With the election looming I am surprised by the lack of interest by my fellow generation and those younger who don’t seem at all enamoured by the prospect of voting. I assume it is our own fault by allowing a system that creates career politicians but with the likes of the SNP and UKIP polarising the political landscape it looks like some feel stronger about their feelings than others.
While I appreciate my vote will make little difference to the outcome, I don’t feel for one second that I shouldn’t vote and use my opportunity to have my say. How could I have any criticism in the future on our government if I didn’t take the opportunity to help shape it in the first place? I think the problem is that we look at our government as this far away and irrelevant creature, something the SNP focused hugely on with the Scottish referendum, rather than actually closer to home.
For many years I have used every opportunity to help try and make my life and those around me a better place to live. I have been surprised about how easy it is to make a small difference just by taking some time to talk to someone about it. As a keen cyclist and driver I have been appalled by the state of our roads, however to be fair to my local council whenever I have raised an issue it has been dealt with. I put through so many complaints on one stretch of road in my village in Worcestershire that the whole road (about 2 miles) has just been freshly resurfaced. Even in Southwark they are quick to respond to my concerns about litter, potholes or security.
To be fair to our overlords, there is just too much that needs to be done, all the time. So without the public taking the time to highlight issues on what needs their attention they are unable to prioritise, or they do for the few of us that do contact them, leaving the silent majority frustrated at the lack of action.
What gets me is that is that surely the younger generations should be all over this? With the use of technology it is now very easy to highlight concerns on the street via apps like FixMyStreet or even Twitter. Businesses have for a long time focused on the needs of the consumer and do their best to listen to feedback, because if they don’t consumers vote with their feet and go elsewhere. In the world of government and politics it is very much the same but we have to work a bit harder and together to get our message across.
So don’t despair things can be done you just have to take five minutes out of your day to contribute and maybe you might see some positive change.
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