Richard Boyd Barrett Commends New Deputies, Warns of Low Turnout
Richard Boyd Barrett, speaking on behalf of People Before Profit, commended four newly elected deputies and those who stood in recent by-elections, while warning about abysmally low voter turnout. He argued that representatives must make themselves relevant to the nearly 75% of the electorate who did not engage, urging collective responsibility three, four, five, six months out from a general election.
Election outcome and commendation
He praised the four newly elected deputies for taking on the responsibility and privilege of elected office and acknowledged the hard work of those who ran but were not elected. He described standing for election as a brave act that exposes candidates to responsibility and expectation on behalf of their constituents.
Turnout concern and voter disengagement
He said turnout in the by-elections was abysmally low and that the palpable sense of disengagement and disillusionment with the political system was evident on the door. He stated he did not blame voters and called for collective responsibility among politicians to address the crisis of participation.
Priority issues for debate
He highlighted key issues that will define the coming months - housing, the health service, infrastructure and inequality - and noted that robust debate on these topics is both expected and necessary. These policy areas should form the core of engagement with the electorate ahead of the general election.
Responsibility to reconnect with voters
He urged elected representatives to prove themselves relevant to the nearly 75% of people who felt disenfranchised, calling it a solemn responsibility to do better as the country heads into a general election. He closed by reiterating congratulations to the newly elected deputies for their achievement.
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On behalf of People Before Profit, just let me commend the four newly elected deputies. It's not an easy thing to put your name on a ballot paper to stick your head above the parapet. There's a lot of hard work involved. You're setting yourself up for a lot of responsibility and expectation on behalf of the constituents who elected you. So it is a brave thing and the four deputies deserve commendation for putting themselves forward and taking on the responsibility and indeed the privilege of being elected representative of this House. I'd also commend all of those who put themselves forward, who weren't elected, and all the hard work that they and their teams would have put in over the last period. There are many things one could say about the recent by-elections, but I think maybe one of the most important things, and this isn't in any way to take away from the achievement and hard work of those that were elected and those who ran, is that I think it should be a concern of all of us three, four, five, six months out from a general election at the abysmally low turnout. And I think all of us, notwithstanding the political differences that we will and should debate over the next number of months, the key issues like housing, like the health service, like infrastructure, like inequality in our society where there will be robust debate. I also think we all have a very, very big responsibility to make ourselves relevant to the nearly 75% of the electorate who didn't turn out, who didn't engage. I don't blame them. I think we all have to take collective responsibility for that. It was palpable the sense of disengagement and frankly disillusionment with the political system that many people felt on the door and I'm sure those that were elected will acknowledge that point too. So we have a job to prove ourselves as relevant to making a difference to the lives of huge numbers of people who feel disenfranchised by our political system and that should be a solemn responsibility for us to do better over the coming months as we head into a general election. Having said all that, well done to the four newly elected deputies.
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