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Original poster

To be saddened by this political apathy?

23 replies

malificent7 · 10/05/2017 19:18

I work in fe and today we were having an informal disvusdion about present day politics.
3 young people age 16-21. They dont think their vote counts as nothing changes anyway. They dont give a toss as we are all "fucked" anyway.

Do they have a point or is this a tragedy?

OP posts:
Original poster
malificent7 · 10/05/2017 19:18

Oh and they are not voting either.

OP posts:
SylviaPoe · 10/05/2017 19:20

It does cross my mind quite frequently that we're pretty much doomed.

ragged · 11/05/2017 09:28

I am predicting low turnout on 8 June. There is no option to stop Brexit. TMay cares about stability above all else. Corbyn has no political nounce. Farron looks like a wee man from Mars. Sturgeon is obsessed with Indie.... Just, argh.

scaryteacher · 11/05/2017 09:30

Well, those under 18 can't vote anyway, so not a tragedy really. They may change their minds when they hit 18.

specialsubject · 11/05/2017 09:31

If they are under 18 they can't vote. Anyone over who doesn't vote deserves all they get.

Sound like spoilt first worlders who need to put down their brick phones and see what they can do to make things better.

LumelaMme · 11/05/2017 09:34

I have young adults in my family who are just itching to get to the ballot box.

PavlovianLunge · 11/05/2017 09:35

We should make voting mandatory, with a (modest) fine for not doing so. And every voting slip should have 'none of the above' as an option, so people can make a protest vote if they wish to.

aaahhhBump · 11/05/2017 09:38

It makes me sad too.
I always encourage people to make the effort to go to the polling station. Even when I don't agree with who they'd vote for or they say they don't support any of the candidates. They should still go even if they spoil their ballot paper.

MaggieLightBlue · 11/05/2017 09:40

Thing is, TM keeps on banging on about being 'strong and stable', if she goes on to ruin this country, she will NEVER live that slogan down.

She's a gambler, alright.

MiaowTheCat · 11/05/2017 09:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ragged · 11/05/2017 09:48

mmm... I was convinced against mandatory voting. Gist of the arguments are:

"People will just vote for the candidate they heard most about"
or
"People will vote for the last candidate's name before they went into the polling station"

Much better if people have tried to make an informed choice , and really want their vote to count. There will be people who have no idea an election is even on much less who is running or what the issues are.

silkpyjamasallday · 11/05/2017 09:49

I don't think young people see anything to vote for that will benefit them, scrapping tuition fees doesn't help those like me who have already stumped up the £9k a year plus maintenance loans, they can't artificially lower house prices to help young people get their own home and mortgage and it is out of reach for most people I know because of extortionate rent prices making saving almost impossible. They can't magic up enough graduate jobs for the number of graduates and as long as zero hours contracts exist young people in the job market suffer. Lots of my peers who are graduates worry they will never be able to afford to have children, and certainly won't be able to offer them the same lifestyle they enjoyed as children of graduates. I don't know what could be offered that would make voting seem to be making steps towards positive change.

It's depressing and I understand the apathy. I haven't voted up until now and I'm 22, partly due to moving around so much (and I have been technically homeless for a long period sofa surfing so couldn't register) and partly because I think the political system is rotten to the core. Abolishing party politics and voting for individuals would make a difference, as it seems pointless when you know MPs are pressured to vote in line with the party they belong to.

MiaowTheCat · 11/05/2017 09:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PavlovianLunge · 11/05/2017 10:21

I know that mandatory voting isn't ideal, but turnout rates are so low, and seem to be reducing with every election. We need to do something, but with trust in politicians being so damaged, and younger people (generally seeming to be) lee engaged, what's to be done?

strugglinghuman · 11/05/2017 14:55

Funnily enough, this is exactly how I used to speak to avoid parental judgment/hysteria because I voted the opposite way.

Perhaps it's best just not to pry into how people are voting - I would have much preferred that.

strugglinghuman · 11/05/2017 14:57

"I'm not voting, it doesn't matter anyway they're all scumbags"

(then secretly cast own vote) Smile

The80sweregreat · 11/05/2017 15:20

still lots of shy Tories will vote - if you support any other political party of any other colour i suggest you avoid the news on the night of the 8 june and all day on the 9th june. (Just my opinion of course)
as for the young, not sure what else can be done. My son is doing a postal vote as he is away at Uni - my oldest is 24 and i will make him go and vote ( he has up to now always voted) but he doesnt take that much interest in politics ( rolls his eyes as i tape question time each week to watch in the week when its on and take an interest) there was a young lady on five live afternoon edition on tuesday trying to get young people engaged, she was very good and should go into politics herself i think - but mostly it will fall on deaf ears i suppose.

MrsPussinBoots · 11/05/2017 15:25

I'm with miaowthecat there just doesn't seem to be a good option. I'm 29, follow political news and am interested in what's going on but I don't want to vote for any of them.

MissionItsPossible · 11/05/2017 15:31

We should make voting mandatory, with a (modest) fine for not doing so. And every voting slip should have 'none of the above' as an option, so people can make a protest vote if they wish to.

With the current bunch we have to pick from, I think 'None of the Above' would win by a record breaking landslide!!

Guepe · 11/05/2017 15:36

I've always voted and will this time too...but right now I'm finding it a bit hard to disagree with the "we are all fucked anyway" school of thought.

PavlovianLunge · 11/05/2017 16:06

With the current bunch we have to pick from, I think 'None of the Above' would win by a record breaking landslide!!

You're probably right, Mission, but as it stands, there's no way of reporting protest votes as opposed to spolied ballots, which catches everything from blank papers, or ones with a cross between boxes, to ones with a protest statement on them. I wonder if some people would be more inclined to vote, if they could use their vote to raise a clear protest.

Spudlet · 11/05/2017 16:11

If you live in a safe seat it can feel very dispiriting... you could nail a blue rosette to a fence post here and it would get in. Actually, having seen our current MP give a speech or two, I wonder if it already has...

I will vote (goodness knows who for because miaow summed up my feelings on the options beautifully!) because people died so I could vote. But I'm under no illusions that it will make the faintest bit of difference. My mp is as safe as houses. Which of course makes her incredibly complacent and gives her no motivation whatsoever to listen to her constituents and represent them. I may as well not have an mp.

I've depressed myself now...

Pinkheart5917 · 11/05/2017 16:18

I don't think your work colleagues are wrong tbh we are all probably "fucked"

Yes we've got a democracy and the right to vote, but look at the parties we have. We can vote for whoever we want to but no party is worth the vote they all have some really horrid policies

I will vote as I always do but yeah we probably are all fucked.

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