Britain Poised for Century-Low Turnout
As hard as it is to believe, our British friends are set to surpass us in voting futility:
Politics Is No Longer Britain’s Cup of Tea (CSM)
[…] With less than two weeks to the May 5 vote, the big question facing British politicians is not who votes for them, but who votes at all. Experts predict the lowest participation in a century.
Turnout that persisted above 70 percent for decades after World War II is expected to plunge to 53 percent this cycle, according to Professor Paul Whiteley of England’s Essex University. Turnout in the 2004 US presidential vote was 61 percent.
Turnout is expected to be especially dire among young people – and worse still in inner-city districts like Vauxhall. “People of my generation do feel guilty if we don’t vote, but 18- to 20-year-olds don’t,” says Mr. Whiteley. “They don’t see party politics as interesting.”
Take a look at this page. Until Tony Blair’s election in 1997, turnout didn’t drop below 72% for at least a half-century. In 2001, it got worst, falling below the 60% mark. Now it’s bordering on American levels circa 2000. Astonishing.
If the Brits want to get out the vote, something tells me they’ll need a lot more than John Kerry’s old hacks. A lot more.
The average Brit voter appears to believe the Tories are gone missing ….