Summing up 3

Turnout and turmoil

The Chinese have a curse ‘ may you live in interesting times.’ Quite. As we listen to the to-ing and fro-ing, the dealing and the wheeling, and all the talk of mandates, it is worth remembering the turnout.

65% in a time of crisis! And when the electorate were supposedly ‘energised’ by the Leaders Debates, is actually quite poor. Yet again 35% of our voters did not bother or were too disaffected to turn out. Remember this when Cameron or his minions talk about having a ‘mandate,’ that 36% of 65% is not very convincing. Less than a quarter of us actively want them. The inner cities produced the lowest turnouts. As for Labour the figures are worse, 28% of 65% with the LibDems coming in even further behind at 23% of the 65% turnout.

Disaffection with our political system was evident by the lack of placards and billboards around the area. There were a lot less than in previous general elections. No canvassers called either. Will today’s events make people more likely or less likely to engage further with politics?

Finally, there is nothing like chaos at several polling stations to make people realise what they are missing. Maybe it was a cunning plan (as cunning as a plan thought up by a fox who went to the university of cunning etc) to mobilise the electorate into action?

Or perhaps it was a cock-up?