I don't know about you but all the General Election buzz has, quite frankly, pissed me off a bit.
Everyone around me is passionately involved with one party or another and it's like my ambivalence when it comes to politics can be sniffed out and then suddenly it's become a temporary mission to convert me to the right side or just, y'know, attack me for even considering the other side. With my vote firmly in my pocket, I'd quite like it if you weren't trying to swipe it for your team, thanks. I'm sure you'll find that people are way more likely to listen if you treat them with respect.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that people in the 18-24 age bracket are showing a passion for politics- it's a brilliant and necessary thing and I am all for it, especially with previous poll figures showing a fall in young voters. We are the future, after all! But there's a line between supporting your side and informing people of your view and just attacking anyone who isn't voting with you.
I've tried to find people I feel I can have a balanced, open minded discussion about politics with, but with the election hype they are few and far between. Ed Milliband, David Cameron and the other party leaders know what they're doing- they want passionate supporters who will stand with them and push their support out to the masses. It's also hard to pick out the facts in a sea of fickle hearsay, celebrity endorsements, emotive life stories and playground-style character defamation tactics. All of this puts people who's indecisiveness holds them back from picking a side, without feeling informed, into a bit of a frustrating rut.
So if you, like me, are panicking about tomorrow's vote and just want people to just back the fuck off and let you think for yourself, here's what to do:
1. LISTS.
Everything is clearer in a list! Maybe try listing out, in order, what exactly is important to you in terms of the country. Then take a look at the policies and match up where your most important beliefs fit in. Another handy thing floating around on the internet is the Vote for Policies quiz, which might speed up the process.
2. GET INFORMED, BUT TAKE THINGS WITH A PINCH OF SALT
Yes, statistics can't strictly lie- but they can be skewed tremendously easily to suit a message.
It is very interesting and informative to hear different sides of an argument, but if you don't take it all with a pinch of salt then you'll get flustered and frustrated, which makes everything harder.
3. DON'T GET BULLIED INTO A PARTICULAR VIEW
It isn't selfish to vote based on personal experience- I've read Labour supporters on my Facebook verbally attacking young Conservative supporters for being selfish because "benefit cuts won't affect them" so obviously they don't care about disadvantaged people which is why they're voting that way- and then using the argument that Conservatives raised their university fees in the same paragraph. (Conversely, I've seen a Conservative supporter say they don't like Ed because he backstabbed his brother and he looks weird, so there's that too (not particularly relevant, but ???????).)
Equally, don't feel pressured into not voting for someone because of a historic reputation- these are often perpetuated by opposition parties to deter you from even considering placing your vote elsewhere. Remember what's important- the policies.
And, finally: 4. REMEMBER- YOU AREN'T COMMITTING YOURSELF TO A PARTY FOREVER!
If you vote Conservative in this election and then, for whatever reason, prefer Labour's ideas in the next election and swap your vote, that's okay! It means you've looked at the policies relevant to contemporary issues, and aren't simply voting one way because you came to a conclusion at one particular time.
I think it's a shame an unbiased education on Politics for young people isn't a thing at schools- I suppose it isn't in the best interests of any political party to implement it, and it's probably pretty damn difficult to not impart even a slight amount of bias on such a passionate topic for many people. In this election particularly, the blatant attempts to win young votes by promoting policy which will directly affect us is something else which frustrates me- lists of idealistic policies looks great on paper but are not sustainable or helpful for the vast majority in real life.
Studying a degree like Economics has almost made things harder for me. Learning a very clinical view of policies, the country and the economy splits me in terms of where I feel my vote should lie- do I vote with what my head tells me is economically the right path for the whole country or do I vote for the people behind the statistics and cold economic theory? Maybe they aren't mutually exclusive, but it's hard to tell.
I still don't know how I'm voting, just that I will be. Hopefully you can come to a conclusion before tomorrow too and then we can sit back and see which way the country is going over the next five years! Also, I know I've focused a little more on Labour and Conservatives but don't forget to consider the others too!
...Probably enough procrastination for today now #examtimeproblems
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