|
More young people voted for who should win Big Brother than in
the 2001 General Election. The average eighteen year old can
name more past Pop Idol contestants than members of the cabinet.
Are young people really not interested in those who govern their
lives or is politics plain unfashionable?
Let's admit it. A lot of politics is boring. Fashion, sport and
the media all hold a glamour that politics can't easily compete
with. Tony Blair's past ambitions of becoming a rock star are
not going to send youngsters flooding to the polls. Scantily
clad dancing girls are not going to sex up the budget...
politics isn't about that. People in suits don't excite
youngsters as they seem to have little in common with them. Yet
show teenagers a petition against animal testing and most would
jump at the chance to sign it. Because, "That's not really
politics, is it?"
Politicians do not need to dredge up stories of their forgotten
youth. Instead they should be concentrating on showing
youngsters just how they can influence issues that matter to
them through politics. CD prices, the legalisation of cannabis
and saving the world all have much greater appeal than pensions
and taxation. Get young people involved on the issues that
concern them, and show them how much more effective their voices
can be in an organisation that lays down the very laws that
govern our country than a pressure group.
Democracy is a wonderful thing and affects us all. We need to
prove to young people that, like them, we have strong beliefs
and are not afraid to stand up for what matters. It is the duty
of politicians to properly represent every member of the British
public, regardless of whether they can vote yet.
|
Categories 
