I think so, all those enthused students heading home must have an impact - it's either going to be the parents talking the students out of it, or the students talking the parents round. I suspect it will mainly be the latter that prevails, particularly as the students will still be being bombarded daily by labour messaging from their friends etc on facebook, unlike 20 years ago when students would have gone home and instantly been isolated from their peers.
I think Labour will win the demographics of young voters and students, whatever the result. But I'm not convinced that we can talk about a mobilised, active group, intervening in the election. To be honest, I'm no longer sure where the dividing line between clicktivism, memes, facebook and 'real life' interests and politics is any more - and I'm not really aiming this at your post. But I have a feeling some of that is at the heart of Labour's apparent surge in the polls, which might not manifest itself on the day.
I was just about to come out with something about Labour winning the hyper-real and the virtual, while the unremitting filth of day to day neo-liberalism grinds on after June 8th.
when it converts to 4-5000 kids causing a road block just attempting to hear Corbyn speak on less than 18 hours notice I reckon it's reached beyond just clicktivism.
On the italic part, I don't know really, maybe just the election clarifying things in people's minds.
Those 30 odd percent who've always voted tory and always will aren't going to get talked around, but the tories have put on about 15-20% of support that was once Lib Dem or UKIP or even Labour. That's not hardcore tory support, it's soft support that's now being eroded by a variety of factors, one of which could well be million or more students returning home, most of whom are pretty enthused corbyn supporters.
Hopefully it'll make them a bit panicked and clumsy, May will look even more knackered, behind closed doors lots of shouting and finger pointing. Realistically they'll just ramp up the fear factor / negative ads even more, get the papers on the case, get the vote out.
I'm too used to being disappointed. I'd love that 1997 feeling again, boozed up and shrieking with a room full of mates, Portillo out on his arse and so on. Most likely to sleep through it this time, wake up with grinning Tories on the telly
I'd better get out and vote to cancel out my idiot child...
The tories hadn't prepared for it, their constituency parties had no clue it was happening and had had no instructions to prepare for a snap election.
who said zero?
I vaguely remember talking about the corbyn mass meetings (1st leadership election) and the massive rise in membership - that they weren't translating into an actual political force or engagement with working class voters - and using the term 'real life clicktivism'. A sort of splurge of do a bit of that, forward that and add that to your profile. I don't actually mean that to sound quite as cynical as it does and as I've said, I'm struggling to work out where the boundary of facebookmemery and real life interests is any more. None of this has the characteristics of a 'social movement', that's part of it - and neither does it really look like class politics. I don't know whether the impulses to do this roadblock are the same as the impulse to go on strike?
maybe, but £50k of student debt vs not £50k of debt is a pretty sobering thought for any parent IMO.
That was already true in 2015, though. It's not like the idea of £50k debt is new.
right - which is far more likely to make them consider which way they vote than their idealistic kid arguing with them over the fish fingers.
Labour weren't saying they would get rid of tuition fees in 2015 (were they?)
were Labour promising free uni education in 2015?
ok, you're saying it's insignificant, I'm saying it probably is a significant factor.
I'm sorry but this and the 80% turnout stuff is as fantastical as your predications for the Green break through in Leeds NW two years.
no it wasn't. The Greens were campaigning to cancel it, Labour weren't going to change it.
