Dear Sir,
Since the PM called the General Election, I was talking to some friends who said they would probably not vote as they see no difference between the parties and little chance of change. It is not so much a case of apathy but rather that democracy in practice that has let them down.
I have had an interest in politics since my days in the Young Christian Workers in Oldham, Lancashire, way back in the late fifties. Many YCW members in the fifties and sixties, formed in a ‘see, judge and act’ method, who went on to become local councillors and active trade unionists and for me, I went on to join in with voluntary work. However, they like me, got their strength from their faith. The use of the Gospel reflection and a study of the Social Teaching of the Church, this gave me my lead. I have always been drawn to the concept of the Common Good, as the ‘whole network of social conditions which enable us as individuals and groups to flourish and live a fully, genuinely human life. This comes about by implementing the need to respect the human dignity of all, using the values of solidarity and subsidiarity to guide decision making. We will shortly be facing an election, and I can only hope that people will take time to review the meaning of the Common Good and so to achieve it, see the need to become active citizens in some way or another within our society.
And, when the time comes to vote, to look out not only for their own well-being but also the well-being of others too, especially the most vulnerable. It is not just about tax cuts, it is also investing to improve our services: health, education, public housing, social services, as well as demanding meaningful action on climate change and just and fair treatment of migrants and refugees. We need to engage with young people to have a voice at the local level, so that the local mayor and councillors hear the needs of the young and the plans the young have to improve their lives and that of their communities. People need to see the value of young people’s involvement. And, maybe, it is also a first step to breaking apathy and getting a new generation involved in politics which, in the end, is about achieving all the basics of life.
Vince Crosby