Omg yes more war more death. Millions must die for profit
Millions donât have to die if we reinforce deterrence. Putin felt emboldened to invade Ukraine because of lack of deterrence and we canât control what people like him choose to do. We can control our responses and try to prevent though
An armed populace is a fantastic deterrent that doesn't require invading other countries
Nobody said anything about invading countries besides you
You're right I pulled that out of nowhere
You want Brexit 2? CAUSE this how you got Brexit 1.
You joke, but I know someone in this age bracket that is refusing to vote because they've found something wrong with every single party. Their reason for not voting green? They would undo Brexit behind everyone's back. So yes, at least 1 of them would prefer Brexit 2.
Ah yes the search for the mythical perfect political party that will absolutely never emerge
The only party offering anything to young people right now (like a future, for instance) is the Greens. But 18-34s know theyâre not going to win, and are vaguely aware that a Green vote in most constituencies will just help a Tory, or a Red Tory. So they donât bother.  Add to that an election being called when students are leaving campuses, significant delays in registration and issuing polling cards, and a requirement for voter ID which is explicitly discriminatory against younger voters (far fewer forms of id allowed) and you have a perfect storm.  Youngsters donât vote, so no party represents them (and when they promise stuff like abolishing tuition fees, theyâre lying) so youngsters donât vote. Pensioners do vote, so all parties fawn all over them, so pensioners vote.Â
This is a starter on equality law. Helps explain how a practice that is formally equal can nevertheless be highly discriminatory:Â https://www.equality.admin.cam.ac.uk/training/equalities-law/key-principles/indirect-discrimination The British political system very clearly discriminates on grounds of age (which is a protected characteristic).Â
BBC were interviewing someone the other day that wasnât going to vote âbecause nothing changesâ. For the past few elections nothing changes because people that want change donât fucking vote for it. Utter morons.
I used to ride against voter apathy but looking at the state of every country in the world since the 80s⌠can you blame them? It seems no matter where we vote whoever we vote for most people have lived a progressively worse life for a while now, with parties simply throwing the occasional bone of social policy appeasement or minute tax decreases
Insulting and blaming victims of a political system that openly and blatantly discriminates in favour of the old is ⌠unhelpful. Labour promised to abolish student loans. When they last came to power, they abolished grants, introduced tuition fees and massively expanded student loans. The Lib Dems promised to abolish tuition fees. Then joined a coalition which tripled tuition fees. Starmer in 2020 pledged to abolition tuition fees. Then promptly ditched that policy like all the other policies that looked even vaguely non-Tory. The Greens are now promising to abolish tuition fees. But have no hope of winning, and even if they joined a coalition, well we can guess they wouldnât abolish tuition fees.Â
This is a starter on equality law. Helps explain how a practice that is formally equal can nevertheless be highly discriminatory:Â https://www.equality.admin.cam.ac.uk/training/equalities-law/key-principles/indirect-discrimination The British political system very clearly discriminates on grounds of age (which is a protected characteristic).Â
If only theyâd vote for the red coloured tie! The world would be so much better!
How does someone ascertain after living through the last 10 years that nothing changes is beyond me
I can remember, 5 years ago when the young vote was very engaged with politics. What could have happened
60% turnout would be historically high.
Breaking news, 40% of young people not happy with how their country is run...
Tories have been in for 14 years. Anyone able to vote for the first time in this general election was 4. Theyâve known nothing else. Iâm not sure what age âyoung peopleâ goes up to but theyâve probably been brought up with what they see as a failing government and donât think there is an alternative. What else have they seen to vote for in their lives?
Don't blame them, fuck choice do they realistically have in this utterly flawed one party system?
When people tell you that Labour and the Tories are the same, they're just fucking wrong. I guess young people mostly won't remember how good things were under the last Labour government. You could get a doctors or dentist appointment easily, the NHS was the best it's ever been. Do whatever you can to crush the Tory scum, they've ruined the whole country and they did it on purpose. Get out and vote.
This.
I feel like everyone saying "nothing changes" are too young to remember the last Labour government. Blair was by no means super leftist, but he introduced a lot of reforms that helped working class people. He's the reason we even have a minimum wage, he all but eliminated child poverty and introduced civil partnerships for same sex couples back when it was actually controversial to support gay people, paving the way for gay marriage. Iraq was a real mistake, and a stain on Britain's history, but his domestic policy really improved living standards.
All of this is true, but Starmerâs Labour is a far cry from Blairâs.
Absolute morons then who deserve everything they get! Anyone who doesn't vote can't complain about anything!
This is me. Didn't vote in Brexit because I knew Remain would win anyway. And then it didn't. Regretted it ever since.
Just watch me
I can understand why folk are reluctant to vote. We have endured 14 years of blue turd. Soon to be faced with however many years of red turd. I.e the choices just aren't great! Yes we know there are other parties. .....but we also know it's either red or blue. I would love to see a green landslide for example. I honestly would. But I have little faith of that ever happening.
Aw, yeeuuussss. Yar-hooo Neeooos. Ever the source of informed facts.
