Politicians are ignoring the future - I'm Gen Z and love politics but I'm just not at all excited by this General Election

Therefore, I have to ask myself why I am not excited or incentivised to head down to the polling station on July 4? Due to Covid, this is my first opportunity to vote, to decide the leadership of my country.

Perhaps what is most concerning, is that I am not alone. Speaking with friends and colleagues, there is an overwhelming sense of disconnect between the new voters in Gen Z and the political parties that are pushing for public votes.

This is reflected by the latest figures from the British Social Attitude Survey, which shows a decline in British people’s overall engagement. Young people are the most disengaged group. In 2019, 27% of 18-25 year olds voted compared to 74% of those aged 65 and above.

Unfortunately this has been a consistent theme throughout British history, but why are we still disillusioned with government policy? Of course there are the obvious reasons including the fact that we collectively face billions of pounds of student debt, the current housing crisis, a mental health crisis and the increasing climate emergency. All are collectively ignored by policymakers in favour of catering towards the older generations.

In fact, the only policy directed at us for the upcoming election is Rishi Sunak’s ‘bold’ new model of national service. For the ‘internet generation’ that is probably not the strongest incentive to vote for the Conservative Party.

It is clear, however, that young people do want a voice. Whilst at university I witnessed a plethora of protests, online activism and social media campaigns - demonstrating the active roles that the younger generation wish to embrace.

Many of these university protests focus on the Israeli-Palestine conflict. What has quickly become the most polarising topic for students and young people, has had no firm stance from the two main parties running for office. Again, not aiding youth involvement in the next election.

It is important to understand that there is not necessarily a problem with politics, rather a problem with the political institutions. If we are being honest the last few years have not been a showcase for our political landscape.

We are not completely ignored though, as these political institutions have launched social media campaigns on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels attempting to connect with a younger demographic. Despite this, most videos demonstrate an embarrassing attempt to connect with the younger generations including this ‘meme style’ attempt from the Labour Party.

I think the ridiculousness of UK politics has really come to the forefront. Following the example of Donald Trump’s showmanship in the 2016 US election, British politics has quickly become laughable, a show to tune into rather than serious political debate. Encapsulated by the Conservatives' Gogglebox parody which felt as scripted as a WWE match. 

It is hard to ignore the feeling of distrust for politicians too which has only grown since the lockdown wine parties, Matt Hancock’s cheating scandal and most recently Tory MP Craig William’s ‘flutter’ on the previous election. Young people’s social media presence does not help the matter. Nowadays, anytime a politician lies or has a scandal it becomes a viral meme, on various platforms. 

All jokes aside however, the fact is we are the next generation and these decisions affect us the most yet it is apparent we are nowhere near the forefront of politicians' thoughts. So next time a member of Gen Z is on Question time, I think they need to voice one question - Why should young people vote for you?