It’s two months until the general election and despite what could well be the most important election in decades, there appears to be groundswell of popular revulsion towards the political process.
The latest debate from the people at Discuss Manchester will be examine why as they ask the question Is Democracy Broken?
In Manchester’s 2012 by-election, voter turnout was18%, the lowest in a Parliamentary by-election since the War.
Across the country turnout keeps going down, support for main parties is in flux and trust in politicians has never been lower. A celebrity who urges young people to join a revolution and abstain from voting tops the best seller list and is adored.
As Fran O’Leary of the consultancy Lodestone says: “Around 39 per cent of people didn’t cast their vote at the last General Election. This year only 41 per cent of people said they would be certain to vote if there was an immediate election, the lowest level ever recorded by the Hansard Political Engagement Audit, and only 12 per cent of young people said they would definitely cast their vote.”
For the motion, Loz Kaye, Leader of Pirate Party UK, part of a worldwide movement standing for freedom of the Internet, civil liberties and a politics fit for the 21st century and Kwame Ibegbuna, mentor, activist, freelance journalist.
While speaking against will be Dr Rob Ford, Manchester University, author of Revolt on the Right, 2015 Political Book of the Year and Michael Taylor, Labour parliamentary candidate, Hazel Grove.
Venue: People’s History Museum, Left Bank, Spinningfields,
Manchester M3 3ER
Time: 11th March 2015, 6:30pm to 8pm
Tickets https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/democracy-is-broken-discuss-tickets-13409270489?aff=eac2
