Politics actually means relating to citizens. Does it ?
The turn out in local elections or by elections is roughly about 30%. You might say politics doesn’t actually capture the the hearts and minds of the British people.
We shouldn’t be satisfied with a turn out of 30% . We should want a turn out of 80% at least.
Politics affects all our lives. The decisions made by politicians affects our health, education, transport. The list is endless.
Yet why do people feel disinterested, why do people feel their vote doesn’t count, why do people not want to get involved.
I think they feel powerless at times. Politician after politician has made a promise, they will do this, they will do that. Then when they don’t do what they have said they are going to do, the person that voted for them or their party feels let down. A good example of this is the promises Nick Clegg made in his manifesto. How can you make a pledge saying you will fight against any rise in tuition fees and then do the exact opposite. Citing that the game has changed because they are in power. All the excuses in the world will not change the fact that you made a promise, a pledge to your voters and you broke that promise.
This is what damages the faith in politics and politicians.
Another point is that politicians seem to want to play a political game. Politics isn’t a game. It’s life. The decisions you make as a politician actually affect the lives of the people who you represent.
I am a local politician. I came into politics because I actually felt it needed more people like me who weren’t in it for the game, who actually wanted to try and change the perception of politics. If I can inspire others to get involved, to feel that their vote does count, then maybe just maybe we can , little by little we can get people to the ballot box and they can feel empowered.
