YP on TV?

Dan Thompson may be on BBC1's Politics Show on Sunday 21st March. He says:

if a major news/political event occurs then this could change but, on the assumption that it goes ahead, I'd like to get views on the proposed topic of debate which is voter apathy. We've done quite a lot of research on this and related matters but I'd like to get everyone's views before the program - why is there apathy? is it apathy or disillusionment? how can it be addressed?

The YPP list has started making some good comments on this, but you can't read them unless you join it (well, yes, that's a structural flaw I can only blame myself for), so here I am, brazenly and party-servingly, abstracting the discussion:

... The trend of ideological convergence between the major parties (as they compete for the median voter) is potentially an important factor in voter apathy...

... I would say that it is definitely 'disillusionment' - everyone I speak to about politics have quite strong views this way or that but the common denominator is that they feel that their vote at the elections doesn’t count for anything...

... People sometimes don't believe they can make any difference during the election - so don't vote, but they also have to accept part of the responsibility of their decision and that they have, in part, allowed this world situation to occur (whether you regard it as good or bad)...

... To get people to vote in these elections we need not only to persuade them that it makes a difference who wins, but also that they are voting for a body that has an impact on their lives...

... People in general are not 'apathetic' they simply just don’t have the opportunity to take part. Raise any debate within any UK community e.g. fox hunting, the Euro, the Budget, Iraq and you will have a plethora of different views and often have a heated discussion on your hands. No, there certainly isn’t any apathy towards politics in this country just apathy to the Ballot box...

Electoral Commission research seems to bear this out, saying that

the main obstacle to mobilising the electorate to participate in 2004 will be the deep-rooted and wisdespread scepticism about the impact of voting per se. Even at the general election - in almost everyone's eyes the most important electoral contest - the sense that the vote is a functioning democratic 'lever' appears almost absent.

Any comments for Dan? Pop them in the form below, or join the YPP list.

Comments

[David Llewellyn-Jones]

It is fair to say that when our forefathers struggled for the right to vote they certainly didn’t have in mind the complexities of the current system but perhaps more simply at the time were seeking a Voice that would be heard and responded to.
It is this fundamental democratic principle that we appeared to have lost sight of in the development of our current political system…and some might argue that perhaps we never had it. But nonetheless, it is becoming ever more apparent that there is a cost that we all must bear if we fail to achieve a better dialogue between the people and ‘its’ government.
 People’s faith in the political process will continue to diminish
 Democracy will suffer as People will vote less and when they do Vote will often do so only in reaction against an incumbent Policy, not because they fervently support the alternative.
 We end up voting out reasonably intentioned and skilled individuals because they lack the tools of leadership and become the victims of some collective, subjective grievance.
 We are unable to empathise with the government and can only criticise
 We become increasingly disenchanted and disengaged from the system
 Ultimately if people feel they have no Voice, they don’t speak, they don’t vote, they don’t bother!
 And if people don’t feel part of the government and the government of society, they start to behave anti-socially…strikes…demonstrations…lawlessness…civil unrest
This spiral of dissolution is already quite evident in the general apathy we have towards our failing infrastructure…our roads, our rail network, hospitals, education, police force. We might complain to each other in the Pub but feel powerless to actually influence the development of our society.
The Government is perceived to have become a remote Policy engine that is disengaged from the public it serves. This is not an accusation but more of an apolitical statement, in the sense that it is true of both current and previous administrations. Conversely, governments are equally criticised for their reactions to tabloid ‘phone-in outrage’. Unless there is widespread understanding of the decision making process the UK Plc management cannot win.
Consequently, therefore, governments are trusted less and less, not because they lack the skills to build suitable policies, but more because the popular perception is that their management is driven by hearsay and rumour, not by well established process and fact.
The voting public now resiles against the next great thing, party manifestos replete with brilliantly engineered policy statements. Not because the ideas lack integrity in themselves but because we all instinctively appreciate that over time Policy and Strategy will and needs to change.
The current system is often said to be “not perfect but the best there is”. Not everyone agrees with this. Nor is there any mechanism for the system to evolve towards anything better
But I believe have the solution. Dan, please contact me before tomorrow.