Local Politics

Constituency: Northampton North
MP: Ms Sally Keeble
Party: Labour
Council: Northampton Borough Council
Dominating Party: Lib Dems
This forthcoming general election I cannot see myself voting for any party so it would seem relatively hypocritical if I were to look down on those who will be in a similar situation. Firstly, if I were to vote for a party it would be Labour. I would do this because Labour seems to hold students views in mind more than any other party; an obvious choice as I am one. Secondly, living in an area where the local MP is a Labour member it would make sense that she would try her hardest to fulfil the policies promised by the Party. Thirdly, my family have always voted for Labour so I might as well carry on the tradition; much like Lloyds TSB being the family bank. However, there are several factors which make voting seem futile. From looking at the 3 main parties it seems that all seem to focus themselves in the centre of the Political Party Spectrum i.e. None are extreme Left or Right so effectively the ultimate goals will be similar for all. To me this suggests that nothing vastly different will become of the country if any of the parties win so really it wouldn’t make a difference who I voted for or even if I voted at all. Also I find myself in a position where I do not have an income, family, own a house, own a business or even drive a car so I feel the majority of policies would not affect me directly. I’m sure there would be plenty of factors that may affect me indirectly but they are not going to scare me into voting just yet. It seems odd to confess that in a society where we can be proud that our country does indeed allow for each person to have a vote that I’m willing to squander that privilege. Tim Harford of the Financial Times says:
“There’s no point in voting at all, for that matter, as a purely logical act. So if you stayed home that day, relax. If you really want to make a difference, buy lottery tickets — your chances of hitting the jackpot are roughly equal to your chances of swinging an election — and devote your winnings to political lobbying.
“The chance of any individual’s vote making any difference to the result is tiny; the benefits of turning an uninformed vote into an informed vote are also tiny. Rationally speaking, why bother?”
A fair view you may agree. I certainly did, as it appeals to the side of me that can’t find myself making the effort to vote. Although at the time of writing this I did register to vote but because of the inability to completely register online, I found myself somewhat disenchanted by the whole experience. Next they’ll be telling me that I can’t vote online either.
The problem lies in that not many people really know what each party stands for. From some research, Labour stands for equality and Liberal Democrats stand for fairness, two not so very different ideas in my opinion. The Conservative Party, with the word conservative in their name, had me believing that they would like everything to stay how it is now but to my surprise on their homepage, the words “Our Country Needs a Change of Course” were emblazoned on it. Each party says the same thing and that makes it hard to decide which to vote for. So for this general election, I will be reserving judgement. I’ll see if I’m disappointed by the outcome and if the answer is yes, I’ll have 4 more years to get my vote sorted. Hopefully by then I can do it online as well.