‘I can’t see a bright future’: under-30s on politics and voting in UK elections
-Some are optimistic about a change of government after the next general election, while others are frustrated at the choices

“我看不到光明的未來(lái)”：30歲以下的人對(duì)英國(guó)選舉的政治和投票的看法
——一些人對(duì)下屆大選后的政府更迭持樂(lè)觀態(tài)度，而另一些人則對(duì)這些選擇感到沮喪
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（Thomas Phillips, from Salford, Greater Manchester, is primarily focused on ‘getting the Tories out’.）

（來(lái)自大曼徹斯特索爾福德的托馬斯·菲利普斯主要致力于“把保守黨趕出去”。）
新聞：

Joshua Holmes, 29, from Barton Hill, Bristol, went out to vote in the local elections on Thursday afternoon.

周四下午，來(lái)自布里斯托爾巴頓山的29歲的約書(shū)亞·霍姆斯出去參加地方選舉投票。

“The polling station was pretty quiet,” he said. “I was probably the youngest person there, and the only person in my shared house that voted.”

“投票站相當(dāng)安靜，”他說(shuō)。“我可能是那里最年輕的人，也是我們合租的房子里唯一一個(gè)投票的人?！?/b>

He had registered as a voter a little over a month ago, and had not been aware that an election was taking place this week until a couple of days ago.

他在一個(gè)多月前登記為選民，直到幾天前才知道本周將舉行選舉。

“I had to be quite proactive to register to vote,” he said. “Nobody prompted me to do it, and two of my housemates said they’d have liked to vote, but weren’t registered.

他說(shuō)：“我必須非常積極主動(dòng)地登記投票。沒(méi)有人鼓勵(lì)我這么做，我的兩個(gè)室友說(shuō)他們想投票，但沒(méi)有登記。

“We had one leaflet from the Green party through the door last month, but that’s it. This is probably the poorest area in Bristol I’ve lived in and we haven’t received anything else about the election.”

“上個(gè)月我們收到了綠黨的一張傳單，但僅此而已。這可能是我在布里斯托爾住過(guò)的最貧窮的地區(qū)，我們還沒(méi)有收到任何關(guān)于選舉的消息?！?/b>

Holmes, who has a higher education diploma in computer science, has been unemployed for about 10 years, primarily, he said, because of poor mental health.

霍姆斯擁有計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)的高等教育文憑，他已經(jīng)失業(yè)大約10年了，他說(shuō)，主要是因?yàn)樾睦斫】禒顩r不佳。

“I’m definitely excited for the general election,” he said. “I was a big Corbyn fan, and now I’m a big Starmer fan. Despite some of his U-turns, it feels like he will change a lot of things in this country for the better.”

“我對(duì)大選感到非常興奮，”他說(shuō)?！拔以?jīng)是科爾賓的忠實(shí)粉絲，現(xiàn)在我是斯塔默的忠實(shí)粉絲。盡管他有一些180度大轉(zhuǎn)彎，但感覺(jué)他會(huì)讓這個(gè)國(guó)家的很多事情變得更好。”
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Holmes was among scores of people under 30 who told the Guardian whether they intended to vote in UK elections this year, and how they felt about voting generally.

霍姆斯是許多告訴《衛(wèi)報(bào)》他們是否打算在今年的英國(guó)大選中投票，以及他們對(duì)投票的總體看法的30歲以下的人中的一員。

While many young people who got in touch said they would definitely cast their ballots locally and nationally, many also said they were unimpressed with the political choices on offer, with a number saying they were unlikely to vote, undecided whether they would bother, or unsure whom to vote for.

雖然許多聯(lián)系上的年輕人表示，他們肯定會(huì)在地方和全國(guó)參加投票，但許多人也表示，他們對(duì)提供的政治選擇不感興趣，一些人說(shuō)他們不太可能投票，不知道是否會(huì)麻煩，或者不確定投票給誰(shuí)。

Scores of people said they were frustrated by how similar Labour and the Conservatives seemed to be in their plans for the country, such as Alexandra, 25, who works in finance and lives in London.

