What has turned people off politics?

The Labour Party has lost almost 300,000 members since its peak in the early Blair years. The Conservatives less dramatically are losing members - perhaps 100,00 down to 200,00. They have the largest membership, but if you add the 80,00 of the LibDems and the 170,000 of labour the total membership of the three main parties is just 450,000, or about one tenth of 1% of the total adult population - approximately one in a thousand belongs.

We should include some of the minority parties, like the SNP in Scotland, the Greens, UKIP (partly but not exclusively ex-conservatives concerned about the the European issue), the Welsh Nationalists and Ulster political parties. But even with these, it is doubtful if the total would be much more than 2% of the adult population.

It should be said that the number of people joining "causes", - charities of all sorts, trade unions, drama clubs and other groups have ageing memberships and are struggling to recruit in many cases. Perhaps because many younger couples are both working, and by the time they are home from work, had their meals and dealt with children there does not seem much time or energy.

But what is specific about politics in all this?

1) Do politicians have such a poor reputation generally, - dishonesty, self-seeking, whip fodder, remote, etc.? People will not turn out and vote, let alone join a party, if party leaders and politicians generally are seen as indulging in spin (or lies), lining their own pockets or revealing their lack of morality generally.

2) Do people think that it is a wasteful exercise?
a) Nothing changes. A clue may be the popularity of Margaret Thatcher, giving the nation pride and facing down the unions,etc., and of Tony Blair who promised a new beginning, with honesty and openness? Did people think, "I must vote for this party because they are making change, making things happen!" Is this the reason for the growth of support for the SNP, - people have been convinced that breaking the Union will liberate Scotland to great things.


b) More and more decisions are being made by faceless bureaucrats in Brussels, of by a small gang round the prime minister and rammed through parliament. Even if you live in a marginal constituency, your elected MP will have little power.

3) Do political parties, by smearing and sneering at other parties or their leaders, actually turn people off politics.? Politics is seen as negative.

One final comment. It used to be said that there was something wrong with somebody who was not a socialist by the age of 20 or was still a socialist by the age of 40. Forget socialism and remember that many young people are establishing all their values, including their political values. The conservatives have a large youth membership, in fact as large as the other parties added together, and there are actually many young activists in all parties. How then do they lose it, become apathetic about politics? Do they lose the idealism and eventually submit to cynicism?