“All I see is a country divided, more racist and angrier”

First-time voter CAITLIN CLIFFORD talks to other first-time general election voters about whether they’ll be voting next Thursday and what issues really matter to them, finding out how unpopular the son of a toolmaker is with the sixth formers

X marks the spot: some first-time voters in Croydon were delayed from taking part in the general election

After weeks of politicians refusing to answer questions put to them and a growing number of Tories being investigated as part of the growing betting scandal, the election is now close.

And with several million other young people now eligible to vote, although many have a reputation for being politically disengaged, we set out to examine how Croydon’s newest voters feel about the process.

For those born between 2002 and 2006, this will be the first general election in their lives when they were old enough to vote. However, many of them probably won’t bother.

Polls suggest that 40% of under-35s have no intention of voting, and under-25s are even less likely to vote. In contrast, 16% of 35-65 year olds say they won’t vote, suggesting 84% will. The vast majority of people over 60 intend to vote.

Older voters outnumbering younger ones is a common trend and explains why many complain that the bigger political parties are only catering to pensioners, even though they still have no clear plans for the growing welfare crisis.

Recent YouGov polls suggest the most important issues for UK voters are the cost of living, health, the economy and immigration.

But especially for younger voters, issues center around the cost of living crisis (a key issue for 49% of under-25s vs 31% of over-65s), the housing crisis (20% of people under 25 vs 7% over 65), climate change (20% under 25 vs 12% over 65) and the Gaza conflict (14% under 25 vs 1% over 65 years).

These problems were echoed by several young people I spoke to.

Leo, 18, a state student from Carshalton and Wallington. The key motivations for the vote are the cost of living crisis and the state of the NHS. “I want to give people an equal chance to live a good life by voting Conservative,” he said.

“The Conservative Party has made life in the UK increasingly impossible and unbearable for many.”

He is also concerned about “ridiculous” treatment waiting times and the “irresponsibly managed” NHS budget. Leo says he hopes Labor will fix the mess made of the NHS under the Tories.

Ria is 18 and has just completed her A-levels at a private sixth form, having previously attended state schools. From Croydon North, Ria agrees with Leo’s approach of voting for a better future, although she lacks confidence in her MP, Steve Reed, and Labor in general. “I don’t agree with the Labor manifesto but the Tories have been in power for four years and all I see is a more divided country with more femicide, more sexism, more racism and more general anger. We need change.”

Tommy, 20, who is now studying at a university outside London, went to a state school in Croydon. He says he will vote “to make a difference.”

Age difference: YouGov poll on issues important to 18-25s (red) and over 65s (purple)

The climate crisis is still a key issue for 20 per cent of under-25s, including Leah, 18, who is now working after finishing her state education in Croydon South this year. She plans to vote, explaining: “The Tories must be out of power. I would hate for Labor to get in as well. Vote green.”

Leah says she used to have a lot more confidence in work, but like others in her age group, she has growing frustration with political inaction on climate change. She also expressed her displeasure with the very ordinary ‘son of a toolmaker’, Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labor Party, although she commented that at least he was not proving his ‘normalcy’ by claiming that the absence of Sky TV as a child was a great sacrifice.

Hands up: Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell speak to a large audience of politically engaged sixth-formers. Few in the public like Starmer

I saw this first-hand by attending an A Level policy conference with my school earlier this year – an event which saw speakers from Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, the former director of Liberty (who unashamedly put her book on during the speech them) and Lord Alf Dubs. , who fled to England on Kindertransport in 1939 and has since worked tirelessly on policies to help refugee children, to Jacob Rees-Mogg, who complained that he was not the most right-wing person there, as he followed Richard Tice, chairman of Reform UK. It all culminated with The Rest Is Politics podcast hosts Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart.

During the conference, a speaker asked who actually pleasant Starmer.

They saw only a handful of students raise their hands despite the audience of hundreds of students. The speaker then asked who would vote for Starmer just to get rid of the Tories. The vast majority of hands went up, except for a few attendees from ultra-posh schools (most of whom seemed to be based in Cheltenham, from what I heard) who seemed outraged at the very idea of ​​voting Labour.

It reminded me of the time I heard a Whitgift boy, with an unnaturally posh accent even for that school, quip that “you can’t vote Labor if you go to a private school”. A statement denied by Starmer’s own cabinet.

However, while the majority of those we spoke to plan to vote overall, less than half of all 18- to 24-year-olds are expected to vote next Thursday.

Deric, 19, who is on a gap year between finishing his state studies in Croydon last year and starting university in September, is one of those planning not to vote. Deric studied politics in the sixth form.

Connect the dots: the difference in views between generations is marked

Instead of convincing him of the importance of voting, Deric says that learning about electoral systems made him feel “disheartened”. He told me, “So many votes are wasted on First-Past-The-Post, so when you live in a safe place, you don’t see the point.” Three of Croydon’s four parliamentary seats to be contested next week are considered to be largely “safe” seats.

Deric said he was also “disillusioned with governments not prioritizing key public issues”.

Bakari, 18, who plans to start university in September after finishing private schooling in Croydon, disagrees, saying voting is “one of the most important things you can do does, especially at such a tumultuous time in British politics.” .

The perfect candidate: who would get larry’s vote?

Bakari said it’s important to be “informed about what’s going on in government … even if you’re not crazy about politics.”

With a landslide victory predicted for Labor next week, it is likely that young people will play a part in helping Starmer get the keys to Downing Street and responsibility for Larry the Downing Street cat (who, if he were human, would only have half a year). being old enough to vote).

But with Nigel Farage the most popular political leader on TikTok and growing frustration with the climate and conflict in Gaza, Starmer would do well to stop taking young people for granted and start he prays for the levels of popularity that his predecessor attracted. in 2017.

And younger voters, myself included, would do well to remember that we can’t honestly complain that politicians aren’t listening to us if we can’t even be bothered to vote.

• Why vote? Listen to our special edition of The Croydon Insider podcast, where our panel of experts answer questions from young people about the importance of getting out in the 4th of July General Election – this episode can be downloaded for FREE on Spotify or our Patreon page. For more details and links, click here now
  

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