Opinion article on the UK’s system inspired by Anne Frank’s quote - James Bird

Anne Frank famously said “Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy”. This inspired me and I came to a realisation that it is still relevant today. The world we live in needs to be appreciated and everyone deserves to have a voice. Freedom of speech is essential and we must be able to voice our opinions and beliefs without being blocked by a system, whatever those beliefs are. Left or right should not be considered bad or wrong as a democracy should be the priority.

The political system of the United Kingdom has evolved to a point where democracy is disappearing. With a two/three party system, it is difficult for the typical voter to vote merely on their political beliefs that they hold, or for many to align with a singular party. A voter can do so, but for many, not without feeling they have wasted their vote. The current First Past the Post system prevents a full democracy from existing as it blocks the ability for more than the usual two to three parties to make up a government. It is no surprise that in 2015, only 66.1% of the UK population went to the polls to vote and have their impact on the result. The turnout of 66.1% could be seen as ‘average’ and not considered low, however compared to the entire population voting and having a form of political participation, it provides a huge deficiency to the possible democracy of the UK.

Countries including Belgium and Australia have enforced compulsory voting as a means of increasing the potential of a complete democracy. All citizens over the age of 18 in these countries have the requirement by the law to take part in elections. A complete turnout of the entire population ensures that every person’s political beliefs are heard and most Importantly, there is more of a democratic result. Currently, as citizens, we share many similar civil responsibilities. Taxation, compulsory education and jury duty are all responsibilities that citizens of the UK share as a collective body. If these civil responsibilities are compulsory and viewed as an essential aspect of being a UK citizen, then why is the concept of compulsory voting still yet to be introduced? General elections are the most important times in most democracies and so the need for the census to vote is paramount for enhancing democracy. Enforcing compulsory voting will achieve a full democracy where the population makes a difference and is not scared away by the voting system the UK adheres.

Gerrymandering and tactical voting have become a prominent aspect of the electoral system in the UK that prove democracy is limited and lacking with the voters in general elections. Gerrymandering is where a voter manipulates the boundaries of their constituency in order to favour their particular party. In both the UK and the USA federal system, democracy is greatly threatened by the aspect of gerrymandering which creates mainly two extremes and no middle ground in politics. Currently in the UK, we have the choice of either two parties. Any votes on the other smaller parties are almost wasted. Arguably, populism has increased and yet a proportional system could allow more radical and extreme groups to thrive. However this has to be through democracy. We must preserve voice and democracy, in order to strive for individual voice and the ability to live freely.