It’s the Mid Term elections in the United States of America today and they are elections that are, in the United Kingdom, getting considerably more coverage in the media, both mainstream and the alternative, along with social media, than I can recall US Mid Term elections getting in the past. I don’t recall such a fuss being made about the Mid Terms when Obama was in the White House nor for any of the previous Presidents this century. Of course there has always been some coverage in the Foreign and Politics pages of the serious newspapers like the Telegraph, the Guardian and the Times, but that’s their job. However, I don’t recall so much general interest over here, from the ordinary person, in an American Mid Term election as there is this time. These elections are being avidly discussed on social media and this discussion is being undertaken by people of both Left and Right political leanings. It is a foreign election that seems to have gripped the imagination of many Britons, much more so than I can recall happening with regards prior US Mid Term elections.

I have thought about why so many Britons could be taking such an interest in an overseas election and have come to the conclusion that it is all to do with ‘The Trump Effect’. President Donald Trump is such a singular character, a President who gives the impression that he is reading or speaking his own words, not those that may have been scripted for him by his advisors. The appearance of a President who comes over as a force of nature, rather than a competent administrator is a jolt to the political senses of both sides of the ideological and political divide. I’ve not seen this sort of interest for many years. Digging back into my memory I think that it was really only Ronald Reagan who so similarly caught the imagination of those Britons interested in politics. I recall how the Left, especially the extreme Left, hated Mr Reagan with a passion, whilst those who leaned Right either were ambivalent about him or, like the Thatcherites, wildly enthusiastic. Like Mr Trump, Mr Reagan was also a personality, a man well versed in communicating with the public, but who was seen as divisive and warmongering by some, and revered by others for standing up to what we now know, following the fall of Communism, really was an Evil Empire. Whether you love Mr Trump or loathe him, there can be little doubt that The Trump Effect has increased the interest in American politics among Britons.

I must admit that, as a person who has always taken an interest in politics, it is both fascinating and inspiring to see so many Americans being so enthusiastic about taking part in the governance of their nation. On both the Left and the Right of American politics, for these Mid Terms there appears to have been a great deal of public engagement and interest in the electoral process, the policies and personalities of the candidates. The scandals, foot in mouth incidents and character of each individual candidate are all being minutely examined in the US media and avidly discussed among ordinary Americans on social media. It is a wonderful thing to see a country’s citizenry so engaged and enthusiastic when choosing those who will occupy their legislature.

I look at the enthusiasm that Americans appear to have for their political process and I wish that sometimes that enthusiasm, that knowledge that the result, for both sides of the political divide, mattered on the ground, was also shown by Britons over the way that we are governed. For election after election, the only party that seems to have ‘won’ any election is what I call The Apathy Party. Electoral turnouts are often less than they should be, with the 2015 UK General Election only getting 66.1% turnout. That’s not a record low by any means, but does indicate that there is a worrying apathy among Britons over how we are governed. The Apathy Party also does well in local elections, with turnouts rarely getting above 60% for the last English local council elections and in one case I noticed in Tidworth in Wiltshire, only 18% of the eligible voters could be bothered to get off their arses and vote. These are, to my mind, shameful figures for the subjects of a nation that contains the Mother of Parliaments.

It should worry anyone who is concerned for the future of Britain that so many people are so apathetic about how they are governed. This apathy, the false and dangerous reasoning expressed by too many of those I encounter that ‘politics has nothing to do with me’, is why we end up with rubbish politicians, who do not put the interests of the majority of the people first. Low turnouts and lack of interest in politics means that it is only the motivated, the ideologically driven and those who can marshal together communal voting groups who choose who rules us all. This is why we have ended up with motivated, cynical, ideologically driven political representatives, rather than those who act as good political stewards for their areas or the whole nation. It is why politicians end up pandering to whatever niche interest group, whether that is ideological or religious, that they know will reliably turn out to vote them in. This is how London ended up with the appalling Sadiq Khan, the Apathy Party stayed at home, whilst the motivated ones trooped off to the polling station.

I would love it if the enthusiasm that Americans are showing for their politics transferred to this side of the pond. We should have people avidly discussing who governs us, in pubs and in cafes and wherever Britons gather, whether that is in real life or online. A massive increase in British enthusiasm, and by extension electoral turnout, in discussing who governs us and how we are governed, would be a good thing in my view. I believe that it would help to make the electoral process truly representative of the nation as a whole and not merely as it can be at present, representative of those who can be bothered to vote. Maybe the increased interest that is being shown among Britons in the process and outcome of the US Midterms, could also herald an increased interest in how we are governed. I do hope so. I would rather see people treating politics as a blood sport, than treating it with ambivalence or indifference, politics matters to all of us.

I will make no predictions for the US Mid Terms, because the situation appears to me so volatile from what I can gather from my reading. It’s real edge of the seat stuff, that is gripping because some electoral races are close and others not so close. Whatever the outcome that the American people choose in these elections, I would like to say to Americans that you are taking part in an election that has garnered much interest over here, which hopefully will inspire Britons to take much more of an interest in the politics of our own nation. Thank you America for showing us that who is in charge is important.