許多人表示，他們對(duì)工黨和保守黨在國(guó)家規(guī)劃上的相似之處感到沮喪，比如25歲的亞歷山德拉，她在金融行業(yè)工作，住在倫敦。

“I never thought it would be a question as to whether I would vote or not,” she said.

她說(shuō)：“我從沒(méi)想過(guò)我會(huì)不會(huì)投票會(huì)成為一個(gè)問(wèn)題。

“However, I am so disillusioned and angry with our party leaders and MPs that I am now contemplating the effect my vote will actually have. I can’t really see a bright future for our country, economy and public services, no matter who gets in.”

“然而，我對(duì)我們政黨的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人和議員感到失望和憤怒，我現(xiàn)在正在考慮我的投票實(shí)際會(huì)產(chǎn)生什么影響。無(wú)論誰(shuí)當(dāng)選，我都看不到我們國(guó)家、經(jīng)濟(jì)和公共服務(wù)的光明未來(lái)?！?/b>

The one-bedroom flat Alexandra is renting with her partner costs ￡1,625 a month, plus bills. Despite having a healthy gross annual income and being able to save a bit each month towards a mortgage, she is actively contemplating moving to Canada or New Zealand.

亞歷山德拉和她的伴侶租住的一居室公寓每月花費(fèi)1625英鎊，外加各種賬單。盡管她的年收入相當(dāng)可觀，而且每個(gè)月還能省下一些錢(qián)來(lái)償還抵押貸款，但她正在積極考慮搬到加拿大或新西蘭。

“No matter how much people try to make a living here, it’s futile, there are so many roadblocks,” she said. “We can’t afford living costs or houses, nothing is done about climate change, we’re forced to use private healthcare if we want to see a doctor. Fifty per cent of my friends have moved abroad, and the rest are actively thinking about it.

“不管有多少人想在這里謀生，都是徒勞的，障礙太多了，”她說(shuō)。“我們負(fù)擔(dān)不起生活費(fèi)用和住房，對(duì)氣候變化什么也不做，如果我們想看醫(yī)生，我們被迫使用私人醫(yī)療機(jī)構(gòu)。我的朋友中有一半已經(jīng)移居國(guó)外，其余的人正在積極考慮。

“I’m tending towards not voting. Even the Labour party is too detached from the concerns of young people, and nothing will change enough to have a real impact on our lives. We’re just not heard by the parties.”

“我傾向于不投票。即使是工黨也太過(guò)脫離年輕人的關(guān)注，任何改變都不足以對(duì)我們的生活產(chǎn)生真正的影響。各方都沒(méi)有聽(tīng)到我們的聲音?！?/b>

A few respondents said they were not going to vote because of Keir Starmer’s stance on a ceasefire in Gaza.

一些受訪者表示，他們不會(huì)投票是因?yàn)閯P爾·斯塔摩在加沙?；饐?wèn)題上的立場(chǎng)。

Ethan, 28, an insurance representative from Newcastle, was one of many who bemoaned the electoral system for effectively forcing voters to choose between the two main parties.

28歲的伊森是紐卡斯?fàn)柕囊幻ｋU(xiǎn)代表，他是許多人抱怨選舉制度實(shí)際上迫使選民在兩個(gè)主要政黨之間做出選擇的人之一。

“I’m not going to vote,” he said. “In the last few elections I have voted Lib Dem as I truly believed they would make the biggest difference. However, I’m no longer going to delude myself into thinking that voting anything but Labour or Conservative will actually affect anything.”

