Having just watched the 'first time voters' version of Question Time I cannot help giving young people a vote of no confidence. At the risk of sounding stuffily older than my nineteen years I do wonder why it wasn't until the final minute or so of the programme that one bright spark pointed out that we should stop waiting for politicians to 'connect' with us and go and find out about party policies ourselves.
It seems that our combined obsession with celebrity culture and being spoon fed our whole lives has left us waiting for Hugh Grant to turn up on our doorstep looking for Natalie. I do believe that it is vital for politicians to engage with young people and take their concerns and needs seriously rather than as secondary to helping their own generation but that's not to say we cannot be politicised until it's thrown in our faces. Rory Bremner made an interesting point that young people are very much politically involved but not with the goings on at Westminster, we're more inclined to environmental campaigns and debt relief. I think it is glaringly obvious why this is, we can guarantee that our involvement in these issues will have a positive affect and will influence great change. Whether the party we give our vote to will remain true to its manifesto and produce any level of change is highly dubious. In an age of complete uncertainty of the future, particularly for the younger generation, the ability to trust those we bestow with power is a necessity. It's no wonder 30% of 11-25 year olds want Stephen Fry in Number 10.
The most important thing to do in the current political climate is not abstain. Get online, register here and make an informed decision. If we do not show a political interest we are asking to be ignored.
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