Only a higher youth turnout at the polls will make the politicians listen

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Published: 6 May, 2010

So you can’t be bothered to get along to a polling station?
Conrad Landin puts the case for young people to go out and vote today ‘…on the basis of which party offers the best deal to the next generation’

• IN the last general election, less than half of 18- to 24-year olds exercised their right to vote, in line with a steady decline of youth turnout.
What to do, ask concerned commentators.
Is this a projection of the future where only one in three can be bothered to go to the polling station once every five years?
A scary aspect of the likelihood that few teenagers and 20-somethings will hit the ballot box is the deflated power it gives this group.
Such inequality in lobbying power among the generations cannot be healthy for democracy and will work to the detriment of young people themselves.
The Labour government has introduced numerous pieces of legislation to help young people in education, such as the education maintenance allowance (EMA), which provides sixth-formers from less well-off backgrounds with financial support.
It is this sort of measure that could be under-threat if young people do not hold the government to account when they are given the opportunity.
It was plain that the youth vote was not taken seriously last year when Jeremy Paxman quizzed David Cameron on his commitment to EMA.
“Let’s just say I’m not uncommitted,” the Tory leader replied, before adding: “I can’t give you a straight answer.”
It is unlikely he could have afforded to say this if he knew that this would be heard by a large electoral group who have recently benefited from the scheme, all certain to vote.
Considering this, it seems no surprise that many parliamentary candidates have not signed a National Union of Students’ pledge to stop tuition fees being raised once again.
Whenever the issue of low youth turnout is raised, it is credited to a growing disinterest in politics among young people.
In fact nothing could be further from the truth.
You only have to look at events such as the now-annual climate camp to see this.
Causes such as this turn out young people in scores, loudly voicing their concerns about issues of importance to youth and to the general population.
However, all too often such an interest does not translate into support for a political party.
This can only be resolved by parties making sure their manifestos are relevant to young people, and parties are effectively communicating this through new channels as well as traditional ones. For example, digital media and social networking websites.
Thankfully, at this election we have seen some youth-based issues pushed onto the manifesto, such as Labour’s adoption of Votes at 16, which would ensure that a large number of mature, responsible, teenagers are enfranchised, many of whom serve in the armed forces and pay taxes.
It is surely an injustice that such people are deprived of the right to choose their government, but it is yet another outrage low youth turnout lets politicians get away with.
The media too must take their share of the blame.
Seeing Gordon Brown speak to a youthful audience last weekend, it became clear that while some politicians are showing an awareness of youth matters, such instances rarely get the publicity they deserve.
Thus it seems a vicious circle, with (at least apparent) youth neglect fuelling disengagement in party politics among young people, and the resulting low turnout allowing politicians to know they will not be held to account on crucial youth issues.
Ultimately there is only one way to change this picture: for young people to go out and vote today, and to vote on the basis of which party offers the best deal to the next generation.
• Conrad Landin is under-19s officer for London Young Labour.
under19s@londonyounglabour.org.uk