Our place to talk – an independent website for supporters of the Liberal Democrat party in the UK.

The most-read independent website by and for Lib Dem supporters. Not paid for by trade unions or millionaires.

Advert

Author Archives: Sam Foulder-Hughes

Winning over young people

By Sam Foulder-Hughes | Mon 26th June 2017 - 8:33 pm

Embed from Getty Images

Political parties can wither and die. It is important for any analysis of our general election performance to bear that in mind as we plot our strategy, because frankly the signs do not look all too healthy. We have lost our second place position in historic heartland seats such as Birmingham Yardley, Southport and Newquay and St Austell. It is more than possible that we could fall even further at the next general election.

Without a radical and liberal appeal to young people our party will not survive. This general election should have been our moment with 75% of 18-24 year olds voting for Remain in the referendum and the ghost of Eurosceptic Bennism leading the Labour party. At this critical juncture in our nation’s history only 9% of young people voted Liberal Democrat, many of them presumably voting tactically in seats where we are the only opposition to the Tories. We have already had a taste in Southport and Newquay and St Austell of what happens when people move from Labour-lite to the full fat version.

Continue reading »

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged young voters | 50 Comments

Most Read

Op-eds

Zack Polanski on the Fringe (Caron Lindsay)
Enough is enough: Women and girls deserve better (Lib Dem Women)
To paraphrase Shakespeare’ ‘something is rotten in the state of Britain’ (Judy Abel)
Born to be a Refugee… (Dalila Henniche Maali)
Tom Arms’ World Review (Tom Arms)

Advert

Recent Comments

nigel hunter
You are correct re talking to the young or rather NOT talking enough to them.THEY. They are the future electorate AND possible recruits .MORE effort must be put...
Judy Abel
@Tristan - hedge funds running children’s social care - badly - never mind the children? - (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/02/profiteering-o...
Rose Runswick
@theakes I don't think Zack Polanski has any intention of expanding his base beyond Corbynites, which is no issue for him as in over doubling the membership thr...
Tristan Ward
"This is a powerful condemnation of neoliberalism." No it isn't. As previously noted it is a set of whinges with a certain amount of inaccuracy (*). They ...
Peter Davies
I think you could claim that a dogmatic insistance on a single ownership model has failed. Labour brought the "crowning heights" of the economy into public own...