Deadlock has defined British politics for the past few years. A Brexit deal, no deal, rematch or election all founder. Yet we have now glided into one of the strangest national elections imaginable – the European parliament elections, well past the date Theresa May promised to leave the EU – and few people seem prepared for it.
We know that some 8 million people, mainly young people, renters and EU citizens, weren’t even registered as the stuttering Euro-election campaigns began. Some of the reasons are clear: no one expected this election – students move around, as do renters, and even when younger people are registered, turnout among them is lower. The risk is that on 23 May, these voices will not be heard.
We have till midnight tonight to register to vote. There have been extraordinary steps to get young people to do this. The Give a XXXX campaign, run by the non-partisan Vote For Your Future, spread on social media, university campuses and via Bumble and Grindr, has made strides. But the battle is on right up till midnight.
In 2016 advertisements at the major London airports, National Express, the BT Tower and clean graffiti outside tube stations drove registration for the referendum vote, as I know from working on that campaign. Now there is little time and we are relying on social media and word of mouth.
It is vital because the spectre of Brexit hangs over these elections. Nigel Farage’s Brexit party, Ukip and Tommy Robinson are all campaigning on hard-right, pro-Brexit agendas. Their message will gain further momentum if there is a low turnout of those who oppose them. With Labour on the fence over its Brexit position, and no agreement among the other remain parties on tactical voting, we are heading for a national election that could deliver the message of Brexit at any cost, any how – just as many people are questioning the decision.
The way to counteract this is with a change in the composition of the electorate. If younger people register and vote, it will send a message to the main parties that they must listen to their demands. With more than three-quarters of young voters against Brexit, this can be an equal and opposite force to be set against Farage, Ann Widdecombe and the politics of nostalgia. It is time for a generational shift.
There is one thing to do today: register to vote so you can be heard on Brexit. After that, there are three weeks to work out how to use our vote to send a clear message, when the leadership of the two main parties seem determined to make this an election without a choice.
In 2016, there were some attempts to increase first-time voting – we have to go much further and mobilise to raise turnout. We must send a clear signal or wake up on 24 May to a crowning victory for the Brexit party – and capitulation by the government and Labour to Brexit at any cost. These European elections need a democratic insurgency – of new young voices joining the fray – to see that off.