Categories: uncategorized
Date: 04 May 2012 09:49:57
We had no elections yesterday in Durham and so my only real contact with the campaign has come from either those bits of the Boris/Ken pantomime I have been unable to avoid in the media or from TOH's tales of delivering leaflets for Labour or inviting in Lib Dem canvasser in for a cup of tea when they were wandering round in the rain and looked like they needed a bit of tlc giving.
The latter tale seems to sum it up - grass roots political supporters look after each other; being quite open about their political differences - because they are united in the indifference and occasional hostility felt towards them by the majority of the population. The truth is with these grass roots types - of whom I used to be one - they are often as fed up and disillusioned with it all as many of the rest of us, but they refuse to give up hope. This is becoming the situation not just with activists but with voters too.
I know election turn out in this country over recent years has never been high and is even lower in council than general elections but there is something seriously wrong when in towns and cities like Milton Keynes it emerges that the average turnout, according to the Twitter updates from MK Citizen are around 35% in the higher turnout wards and just below 30% in many others. I suspect whilst this will be the case in many other places too.
Am I surprised? No, am I sad? Yes. Democracy in choosing your representatives is too important for two thirds of people to decide the best use of that democratic right is to opt out of the process altogether.