“我不會(huì)投票，”他說(shuō)。“在過(guò)去的幾次選舉中，我一直投票給自由民主黨，因?yàn)槲艺娴南嘈潘麄儠?huì)帶來(lái)最大的改變。然而，我不會(huì)再欺騙自己，認(rèn)為投票給工黨或保守黨以外的任何黨派都會(huì)產(chǎn)生任何影響?！?/b>

Annie Wyatt, 28, who works in human resources and lives in Ipswich, said the effective two-party system was one of her concerns, too. But Wyatt is convinced her vote can make a difference, and she has voted in every local and national election that she has been eligible to.

28歲的安妮·懷亞特在人力資源部門(mén)工作，住在伊普斯維奇。她說(shuō)，實(shí)際上的兩黨制也是她擔(dān)心的問(wèn)題之一。但懷亞特相信她的一票能帶來(lái)改變，她在每一次有資格參加的地方和全國(guó)選舉中都投了票。

“It’s not ideal that it’s a two-party race, regardless of how promising the other choices may be.

“兩黨競(jìng)爭(zhēng)是不理想的，不管其他選擇有多有希望。

“But in my mind, voting is a civic responsibility. Voter turnout in Ipswich was 65.6% in the last general election, and historically the area has switched between Labour and Conservative, so I definitely feel that every vote matters.”

“但在我看來(lái)，投票是一種公民責(zé)任。在上次大選中，伊普斯維奇的投票率為65.6%，從歷史上看，該地區(qū)在工黨和保守黨之間搖擺不定，所以我絕對(duì)覺(jué)得每一張選票都很重要?！?/b>

Although she will vote for Labour, she said the party’s offering so far had not exactly swept her off her feet.

盡管她將投票給工黨，但她表示，工黨的提議到目前為止還沒(méi)有完全讓她傾心。

“They’re not as great as I’d like them to be, but what’s the alternative? One of the biggest concerns I have is the voting apathy within my social circles.

“它們并不像我希望的那么好，但還有什么別的選擇呢？我最大的擔(dān)憂之一是我社交圈里的投票冷漠。

“I have two siblings of voting age who have never voted. I tell them all the time to sign up for a postal ballot, but then they aren’t sure who to vote for because they find it intimidating to engage and keep up with political news.”

“我有兩個(gè)兄弟姐妹到了投票年齡，但他們從來(lái)沒(méi)有投過(guò)票。我總是告訴他們報(bào)名參加郵寄投票，但他們不確定該投誰(shuí)的票，因?yàn)樗麄冇X(jué)得參與和關(guān)注政治新聞是很恐怖的事。”
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For 22-year-old Thomas Phillips, a teaching assistant from Salford, there is no question that he will vote, but he feels fairly convinced that few things will change for the better.

22歲的托馬斯·菲利普斯是索爾福德的一名助教，毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)他會(huì)投票，但他相當(dāng)確信，情況不會(huì)好轉(zhuǎn)。

“I am planning to vote in both the local elections and the upcoming general election, but I don’t believe it makes a difference,” he said.

他說(shuō)：“我計(jì)劃在地方選舉和即將舉行的議會(huì)選舉中都投票，但我不認(rèn)為這有什么不同?！?/b>

“I’m concerned with pretty much everything in this country at the minute.

“我現(xiàn)在關(guān)心這個(gè)國(guó)家的幾乎每一件事。

“It seems that Labour are hellbent on disappointing, but it can’t be worse than the current lot. The cancellation of HS2 to Manchester was the perfect metaphor for the lack of ambition the UK has for itself.

“工黨似乎一心想讓人失望，但它不會(huì)比目前的情況更糟。取消通往曼徹斯特的HS2計(jì)劃是英國(guó)缺乏雄心的完美隱喻。

“I won’t be able to afford to have kids until my mid- to late 30s, and worry if I will be priced out of Manchester as it is getting increasingly more expensive.”

“我要到35歲左右才能有能力生孩子，而且我擔(dān)心曼徹斯特的房?jī)r(jià)會(huì)越來(lái)越貴，我是否會(huì)被趕出這里?！?/b>

He hopes that Labour will prioritise building more social housing in central locations, tackling the climate crisis and saving the NHS.

