Follow the yellow brick road to the voting booths
On 15th April, along with nearly 10 million other viewers, I sat down and watched the first leaders’ debate of David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Gordon Brown and it was clear that Nick Clegg would come out of the debate favourably. But as I turned to my boyfriend and asked “what difference would it make?” We both decided it would change very little. It did, however, make me think about the nation of Britain; when the chips are down and we are unhappy with the status quo, we’ll talk about change, we threaten change, but when it comes down to it, we, as a nation, are as scared of change as the Cowardly Lion.
Whist the debate waxed lyrical about the burning issues of MP expenses, the deficit in our economy and the ever cash-burning NHS, I couldn’t help but ask myself whether our leaders, had forgotten one thing that would need to change before anything else, and that is our attitude toward the voting.
It is true to say that in the first decade of the 21st century, we are apathetic to our right of being part of the electoral roll, because we can’t see the point of voting. But wait a minute, it was only two paragraphs ago that 10 million people were watching an election debate, that is 38% of the whole voting population of Britain stopping their busy lives to listen to three men talk about their creditability for being the leader of our nation. So already, this euphoria which is spreading the nation, isn’t really being driven by a huge majority. So, again, I am beginning to think that we don’t really believe that we can make the difference. Do we really want the change?
If we do, it needs to start with trying to bring excitement back to voting. People are talking about a hung parliament and how there is no way that the Liberal Party can get in and break the two party race. If Britain wants a multi party government, then that is fine, but if we end up with a multi party government because only 38% of the population voted, then can we really say that this is a reflection of what people want in Britain? Real change only comes if people feel engaged and turned on about what is happening in the country. The Cowardly Lion lived in this brightly coloured world of Oz but his own fear made him as black and white as the world that Dorothy was running away from.
In the last general election, 61.36% of the number of people who are eligible. And yet it is only 100 years ago, when people were campaigning, to the death, to secure the right to vote. Have we really grown up into a society that is so ungrateful about living in a democracy? I wonder sometimes whether we have forgotten the meaning of being able to choose and change the society we live in. Perhaps a stiff, stern marketing campaign on what it would be like to live without democratic rights might wake us up. How many women today, in Britain, would be willing to take part in the activities of the Suffragettes and try the cat & mouse diet whilst in prison? Also, if we are going to look at the political history of Britain, it is less then 100 years ago, that the political landscape was changed and the Labour Party started to rise whilst the Liberals fell into decline. I don’t think they saw that coming either. The vote has changed things before and it can happen again but it can only change if we use the vote our forefathers fought for. If you don’t like history, here’s a modern story - the election of a black president in the USA in 2009. Some said that could never happen.
So am I prepared to use my own vote? Yes, for me, 2010 has been about change, personal change, professional change. I made the decision that I needed to change my life and I needed to break a cycle I found myself in. I left my job and have taken a different route this year. It wasn’t an easy decision to make but I knew there was something inside of me who needed to feel change in her life. The decision to break away wasn’t easy, it took courage and trust in myself. Change takes courage, it takes acceptance of what has gone before and the strength to breakaway and retrain your brain. It is not about forgetting or destroying what came before but it is about recognizing all the strength and weaknesses of the past and moulding them into the future. Only by accepting the past, can you truly embrace the future. And, although people can often scare you with talk of how it might be and the dangers of trying something new, the truth about the future is - it is unknown and not knowing what is about to come next is sometimes the most exciting adventure.
I have, also, asked myself why I care so much about the power of the vote? My upbringing - my dad has always been part of the political scene in the village where I grew up. And although I don’t always see my dad’s point of view, his passion for politics and the power of debate has left its mark on me. Sometimes, you may think that that the Houses of Parliament are too far removed from your own life. But think about one issue - the issue of changing National Insurance contributions from 2011, if you work - it matters, if you about to retire - it matters and if you concerned about Britain’s debt - it matters. Whatever your political beliefs, it comes down to the ballot box and having the confident to choose the change you want.
So if you are sick of being called a Cowardly Lion or Britain being the Tin Man, choose to exercise your right to vote that, once upon of time people fought for, and make the trip down your yellow brick road to the polling station. We can all make changes in our lives, in our country, in this world but the first thing we have to do is take the first step of change, and use the change process available to all of us - the power of our vote.
