Paltry Turnout (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Alan in Belfast over on Slugger O’Toole is right to highlight the declining vote in Mid Ulster as the main news emerging from the sectarian head-count that masqueraded as democracy.
Just over half of those eligible to vote in the constituency bothered to turn out. The victorious candidate was elected with just 26% of eligible voters giving him their vote. The so-called joint Unionist candidate, Nigel Lutton, managed to attract just 19% of eligible voters.
The message from all our recent elections is that the electorate here is, increasingly, switched off by the political discourse. Politicians, increasingly are seen as social deviants. They spout enervated nonsense that is meaningless to just about anybody of rational mind.
Even the national media is beginning to cotton-on. The Radio 4 Today Programme this morning focused on the dreadful turnout and the lack-lustre candidates as the main story emerging from this squalid little contest. No-one really cares who the Sinn Fein winner is – as he isn’t Marty. He won’t take his seat anyway. The Independent Unionist chap – wheeled around the constituency, no-doubt, like some prize turkey – did little to undermine the Sinn Fein stranglehold on the constituency. A bedraggled place.
But, on the plus side, there is a palpable sense that this nonsense is coming to an end. It has to. Democracy can’t sustain itself in the context of this level of disinterestedness. There will come a time when we will have to come up with alternatives.
Ironically, there is a much richer and more vibrant political dialogue on social media day and daily. The Twitterati systematically deride the ego-inflated nutters that put themselves forward as our representatives. Bloggers pick and cajole. And, in a wonderful way, we’re beginning to replace the formalised and antiquated political system with one that’s much more fit for purpose – one that is more vibrant and more engaging. More like democracy.
sorry to see there are no responses,if you can’t be bothered to go and vote.then you cannot complain who gets elected.or where we end up,USE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE FOLKS…….
I am a regular user of Twitbook and Facer and an occasional blogger myself. The political debate which takes place in such media is often highly informed and thought provoking. But it is dangerous to assume that social media, blogging and the like reaches more than quite a limited audience. Admittedly a large proportion of teens and twenties use social media at the same frequency as breathing but the proportion of these who look at political content is minute.
Then (I don’t have any figures but I’m guessing) there is probably a fall off of use among the 30 and 40 somethings as real life hits home. It is frequently those in late middle age and aging old farts like me, who have benefited from the excellent secondary education system that prevailed in right into the 1970s who dominate the on-line political debate of today. This is unsurprising. Most of us have completed our journey to the political outlook of choice and wish to share our wisdom.
But on-line debate still reaches a very limited audience. It is printed media, TV and radio which still supply the vast majority of potential voters with their information. Our present generation of career politicians, with quite a few honourable exceptions, garner their information about the world from career researchers and civil servants who rely on the same printed and electronic media for information. Unless you are a major celebrity or have nice legs only a very small number of people will know our care what you have twittered. Videos of dogs flushing the lavatory will attract a vastly bigger following (never seen such a video but I’m sure one exists).
The only thing that still counts in the political sphere is campaigning face to face with the voters. That’s how UKIP went from polling about 16% at the start of the Eastleigh campaign to 28% in the actual polling booths. That and listening to voters concerns and not telling them what you think they should be concerned about.
lan point taken (although I’d take issue with the extent to which printed media has influence any more). But your point is predicated on society choosing an antiquated (pop little bits of paper in a box) approach to democracy over one that could transplant it. Political parties are dying. Media is fragmenting. Everyone can publish. Celebs come and go as fast as politicos. Unless we make politics more relevant, fresher, more consultative and more in tune with sentiment then it will die. I don’t have an answer but the current model isn’t working. And I’m not just talking about NI.