他希望工黨能優(yōu)先考慮在中心地區(qū)建造更多的社會(huì)住房，解決氣候危機(jī)，拯救國(guó)民健康保險(xiǎn)制度。

“I’d also like Labour to nationalise the utility companies and national rail, do HS2, and move closer to Europe again, but I’m not expecting much. It’s more about getting the Tories out than getting Labour in.”

“我還希望工黨將公用事業(yè)公司和國(guó)家鐵路國(guó)有化，建設(shè)HS2，并再次靠近歐洲，但我不抱太多期望。更重要的是把保守黨趕出去，而不是讓工黨上臺(tái)。”

A 27-year-old software engineer from London who wanted to stay anonymous said: “I’m registered, but will only vote if I have time on the day.

一位不愿透露姓名的27歲倫敦軟件工程師說(shuō)：“我已經(jīng)注冊(cè)了，但我只會(huì)在當(dāng)天有時(shí)間的時(shí)候投票。

“I don’t feel looked at or represented in their policies. I feel like our government – whether it’s Labour or Tory – tends to [continue] doing the same thing and staying the course. As a country we’re not forward thinking.”

“我覺(jué)得他們的政策沒(méi)有關(guān)注我，也沒(méi)有代表我。我覺(jué)得我們的政府——無(wú)論是工黨還是保守黨——都傾向于（繼續(xù)）做同樣的事情，并堅(jiān)持到底。作為一個(gè)國(guó)家，我們沒(méi)有前瞻性思維?！?/b>

She added: “Until our government starts really thinking about how to improve our quality of life, perhaps by looking at what other countries do, I’ll feel like voting won’t do anything.”

她補(bǔ)充說(shuō)：“除非我們的政府開(kāi)始真正考慮如何改善我們的生活質(zhì)量，也許可以借鑒其他國(guó)家的做法，否則我覺(jué)得投票不會(huì)有任何作用?！?/b>

Kat, 21, from Kent, who is about to complete her English literature degree and is looking for a full-time graduate job, feels a bit more hopeful.

21歲的凱特來(lái)自肯特郡，即將完成她的英國(guó)文學(xué)學(xué)位，正在尋找一份全職的研究生工作，她覺(jué)得更有希望了。

“I’m registered to vote and I’m planning to vote Labour.

““我已經(jīng)登記投票了，我打算投工黨的票。

“I have the maximum student maintenance loan, my family home is rented, my father relies on Pip payments since a brain injury last year caused him to have a life-changing disability.

“我有最高額度的學(xué)生維持貸款，家里的房子是租來(lái)的，我父親自從去年腦損傷導(dǎo)致終身殘疾后，就一直依賴(lài)Pip的資助。

“I don’t feel that Labour policies go far enough, such as on climate change. A lot of them have been watered down, but I understand why they have done that. For me, and all of my social circle, voting Conservative is unconscionable.

“我覺(jué)得工黨的政策不夠深入，比如在氣候變化方面。它們中的許多都被淡化了，但我理解他們?yōu)槭裁催@樣做。對(duì)我和我所有的社交圈來(lái)說(shuō)，投票給保守黨是不合情理的。

“Many of us have very small aspirations: earning enough money to not worry about budgeting a food shop, being able to rent without it crippling our finances, not having to choose between heat and electricity.

“我們中的許多人都有非常小的愿望：賺到足夠的錢(qián)，不用擔(dān)心食品商店的預(yù)算，能夠租房而不會(huì)影響我們的經(jīng)濟(jì)狀況，不必在暖氣和用電之間做出選擇。

“I really do hope Labour will be able to drag us out of this untenable pit.”

“我真的希望工黨能夠把我們從這個(gè)無(wú)法立足的坑里拖出來(lái)。”

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