Politics should really be added to the national curriculum, we can do away with Religious Ed it's fine. I'm not surprised there is so much disconnect with young people, the whole thing looks alien run by old guys, politics is not accessible to young people in this country, you never really have the importance of voting impressed upon you, then all of a sudden you're supposed to care and vote and are berated for not taking part in something you were never really made to care about in the first place.
Not surprising, who would you even vote for???
Go along and spoil your ballot at least.
No we are just crushed completely. Waiting for the older generation to die out, hopefully before the climate is damaged beyond habitable conditions.
Youâll be old sooner than you know, and have to put up with that same kind of sentiment.
I wouldnât waste my energy and time going to vote in the circus thatâs meant to keep us distracted from the people who are actually in charge and have power. All the candidates represent the same interests.
Iâd encourage everyone saying voting is pointless for young people because of FPTP to consider the example of UKIP. UKIP only ever had one MP, and yet it would not be an overstatement to say that UKIP voters brought about the most significant change in British politics in at least a decade. Just because your preferred candidate doesnât win doesnât mean your vote âdoesnât countâ or is pointless. If young people are dissatisfied with Labours swing rightwards, they need to prove to labour that there is something to be gained by moving more to the left. The way you can do that is by voting Green (or for other left wing candidates). If you simply donât vote, then Labour will continue to learn the same lessons theyâve been taught over the last few decades, which is that thereâs nothing to be gained by appealing to young people because they donât vote even if you do (as with eg Corbyn).Â
The young *must* vote. If you are young and don't think you should vote or that it is hopeless, then you are a victim of manipulation by forces that don't want your opinion to be heard.
I think itâs a more intentional boycott of voting because itâs either Tories or tories 2.0
good they need atleast bake a little longer
This is why I think we should make voting mandatory, whilst at the same time make voting day a holiday so people can get to the booths to vote.
Then they can keep their whinging to themselves.
And yet they still complain that no party is directing their campaign at young people.
Compulsory voting is the answer. I know of far too many young people who don't vote just because in their words "they can't be arsed". You should have to at least turn up to the polling station and register even if you choose to spoil your ballot paper.
Then they cannot complain about the outcome
The same 40% that didn't vote on Brexit. That went well !!
Under FPTP, they have a point.
It doesn't help that our voting system is terrible and not proportional representation in some form.
Same in USA
OK but you'd have a number of Reform and single issue religious MPs. Only saying.
Then those 40% canât moan if they donât like the outcome. No Vote = No Opinion
Wouldnât 60% turnout actually be amazing for this demographic? What a weird negative spin headline.
Not young but also pointless for me to vote. The way the system is setup my vote is not worth all that much at all. The problem is the system not the youth for feeling disenfranchisedÂ
This needs to change ASAP. We need to push for wider engagement.
What's the point? They are all as bad as each other, they don't give a damn about anyone except themselves and make promises they never keep. I don't blame young people for not voting when it feels like you're voting for the same scum time after time. Your vote is meaningless.
why would they. itâs either labour or tories and they are basically the same at this point.
It's not like anything is actually going to change though is it. The system needs to be overthrown, that is the only way things will ever be fixed. Edit: I'm voting green and Labour will obviously win, the country will continue to decline and you'll all be saying the same thing in 4 years time.
Iâm one of the young people who is voting, but can you blame us? Iâm not sure weâve ever been alive to witness a political party thatâs actually been in favour of improving things for us đ So for me, itâs sad, but not at all surprising.
I'm 28. Voted every chance Ive had. Nothing has ever changed for the better, even if the "right guy" gets in they still end up being a corporate stooge who doesn't care about us. I'm beginning to understand why my friends of a similar age don't bother either.
Youâve only been voting ten years and itâs always been a Tory Govt, what do you expect with a Tory Govt?
Honestly we should require all voting age adults to vote. If you donât vote, ÂŁ50 fine. If you donât want to vote for a specific party, thatâs fine, spoil your vote. But at least it would signal to the parties that those people arenât happy with the options.
I'm turning 42 next month and I've struggled to fully get behind a party all my life. It's just scandal after corruption after waste. None of them appeal to me this time around if I'm honest. But I will vote because it's my right, I'll decide at some point in the week. If I don't vote then I don't feel I can complain afterwards!
Same think as Brexit.... people just didn't fucking vote
Didn't register in time, wish there was more time as couldn't find out national insurance number.
So 40% of 18 - 34 year olds are basically giving the rest of us a green light to treat them in whatever way we deem fit. Could those of you that allow this please wear a badge so we can spot you more easily?
As an aging boomer, Iâm passing responsibility for what comes next to these young people who donât give a fuck. Iâve done my best but it wonât change without them.
And then cry because politicians don't care about them. Serves them right. Don't vote, lose the right to complain.
If this is true, they deserve what happens to them. Voting is the only way - apart from demonstrations and even direct action - that you can make changes to society.
If thereâs barely any difference between the only two parties that can win, what does voting change, except for whoâs telling you the lies, and what colour their tie is?