This is a question that can be asked of anyone, and will allow any person to receive a variant of the answer every time. Yet one idea remains clear, and that is the government operates under the consent of the governed.

As Liberal Democrats, we need to understand our namesake. We are democratic, we are a group that promotes liberalism and equality and importantly in relation to this, we promote a fairer system of voting; proportional representation. Everyone should have the right to feel as though their vote counts, everyone should feel valued as a participant in a democratic society.

But there is an issue in our country, as we can see in many other countries both democratic and non-democratic.

Apathy.

Apathy is the death of democracy, apathy is the death of freedom, justice, passion and of a country. A democratic state is not a right, it is something that must be fought for, something that must be defended at every opportunity. This fails when people look at an election and turn their attention elsewhere.

This is the critical state we must never allow to become entrenched in our society. We must never allow the population to allow democracy to pass them by.

Democracy is a sacred thing that must be a part of our everyday lives because it affects our everyday lives. If we permit apathy to flourish, and defeatism to become entrenched in our minds, then those who shout the loudest will claim the seat of power in this country and wrench power from the people to themselves.

So this must change, and it is why, in my honest opinion, the Liberal Democrats must put their foot down and push for a two pronged approach. Yes we must push for proportional representation to ensure every vote counts, but at the same time I am of the opinion that we must make mandatory voting an enshrined facet of our democracy.

Not in a way that compels people to vote for a party they don’t believe in. We must ensure that abstaining is an option, but without the state of apathy being permitted.

It might seem an antithesis to the idea of liberalism to have a system that promotes this form of voting, but I think it is a method that has the potential to save democracy. It means everyone has to participate. It means that no matter who you are, from the 18 year old about to start university, or the pensioner in the care home, you are a part of this democratic society, and taking that away once it becomes ingrained in the minds of the population will be just that much harder.

Creating it as a cornerstone of society, being taught, and being put into practice for everyone, will ensure that our generations to come will be voting no matter what, and understand that they are a small but vital part in the success of our country.

We as a society are the inheritors of the Magna Carta, the start of our parliamentary system. Over the centuries it has been modified, improved and negated, but always evolving. Now it is time to do it once again. We must not be content to sit and wait for our democracy to improve, nay we must shout again and again, and demand our voices mean something.

This is the beauty of democracy, and we must protect it, develop it, and above all else, never lose faith in it, no matter how dark the rest of the world may become.

* Jonathan Parrott is a Liberal Democrat member from High Peak, who works closely with the local council.