‘Broken promises leave voters apathetic’

Broken promises and cheap soundbites are turning young people away from politics and causing apathy among first-time voters, newly elected councillors have warned.

But moves to help 18-year-olds vote could remove barriers to young people becoming politically active, one councillor declared.

Speaking at the MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Donegal, a group of new politicians addressed the issue of apathy among the younger generation.

Fianna Fáil councillor Kate Feeney said that one of the reasons she became involved in politics was because her friends had become increasingly disillusioned with the political system. She had heard her friends and colleagues question the value of voting and say they “could not trust the political system or those in it”.

Forgotten election promises had contributed to this, she said, including Labour’s U-turn on student charges.

“For many of these young people, general election 2011 was their first trip to a ballot box. Broken promises like these leave people twice shy about placing their faith in politics again. Who could blame them for being cynical when over the years all parties — including my own — have been guilty of this kind of conduct.”

The south Dublin councillor also suggested a new way of getting young voters interested in politics.

“By simply moving to system of automatic registration when a citizen turns 18, linked to their PPS number, we could remove this barrier to young people from becoming politically active.”

Daithí de Buitléir, founder of fundraising charity Raising and Giving Ireland, questioned the lack of variety among politicians.

“How can a 16-year-old be expected to choose Fine Gael over Fianna Fáil when even the most seasoned political analysts fail to spot any ideological differences?” he asked.

“Our traditional political heavyweights have no guiding ideology or vision of what Ireland can become. Other than embarrassing little soundbites such as ‘the best small country in the world in which to do business’,” he added.

Independent councillor Gary Gannon said some voters were “viscerally hostile” to politicians who knocked at their door.

The Dublin north inner city politician agreed that constant broken promises damaged politics and the trust people had in society.

He described real issues such as housing and poverty which he came across. This included a 17-year-old pregnant girl attempting to sleep inside an industrial bin in Temple Bar, Dublin.

The young councillor called on all politicians to come down from their ivory tower and engage with issues on the ground in Irish society.