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Apathy – who cares?The right to complain Did you know that more people voted in Big Brother last year than in the last general election? This week we're talking about how that can have happened and what – if anything – we should be doing about it. Political apathy has many causes. It's especially common among young people, who either find politics boring or just think all political parties are basically the same. Then there's the widespread belief that all politicians are liars. 'They never fulfil their promises,' says Duncan Rowley, who took part in the VEE-TV debate. 'It doesn't matter which party gets into power – they all do the same.' 'MPs are full of broken promises,' agrees Katie Roach. 'They never focus on deaf people. They only meet deaf people to look good and get their vote, but in the end, we don't get any results from them.' The right to complainThe first time Katie voted was in the last general election, but her mum persuaded her do it. 'Those whom I voted for were people who supported deaf people in my area,' she says. 'But, personally, I don't believe in voting because at the end of the day they are all the same – supporting rich fat cats.' But Andrew Hearn believes you've got no right to moan about politicians if you don't take the trouble to vote. 'If you don't vote, you have no say in the issues and the running of your area,' he says. 'If you don't vote, then when you complain you're full of hot air – you're complaining but you can't be bothered to vote. If you vote, you have a right to complain.' A question of educationAnother reason why people aren't interested in politics may be that people feel they don't know enough about the issues and how the system works. 'Politics should be taught in school,' Katie says. 'I wasn't taught and it's difficult for me to understand. If I were given basic information first, I would have a basic knowledge and build from there.' So, if people were better informed, they might be more interested in different party policies and what difference they might make to their own lives. Deaf politicsWhat about issues that specifically concern deaf people? 'I think deaf people should be more active in politics,' Katie says, 'because only deaf people know what it is like to be deaf and can therefore make the right decision where education and human rights are concerned. But the problem is many deaf people are not educated to think politically.' At the beginning of this series, we discussed BSL recognition, which is a big political issue for deaf people. 'We need to focus on BSL recognition as our first step,' Katie believes. 'We can't improve education without the language. We can't have one without the other.' There are lots of people campaigning for BSL, and many other important issues. For instance, there's publicising deaf awareness, getting benefits sorted out for those who need them, access and interpreters, counselling, participation with other deaf people worldwide, education and many more. Andrew Hearn, for one, is not content to sit back and hope for the best. He has been to the British Deaf Association (BDA) forum to talk about setting up an education policy. 'I am actively involved in this,' he says, 'and will be setting up meetings within my area about it and bringing their views back to the BDA to include in the new policy. This is a very important step forward. It is the policy for deaf children's futures.' Want to stir up some apathy? Then have your say on the message board. Help and infoDeaf issues British Deaf Association (BDA) Deaf-UK Mailing / Discussion List Federation of Deaf People (FDP) The Forest Bookshop Politics in general BBC News Online: Talking Politics UK Politics Directory UK Politics Magazine Political Websites Politico's
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