Annex 2: Summary of Outreach event at
the University of Sheffield, 5 June 2014
On 5 June 2014 the Political and Constitutional Reform
Committee held an outreach event at the University of Sheffield.
Graham Allen MP, Fabian Hamilton MP, and Mr Andrew Turner MP led
discussions on three main questions with attendees. These were:
· Why
do you think people don't vote or register to vote?
· How
do you think the media impacts on people's perceptions of politics?
· What
do you think could be done to get more people engaged in politics
and elections?
Members of the public were invited to contribute
to discussions on these questions, and also to write their views
on several wallsheets. A summary of comments made is included
below, with comments posted on wallsheets repeated verbatim.
Why do you think people don't vote or register
to vote?
Difficulty of getting real people to get involved
with politics and become politicians
People being informed by the media (eg. Daily Mail)
Elitism in political parties
Engaging in politics is a luxury for people with
limited time and other responsibilities
Young people don't identify with any of the main
parties
First past the post voting system puts people off
All the candidates look and sound the same
Feeling disengaged
No-one represents their views
Nothing they want to vote for
Won't make a difference
Lack of online voting
Candidates and parties are so similar
Politicians aren't representative of wider community
Safe seats-not going to make a difference
Ordinary MPs have no power
Need to discuss postal voting
Voting systems-problems with First Past the Post
Parties attacking other parties
Lots of people not involved in politics at all
Uncertainty about "what" they are actually
voting for (disconnect between party and ideology)-both before
and after the election
Very few opportunities for people to talk and meet
and debate politics without stress
Elections are essentially social activities, but
voting feels like an individual activity
Voting is so antiquated, the way it is done. If I
can bank from my phone, why can't I vote? Is it because you don't
really want young people?
At what level does a very low turn-out render a vote
non-legitimate?
A security guard on the door suggests you are afraid
of the people you represent
Visibly, you don't represent us. You wear suits,
you are all male
Lack of reflection with MPs class and culture
MP's self-preservation
Lack of education and engagement with local people
Citizens disconnected
No feeling of "community"
People feel that decisions made in London don't affect
them when they live outside London
Young people feel they are not allowed to "make
a difference"
A lack of time to understand the issues-people say
they don't vote as they don't understand
Political tribalism is a real problem
Those with "alternative" political views
are seen as an enemy of the establishment
Widespread cynicism
Expenses scandal
All the same people-think they know it all
Impact of single issue politics-sense of power without
any need for compromise
Existing parties are seen as corrupt
Vote doesn't count-safe seat
They are all the same
There was only one woman from your team. She moved
the tables and mopped up spilled coffee. She didn't speak at all
Confusion of where your voice should be directed-ie.
Facebook? Twitter? MP? Pub?
Difficult to find information about parties. Do not
want to read through hundreds of pages to understand policies
Democracy broken-it is for the next generation to
design the replacement system
A view among the young that they are not qualified
to contribute to policy making
How do you think the media impacts on people's
perceptions of politics?
Media has a massive negative impact-focuses on personalities
over issues
Politicians let media drive agenda
Media is corporately owned
Politicians are afraid of changing their mind
Politicians need to be braver and say what they think
and work together
Government needs to take responsibility for language
and message
Media exists to entertain and not inform
Need a separate voice that is informative
"Scroungers" and "Strivers" does
not send a very inclusive message of equally important citizenship
Stop politics dealing in perceptions-and their manipulation,
and deal solely with reality
Politicians play into the media's stranglehold. Don't
do it-get back to grassroots community organising
The media (Daily Mail) drive agenda and politicians
play into it-eg. Who is saying why immigration is a good thing?
Politicians need to be brave
The BBC is supposedly neutral and yet they were the
reason why UKIP garnered so many votes due to the amount of coverage
they gave the party
The media diminish or illuminate political debate
by the confrontational way they interview
What do you think could be done to get more people
engaged in politics and elections?
Making issues tangible so people feel motivated to
get involved
Far better political education at school
Making politicians more representative (eg. gender
balance)
Parliament taking responsibility to present debates
clearly (can't rely on media)
Making it easier for people from a disadvantaged
background to participate
Need to look at wider civic engagement (other forms
of participation)
Making voting easier (eg. advertising postal voting)
Considering how to better engage with young people
Electoral reform (proportional representation, making
parties chase every vote)
Open primaries
Compulsory voting
Celebrating voting
Making election day a public holiday
Automatic registration of students at universities
Use of social media
"I have voted" stickers
Choice
Political education
Community spaces
Being represented
"None of the above" option at elections
Different voting system (eg. rank the candidates)
Clearer information
Grass roots level education
Parliament needs to encourage debate on issues
Visibility-not just at election time
Give people something to vote for
Focus on grassroots politics
Positive election material (not negative)
Appeal to duty to vote
More public involvement with parties
Local party members to vote on policy
Localisation
Educate people before elections. The leaflet system
isn't very useful
Better, more responsive communications
Address economic issues in the North
Engagement with public over policy
More events in regions
Increase representation of BME people and women-needs
to go right down to selection of candidates
X-factor style polling of constituents' interests
and views
Better use of technology
Online voting
More visibility
Develop think tanks reflective of society
"None of the above" on ballot paper
Knowledge that their vote will (not can) influence
something
Let real people be politicians-working/low income
people/women not represented-don't have time or money to leaflet
but would like to be involved
Other voting options that young people connect with-internet/twitter
When we teach children about politics in time we
might get results
More funding for public engagement-primary trips
to Westminster? Question Time?
Party members should be deciding policy at conferences,
not voting on a pre-decided agenda-would encourage new membership
that their voice/vote counts
Citizens should make policies-not just choose between
them
Not proportional representation-it distances elected
representatives from voter
Proportional representation in the voting system
and more consensus politics (eg. Denmark, Netherlands)
Challenge social isolation and a culture of individuality
Promote civic engagement
The ability to choose candidates to represent you
without joining a party
Rights and responsibilities agenda
Make politics relevant to people's lives by taking
politics out into communities
Parliament could take the responsibility for framing
"issue" debate in appropriate language/style for particular
interest groups
Support National Voter Registration Day
Maybe an opt-out system of voting
Compulsory voting
Online voting-extremely important to increase young
people engagement
Empowered civil society through community organisations
Saturday or Sunday voting
A detailed job description for our candidates
Promote and support better community connectivity
Postal vote needs to be publicised
Greater engagement with stay at home parents-through
local play groups and daytime or public transport engagement
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