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A dose of politics in schools will engage young voters

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Engaging young people with politics is among the most pressing issues facing political parties. With each new generation come fewer activists to replenish already-dwindling local support. Despite gearing up for a general election campaign Labour have to make do with 193,000 members, the Conservatives, 150,000, and the Liberal Democrats, just 49,000 to cover 650 seats. The main parties already rely on a small clique of particularly loyal activists who are regularly bussed out to marginals to make up the numbers.

The average age of a Conservative party card holder is 67, and climbing. Though Labour enjoy a slightly better position, with 41 per cent of 17-21 year olds saying they would vote Labour (recent poll by Labourlist), they are failing to cash it in: more than half of the same group say they will not bother to vote (Labour have since launched a review into why dubbed ‘Generation Y Vote’.)

Voter turnout has followed a similar trajectory, reaching a low point of 60 per cent in 2001 with a precarious increase in 2010 (65 per cent turnout). More worryingly, despite all of the dramatics of the independence referendum, Better Together and YES have both failed to break adolescent apathy in Scotland despite giving 16 to 18 year olds their first ever opportunity to vote, on a matter of sovereignty no less.

It has been argued that this is an inevitable occurrence of rising living standards. People were interested in politics in past years because jobs and livelihoods were at stake. In the 1950s, membership for both Labour and the Conservatives was in the millions because it was easier then to see how politics affected your life.

But this does not fully explain the decline. The recession did not translate into political revival among the young, despite young people losing out more than any other age group during the economic downturn – indeed, being purposefully targeted through tuition fees. Disaffection – ‘politicians all the same’ – doesn’t go far enough either. There seems, among many young people, a sheer disinterest in politics, ‘who cares?’, and it is infectious (explained in an older blog). Perhaps this is because a laissez faire economy breeds a laissez faire attitude to politics and parties: ‘non-intervention!’ or ‘leave it be!’ are hardly rousing battle cries. Perhaps it is simply an age gap, with differing priorities taking hold at different stages in life. The truth is likely a mixture of all the above, plus Westminster’s failure to react.

Part of the trouble is confusion over what MPs do and what difference it makes. There seems a wall which the numerous parliamentary outreach projects have failed to break through. This is why it may be time to broach the topic of a mandatory GCSE politics course. Similar attempts to educate students have been made in the past. Civics was taught at O level, and during my years in secondary school, we had to sit down and listen to baffling speeches about citizenship. But they were piecemeal and half-hearted – made to fit around crammed teaching schedules. If given the proper treatment of other core subjects, young people will come to understand the importance of democracy. Maths, English and science are already deemed too crucial to leave to choice, despite many students undoubtedly finding one or more tedious. If low turnouts continue to fall, we may have to add politics to the list.


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