The Question Time debate proved young people are deeply frustrated - now is the time for political change

My organisation, For our Future's Sake, is clear that tactical voting is the only way to remove a Conservative government that has proved it has little to offer young people

Isi Daley
Tuesday 10 December 2019 00:43 GMT
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Robert Jenrick says the Conservatives are going to offer discounts and help with deposits to create a better housing market

One thing was clear from the Question Time under 30s special: young people have had enough of suffering the consequences of decisions they didn’t vote for imposed on them. The very first question, about tactical voting and electoral reform, was asked with a clear frustration echoed by the rest of the audience for the next 90 minutes.

Like many campaigning for a Final Say referendum, For our Future’s Sake is advocating for tactical voting. But none of us are trying to pretend that it’s an enjoyable thing to do. The ballot box should be a space for us to take a stand for our beliefs, not sacrifice them. Unfortunately, we have to be pragmatic. The Conservative Party must be denied a majority on the 12 December and nothing in the debate suggested otherwise.

From housing to health it is obvious that young voters are angry about the issues they face. We cannot shrug off the moral responsibility we have to protect those in our society who will suffer most from five more years of the current government.

The issue of accountability loomed over every question that was asked. Everyone in the audience knew that the ball has been repeatedly dropped, if not flung to the ground and stamped on, by successive Tory governments, although not too many politicians from any party have covered themselves in glory during a divisive campaign.

Given this, it’s easy to understand why the representative for the Conservative party, Robert Jenrick, was relatively quiet for the first half of the programme. His silence signalled more clearly than anything he ultimately ended up saying - that the party knows exactly how little it has to offer young people.

His feeble answer to a young barrister’s question about cuts to legal aid was lazy, and revealed a lack of preparation. A mumbled repetition of the 20,000 police officers figure? Oh, please. Young people aren’t stupid. We know that justice isn’t doled out solely by police officers: underfunding has hit the entire system. Legal aid is of special concern to young people: if you don’t currently care, imagine just for a moment being wrongfully accused of committing a crime and having to choose between bankrupting yourself via legal fees and prison.

The best question by far went unanswered: “is it not the role of parliament to challenge the government?” Calmly put, it provided the perfect counterpoint to the vitriol and toxicity so often levelled at our politicians today, and for which Boris Johnson shares no small part of the responsibility. In opposing successive Brexit bills, our elected representatives have been doing their jobs to the full extent of their ability - in some cases, sacrificing their careers in order to do so.

Young people know we didn’t cause the very issues in our politics that we’re paying the price for. Yes, it’s true - we need electoral reform, but it won’t be achieved by the Conservatives. They know which side their bread is buttered. They benefit from an electorally disenfranchised youth, a majority vote share in our functionally two-party system, and as a result have no interest in proportional representation.

In order to usher in the changes we need, including votes for 16 and 17 year-olds, we have to deprive them of a majority by voting tactically. If we can do that, it may be the last time we have to make this choice. If we can’t, we’ll face it next time. Vote tactically on 12 December, or you’ll have to do it again, and again, and again.

Isi Daley is mobilisation coordinator for For our Future's Sake

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