“You’re joking. Not another one! Oh for God’s sake!” It was never clear why news of the 2017 snap election caused Brenda from Bristol so much pain, but with only weeks to go until the Holyrood showdown I’m picking up on her vibe and admit election fatigue is setting in.
Like little Duracell bunnies on repeat mode, soundbites such as “build back better” or “gain the levers of power” are being tripped out ad nauseam. I can’t complain, they’re handy for headlines. At least the Alba Party had the decency to lighten the mood with their Brigadoon remake and save us from all this earnestness.
It’s not that I’m against the idea of democracy or carrying out your civic duty. But, statistically speaking, it’s an undeniable fact your vote is likely to be a mere drop in a large electoral puddle.
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In fact, according to Florida Atlantic University’s Kevin Lanning you’ve got more chance of getting hit by a car on the way to the polls than turning the result. True, there are a lot of cars in the US, but I can’t imagine things are much different here.
So if voting is in most cases an irrational act – since the time, effort and energy used to carry it out far outweighs the impact of doing it – why do we even bother?
Whether those on the right or left, for or against independence are more committed voters is another matter entirely, but studies have shown that elections make us miserable. Research by Dr Nicolas Schreiner at the University of Basel, as revealed in The Times, found the proportion of voters who were “very dissatisfied” with life rose by 16 per cent as polling day approached. Even social media couldn’t be blamed as the same pattern was seen back to 1989.
Given the complexity of issues in today’s world, it is impossible to know everything about politics. And Schreiner suggests the stress of trying to keep up with the campaign news can affect our mood. Perhaps this was Brenda’s problem or maybe she was just annoyed at the TV rescheduling.
I’ve always struggled to strike a balance between fascination and exasperation with elections, largely because I know I can do very little to affect their outcome, which I admit is egocentric. I can only admire the dedication of those who brave all weathers just to drop a leaflet through our letterboxes, which usually end up in the recycling bin . . . unread. Sorry.
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But consider the alternative. Elections may not be perfect, but if we all abstained, not only would we be depriving ourselves of our key source of expression, the state would lack legitimacy. We may act irrationally as individuals but we do act rationally as a collective, even if “the will of the people” puts Boris Johnson in charge.
For me, elections are markers in life, in the same way that World Cups are. I can still recall the big games and the shock results, even if I was just a spectator. The first time I voted in 1992, I took a round trip of 100 miles from university to my hometown just to put an “x” in the box . . . and I still lost. But I was pleased I did it, because I felt part off something and, well, that was enough.
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