I never thought I’d abstain from voting, but many young people will – and can you blame us? | Shaniya Odulawa
Friday 21st June 2024
This election my generation has felt actively vilified. Leaders should fear putting us off mainstream politics for ever
I’ve had this sinking feeling in my stomach about the direction of British politics since I was 15. Silence overtook our geography classroom, in a multicultural school in south-east London, as we watched the results of the Brexit referendum. Before then, I believed everyone thought as I did: sure, there were a few racists in the country, but immigrants were needed in this country, right? Brexit shook that. Overt racism and abuse grew, and for the first time I felt unsafe in my own country.
I’m part of the generation whose first vote happened after Brexit. It’s no secret that people my age vote less than others – a growing trend since the 1990s. A few of my friends don’t know who to vote for, or will begrudgingly vote Labour simply to get the Tories out this election. One proudly proclaimed she hadn’t voted since Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership and is planning to abstain. I would like to berate her, but I can’t. What options do we have? With Rishi Sunak threatening national service and Keir Starmer having a go in the Express about “yobs terrorising our town centres”, it feels as if my age group is not just forgotten but actively vilified. And it’s not just young people: this election is set to be the most unequal in 60 years, with those in the poorest areas, ethnic minorities and people who don’t own their homes forecast to turn out in the lowest numbers.
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