Have young people taken back control? It certainly looks that way, judging by how things went for the Tories last night. I can scarcely believe I’m writing this – the Conservative victory was assumed to be so secure, and the orthodoxy that young people couldn’t be bothered to participate in the democratic process had been cemented. Indeed, an anonymous Tory candidate told the Huffington Post that “Under-30s love Corbyn but they don’t care enough to get off their lazy arses to vote for him.”
But we did get off our arses, it seems. There are several reasons for this, to my mind. Jeremy Corbyn appeals to a generation of young people who feel they have never known an honest, decent politician. Corbyn’s galvanising potential is something I’ve been writing about since 2015 when he stood for the leadership, when I sensed that his appeal to young people was beyond that of previous Labour leaders. But I was always dismissed, told that I was only talking to Islington-dwelling pseudo-Marxist students and not “real” young people, who just couldn’t give a toss.
Today I feel somewhat vindicated. I have friends who registered to vote for the first time, so that they could vote for Corbyn, because they saw the potential there to elect someone who seemed – despite his vintage – to be doing politics differently. He may be a white-haired jam-maker, but they saw something in him that was lacking in other candidates. I suspect that the right wing of the Labour party underestimated the appeal of an old-fashioned socialist to a generation who felt that their predecessors, who benefited so much from the generosity of the welfare state, were breaking the social contract. Having witnessed those who reaped the rewards of a free education hike tuition fees to ridiculous levels (a formative political experience for many my age), the appeal of someone who actually believes in intergenerational fairness was unparalleled. Not to mention the appeal of a politician likely to keep their promises.
Brexit will also have had an effect. The baby boomer and grandparent vote is what won it, and the analysis did not shy away from that. Young people were furious – suddenly politics was being talked about in terms of generational divides. Those of us under 30 were asking how it could be fair that a chunk of the population who might not be around much longer should be able to dictate the future state of the country in this way. People were upset with their parents and grandparents for what they perceived as craven selfishness. We grew up with an open, pro-European outlook, and felt that our elders were limiting our options while thinking only of themselves. Anger is a great motivator, and I think Theresa May underestimated how long it can simmer for when she called a snap general election less than a year after the referendum vote.
Let's LIGHTEN The Mood...!
— GE2017 (@UK_GE2017) 2 June 2017
"Help Us Obi-Wan Corbyn..
You're Our Only Hope..."#StarWars#GE2017#BBCQT#BBCDebate#VoteLabour#ForTheMany pic.twitter.com/DGSY87uNm0
Another factor in Corbyn’s popularity, I suspect, is his supreme memeability. In the last few weeks, as the Labour campaign rallied and the Tories’ floundered, the internet was rife with Corbyn memes, many of which were centred around the slogan “here we go, here we go, here we fucking go”. Corbyn was “my boy”, who was “for the manydem”. Gifs were shared showing him sipping a martini with fireworks in the background. His side-eye was endlessly deployed in reaction to political news. In a weird, wholly unexpected way, Corbyn was actually cool in a way that Ed Miliband – despite the Milifandom – was too geeky to ever really manage. It’s a strange thing to say about an allotment-keeping 68-year-old, but his self-styled zen approach to campaigning, his refusal to get personal, and his appeals to integrity all added to this sense of cool. Meanwhile, May and her floundering campaign began to look increasingly robotic by contrast, her discomfort with the general public becoming all the more apparent when set against Corbyn’s affable friendliness. When offered a Pringle by a university student, he took it. It’s impossible to imagine May doing the same.
The newspapers may have gone to town on Corbyn, but younger people don’t read newspapers. They get their news from social media, and social media has been very kind to Corbyn. The rise of leftwing websites such as The Canary as an “antidote” to the mainstream media will have no doubt have played a part. For too long the younger generation have felt excluded by the political system – and that includes the publications that amplify its message.
Whatever the ultimate outcome of this election, it will have proven that the young are a demographic to be taken seriously, who have a desire to participate in the democratic process and views that are entitled to be represented. In this county, that is truly revolutionary, and I hope that those who are too young to vote are waking up this morning with the belief that one day they too will be able to make a difference, provided they ignore the naysayers who call them silly and naive, and decide to jettison cynicism in favour of the power of having just a little bit of faith. (Guardian)
