In 2017, a BBC camera crew told members of the public that Prime Minister Theresa May had called a snap general election. One woman, Brenda, responded with disgust: "You're joking! Not another one?" 

Brenda became the symbol of a wider view across the United Kingdom: "There's too much politics going on at the moment."

As Britain prepares to head to the polls again, many remain apathetic. This is reflected in voter turnout. In the 1992 general election, 77.7% of the electorate cast a vote. In 2019 it was 67.3%.¹

There are numerous reasons people do not vote. Some simply do not care. Others feel they lack the knowledge to engage. This disproportionally cuts off young voters. In the 2017 election, 39% of under-24s planned to vote compared to 68% of those aged 55-64. 

Apathy is common. In a recent Ipsos poll, 31% of respondents said they feel "unrepresented" by a major political party. And 47% feel there is no point getting involved in politics.

It is easy to feel that politics is not working. This is not a new sentiment. "If voting changed anything," wrote the anarchistSomeone who rebels against any authority. Emma Goldman, "they'd make it illegal." 

The UK currently faces numerous crises: climate change, record NHSThe National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948. waiting times,² declining living standards. Many think that radical solutions are needed. 

In his book Utopia for Realists, historian Rutger Bregman outlines some very possible changes that could make the world a better place, including a universal basic incomeThe concept of a government scheme in which every adult citizen receives a set amount of money regularly, without having to work for it. The aim of a basic income system is to alleviate poverty and enable people to find more meaningful work., a shorter working week and open borders. 

Neither major UK party is offering such bold ideas. LabourBritain's main left-of-centre political party. are favourites to win after 14 years of ConservativeHolding traditional values, and in a political context, favouring policies such as private ownership. government. They promise change. But Labour leader Keir Starmer has been called a "Diet ToryA member of the Conservative party. " and his shadow chancellorIn the UK, the member of the biggest political party not in government who follows the role of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Rachel Reeves has repeatedly promised to stick to government spending plans. 

There is a sense that politicians have lost control internationally. When Sociologist Jennifer Silva interviewed young working classUsually used to mean those on lower incomes, working in less skilled jobs, historically in manufacturing industry but now less so. Americans in 2015, many said: "Look at what's happened in my lifetime, it doesn't really matter who's been president." 

Outside forces - corporations, technology, capitalismA form of economy characterised by private property and competition between companies. - seem to be in the driver's seat instead. The defining event of recent years, the Covid-19 pandemic, defied political control.

Others believe that politics is still immensely important. Former minister Malcolm Rifkind writes: "there must be a mechanism whereby people's rights and obligations, and wider laws, are changed to reflect society's shifting pressures".

Politics has had some big impacts in recent years. The 2016 UK referendumA direct vote by the population of a country on a particular law or issue. was driven by party politics.³ In the US, the legacy of Donald Trump's time in office led to the overturning of the landmark Roe v. WadeThis 1973 court case established a framework for legal abortions across the United States. But in 2022, the US Supreme Court reversed the decision, taking back a constitutional protection that had stood for decades. ruling.⁴ If a different party had been in control, these changes would not have happened.

PlatoOne of the most important Ancient Greek philosophers.  wrote: "The heaviest penalty for not participating is to be ruled by someone inferior." Voting can at least stop the politicians we respect the least from getting in. Whether this means politics is working is up for debate.

Does it really make any difference?

Yes: "The ballot", said Abraham Lincoln, "is stronger than the bullet." Politicians may not always grasp all the issues that they should, or have complete control, but they do set a country's tone and direction.

No: The world is crying out for transformation. On climate alone, the world needs radical action. Yet politicians everywhere seem to offer incremental shifts. Vote - but do not expect anything great.

Or... Social, cultural, economic and demographic pressures change the world. Politicians react to these large, more powerful shifts. But the way in which they react can have enormous consequences.