MPs and the apathetic electorate.
Posted by: Mick P on 19 March 2010
Chaps
I watched the BBC2 programme last night about the relationship between MPs and the electorate. This was being discussed, mainly with MPs who entered politics in the 1970s and are now stepping down at the next election.
Anne Widdecombe tended to hog the limelight but she did make an execellent point. During the seventies and eighties, the turnout for voting was high and political passions also ran high.
The decline in electoral turnout started with the fall of Thatcher. John Major was the first of the dull and boring Prime Ministers and from then on the public lost interest in politics and MPs could do what they wanted which culminated in the expenses scandal.
It is predicted that if Cameron wins, or even if there is an hung Parliament, voter apathy is set to continue.
Perhaps we need to drag Maggie out of retirement.
You either loved her or loathed her but she got the adrenalin going like no one else.
I miss her.
Regards
Mick
I watched the BBC2 programme last night about the relationship between MPs and the electorate. This was being discussed, mainly with MPs who entered politics in the 1970s and are now stepping down at the next election.
Anne Widdecombe tended to hog the limelight but she did make an execellent point. During the seventies and eighties, the turnout for voting was high and political passions also ran high.
The decline in electoral turnout started with the fall of Thatcher. John Major was the first of the dull and boring Prime Ministers and from then on the public lost interest in politics and MPs could do what they wanted which culminated in the expenses scandal.
It is predicted that if Cameron wins, or even if there is an hung Parliament, voter apathy is set to continue.
Perhaps we need to drag Maggie out of retirement.
You either loved her or loathed her but she got the adrenalin going like no one else.
I miss her.
Regards
Mick
One of Blair's achievements was to break the simple code of red vs blue, left vx right, us vs them. Under the mantle of New Labour he picked policies and positions from a much wider range of political thought. In this way I think the old tribalsim of british politics was disrupted for many voters. People began to think in terms of supporting policies (and personalities too maybe) as much as just picking a Party.
Probably this is to the benefit of political life but it has also meant the gaps between the parties have narrowed such that a common complaint is 'they are all the same so why bother'. Nobody would have really said that 15 or more years ago.
I think much of the voter apathy at present also stems from a (possibly correct) assumption that none of the parties have much wriggle-room. Radicalism is out, pragmatism is in.
Here are the turnouts since 1945 by the way. Interesting that the highest turnout recently (in 1992) was for Major vs Kinnock , not Maggie!
Probably this is to the benefit of political life but it has also meant the gaps between the parties have narrowed such that a common complaint is 'they are all the same so why bother'. Nobody would have really said that 15 or more years ago.
I think much of the voter apathy at present also stems from a (possibly correct) assumption that none of the parties have much wriggle-room. Radicalism is out, pragmatism is in.
Here are the turnouts since 1945 by the way. Interesting that the highest turnout recently (in 1992) was for Major vs Kinnock , not Maggie!