“We can’t go on like this.”[1] Never one to shy away from platitudes, David Cameron may have inadvertently stumbled upon the very reason that voting in this general election has become more about the personality than the policy.
During the run up to the 2010 general election the majority of the electorate has already decided who they are going to vote for. This decision has been made a lot easier by political packaging. The struggle between the two major political parties in the
But year on year we do go on like this. The same voters turn up and vote for the same party, determined to fight for democracy. Unfortunately, the reality falls far short of this ideal. The strong relationship they have built with their party suffers as they become increasingly disillusioned by the flaws beneath the thin veneer of political assuredness. Nothing much changes to improve “our number one priority”- the NHS.[2] Nothing much changes to eradicate the education budget cuts. Absolutely nothing changes in the bid to economically overtake our neighbours and reclaim our gilded throne where siteth the financially gifted (eth). Instead, the perception we have built up of Dave and Gordie has been destroyed by the reality of their inadequacy. However, at each general election we are sucked in again. Fooled by the way sparkly rhetoric seems to glide off the page and into our heads. Fooled by the promises of a “future fair for all”.[3] Fooled by our own inclination to vote for the political packaging.
As we begin to recover from the glare of the sun striking the promises of yesteryear a frightening thought spurs us into inaction. What happens when the party we vote for changes but its image stays the same? Last year another important general election occurred, this time in
Sitting in our centrally heated houses, complaining about our free healthcare and subsidised education, it is easy to assume that this plight is another African problem engendered by corrupt leaders and rotting institutions. The future of democracy is affected by neither. Politicians will continue to be shrouded in a cloud of personal and political scandal. However, it is our duty to ensure that we vote with our heads and not our heart, that we make the informed decision and not the easy one, and that the people in power represent the future of our country. No country in the international community can afford to bury the corpse of democracy during a time where political and economic development is vital to our survival.
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