Member News
By Alex Delaney - 1st June 2010
Alex Delaney, chair of the British Youth Council, writes for ePolitix.com about ensuring young people are engaged with politics beyond the ballot box.
Westminster and local government would be wise to pay attention to what young people want if they intend to bridge the credibility gap between youthful hope and elected reality. Whilst this distrust is not unique to young voters, it could be far more damaging to our democracy if non-voting habits take hold.
Central and local government are right to be concerned about falling voting numbers amongst the ranks of our young people. I not only hope that the recent election will see that trend reverse, but that the resulting coalition government will seize the opportunity to impress (rather than turn off) the next generation of young voters.
The British Youth Council (BYC), which I chair, launched its youth manifesto earlier this year; Our Parliament, Our Vision. It calls on a future Parliament to make improvements on issues young people care about. It reflects the views of current and future first-time voters; an agenda for the lifetime of a Parliament, not just the prevailing winds of May.
We know that first-time voters are interested in issues such as jobs and education, but the BYC manifesto reveals their concerns are much more deep-rooted. It was developed and voted on by young people around the country in the previous months, not just in the weeks running up to the election.
BYC's manifesto reveals a much more underlying anxiety by young people about the ongoing inequalities and hardship faced by many: anxieties that go with being powerless and helpless and which affect children's and young people's everyday lives. Young people are worried about unequal wages, costly public transport, persistent child poverty, and inadequate mental health services. And they feel lowering the voting age to 16 would inspire young people to engage in democracy and change the way that our 1.5 million 16 and 17 year-olds see politics.
The Votes at 16 campaign is supported by a growing and very broad coalition. It's much more than an expression of powerlessness felt by young people. It goes to the heart of their conviction that politicians will not help under-18s until they become accountable to them directly as part of the electorate.
All these topics are an agenda for a longer-term relationship between the politicians of all parties, whether in government or opposition, national or local, and their future electorate. The relationship between young people and their representatives is critical to the long-term health of UK democracy plc.
It would be more fruitful all round if this relationship with the youth vote was developed before, during and after national, devolved and local elections, not just in the run-up to the election.
Organisations like the British Youth Council with its network of 130 member organisations, the 600 local youth councils and 17,000 volunteer youth councillors across the UK, represent a healthy interest in democracy (over 600,000 took part in peer elections in over 50 per cent of councils). They don’t stand on party lines, but on issues.
Many younger politicians, in all parties, ‘get it’. Not only do we at BYC have honorary presidents from each of the three parties, but we have enjoyed good relationships with younger politicians, who take part in numerous ‘question times’ and youth democracy events all round the UK. During this election campaign over 300 candidates have signed the BYC manifesto pledge; many more have been visiting campuses and youth projects to court votes and draw attention to youth issues.
We would like to see this interest translate into an ongoing relationship. First-time voters don't just emerge from hibernation for the election. The next generation of first-time voters (in five years’ time) are aged 13 and over and need to be engaged, informed and inspired by local and central government for the next time.
Their representatives stand ready (though under-resourced) to enter a dialogue with the next government, and with local government on their agenda.
It would be wise to listen – and to invest in hope.
Alex Delaney, 26, is chair of the British Youth Council
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