- Labour Party and Business: A Difficult Relationship?
- Chameleon Conservative Cameron Shows True Colours
- An Election Reflection for a Majority Minority
- Mhairi Black: Giving Politics a Makeover
- Galloway Threatens Legal Action Over Election Result
- Voter Turnout: What The Numbers Tell Us About The 2015 General Election
- Looking At The Reaction to the Election Explains its Result
- The Polls Were Wrong Because People Lied, it’s That Simple!
- Russell Brand “Resigns” from Politics following General Election Result
- It’s Not The Cold War Anymore, We Don’t Need a Nuclear Deterrent
- The Future of Labour: Who Will Be The Next Leader?
- The Future of the Liberal Democrats: Who Will Be the Next Leader?
- The Future of UKIP: Who Will Be the Next Leader?
- A Tale of Three Ends
- The Tory Legacy
- If the Party Leaders were characters from Friends…who would you vote for?
- The Ten (Well, Six) Commitments: Is Stone Legally Binding?
- Tuition Fees: A Hollow Attempt to Pander to the Student Vote?
- 6,417 Ed Milligrams – What Do You Actually Vote For?
- Boris Johnson to become Gangster Rapper
- Political Engagement: The Calm After the Storm
- Parliamentary Candidate Interview: Green Party’s John Spottiswoode.
- Parliamentary Candidate Interviews: TUSC’s Sue Atkins
- Parliamentary Candidate Interview, Independent Candidate Chris Daviss
- “I don’t think the Liberal Democrats should be in government just for the sake of it” – An Interview With Nick Clegg
- Parliamentary Candidate Interview, TUSC’s Nick Chaffey
- Parliamentary Candidate Interview: Conservative’s Jeremy Moulton.
- Should Young People Be Made To Vote?
- The Nationalist Parties
- No Votes for Women?
- None of the Political Candidates Ticking Your Box? There is Another Option.
- The Other Parties
- Liberal Democrats Party Profile
- The Green Party
- Labour Party Profile
- In Defence of the Coalition
- Why Labour Should Win the Election But Won’t
- The Protest Vote: The Weapon of the Disenfranchised.
- Why Young People Must Use Their Vote
- An Interview With Natalie Bennett
- What Will a Multi-Party System Mean for Britain?
- Tuition Fees: Must Try Harder Ed
- Science and Policy
- This Election is Far Bigger Than Party Politics
- Parliamentary Candidate Interviews: Ian Callaghan, Green Party
- Parliamentary Candidate Interviews: Lib Dem’s Adrian Ford
- Paliamentary Candidate Interview – Labour’s Darren Paffey
- Parliamentary Candidates Interviews: Lib Dem’s Eleanor Bell
- TV Debates: The Crucifixion of David Cameron
- Parliamentary Candidate Interview – Labour’s Rowenna Davis
- Parliamentary Candidate Interview, the Green Party’s Angela Mawle
- Can We Trust Politicians Who Act Like Schoolchildren?
- Parliamentary Candidate Interview – UKIP’s Sandra James
- Manifesto Focus: Labour
- Why Nuclear Weapons Are Imperative For The UK’s Security
- Southampton’s Role in the General Election Should Not Be Overshadowed by a Sausage Roll
- Just When You Thought UKIP Couldn’t Do Anything Right…
- What the Hell Do You Want?
- Which Political Leader Are You?
- The EU: To Be or Not To Be
- Your 2015 General Election Candidates
- What a Silly Sausage: Southampton UKIP Candidate Accused of Bribery
- UKIP Party Profile
- Conservative Party Profile
- The Leaders Debate: The Insurgents, The Pretender & The Incumbent
- SUPA’s Short and Sweet Guide to Voting on 7th May
- TV Debate: Clash of the Titans
- Leaders Debate Brings Hope For Progressive Politics
- TV Debates: David Cameron and Ed Miliband Versus Britain
- 14,000 Voters Missing From Electoral Role in Southampton – Register to Vote Now!
- Men’s Rights Party Set To Contest in General Elections
- A Royal Coup? – Queen Guitarist Brian May Considering Standing for Election
- Debating Over Debates
- Galloway Demands Inclusion in TV Debates
- The General Election 2015 – A Disunited Kingdom?
- 99 Days To Go: The Most Unpredictable Election Yet!
- Poll Indicates Demand for Green Party to be Included in Election Debates
- Have You Registered To Vote?
- Is Sol Campbell running for Parliament?
- Salmond to Stand as MP
- Students May Hold the Key!
- The Green Party Should Not Be Included in the 2015 General Election Debates
- Parliamentary Candidate Interview: Alan Whitehead MP
- What’s at Stake for Students in the General Election?
- It’s Time For Politicians To Get Down With The Kids
- The Debates Debate
- Who Will Run The Country in 2015?
- New Year, New Government? New Politics?
- Newly Elected Itchen MP Accused of Helping UKIP Secure Labour Votes
In the last General Election less than half of 18 to 24 year olds voted. From the perspective of a young person, this is not particularly surprising. It’s easy for young people to feel disillusioned with the voting system and politics in general. This lack of action definitely does not equate to a lack of thought or care about current affairs. Indeed, any claim that today’s generation of young people is ignorant or apathetic is simply untrue.
Looking back at my school days, it was common for pupils to view politics as a boring, adult topic, irrelevant to young people. This is something which needs to be fixed by education. Young people need to be taught that politics impacts all areas of everyone’s life, whether social, cultural, academic, economic, domestic and so on. Politics permeates everything. When I was younger, my classmates and I were pretty oblivious to this. Many young people don’t realise that politics affects every single area of our lives and therefore is most definitely worth thinking and talking about.
As a result of this, for first time voters, it may be confusing knowing which party to vote for. In general, political parties don’t make their policies easily accessible and political broadcasting has become increasingly concerned with politician’s personas rather than the all-important policies themselves. Therefore compulsory, unbiased education concerning today’s political parties and their main policies – particularly those affecting young people – should also be included in the curriculum before students turn eighteen. This way, when young people become eligible to vote, they will already be empowered with all the information they need to make an informed vote.
Yet, despite the lack of education, young voters are still just as acutely aware as older people are that our one single vote doesn’t count for an awful lot. Particularly if you live in a constituency in which a certain party dominates, voting outside of the box may be viewed as somewhat futile. This is yet another factor that may be putting young people off voting. Many also distrust politicians and feel as if none of the parties can offer them anything of value. And who can blame them? What with the awful job market, risen house prices and extortionate tuition fees; there’s not an awful lot being done to improve young people’s prospects.
However, simply not voting does nothing to solve these problems. It is not an effective protest. It is simply a waste of the voice we do possess. It’s our responsibility to make up for the lack of political education in schools by educating ourselves on political policies and using our vote wisely. Particularly because arguably it is young people who need to vote the most as the policies we vote for are going to directly impact our futures. We must fight the misconception that politics doesn’t concern young people. Our votes will dictate our future so it’s safe to say that politics does very much concern us. Besides, we must act now before politicians start sending embarrassing colourful buses to universities to find out what young people want and need – as if they don’t already know.