The Political Crisis In Europe Research Assignment (Essay Sample)

The political crisis in Europe
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Introduction
In the recent days, Europe has been experiencing a decline in participation to matters involving political activities in various countries. For instance, in the United Kingdom, there has been a sharp decline in people who vote in general elections (Patie & Johnston, 1998). During the previous general election, it was estimated that only 58 percent of the citizens participated in the elections (Evans &Norris, 1999). This was the worst recording of voter turnout since the United Kingdom begun conducting its elections in 1918 (Evans &Norris, 1999). Both the political class and the general public are in confusion on the current political situation affecting Europe, the cause of the problem and the possibilities that may arise in future.
There has been a puzzle as to whether the education system and the media are doing more harm than good to the political arena (Dalton, 2013). For instance, in ancient days during the days of our ancestors, there were less educated people and they participated fully in the electoral process. The turnout during that time was high and the level at which they showcased political solidarity was immense. Also, the only places they converged to listen to manifestos were public gatherings. Currently, a majority of the people are continuously shying off from political matters. Instead, they have resulted to flex their muscles and air their views on media platforms (McLeod, Scheufele & Moy, 1999).
Electoral process
According to a survey conducted recently, it reveals that in the early 1980s, nearly half of the populated were inadequate of formal education (Barnes & Kaase, 1979). The survey further depicts that these numbers are shifting and the number of people who lack formal education is less than a quarter of the general population. For instance, the number of graduates has also increased by double raising the percentage to 70 percent of the population that holds a bachelor’s degree (Heath & Topf, 1986). Britain has experienced many developments in the education system. Such include affordability of the tuition fees, flexible classes and e-learning (Evans &Norris, 1999). Such events have made many civilians to get educated.
The table below shows the trends that have happened in the education system in the past two decades.
Fig. 1
The voter turnout based on gender, academic qualifications and age
Year

2000-2004

2005-2009

2010-2014

Gender

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Bachelor’s degree

62%

60%

60%

52%

44%

46%

No qualification

73%

66%

70%

62%

55%

56%

The elderly

80%

69%

76%

65%

60%

64%

The youths

65%

60%

55%

60%

42%

48%

The population sample used was about 4500 respondents, and it spread across all regions in the United Kingdom. From the figures, it was evident that voting trends are changing drastically (Evans &Norris, 1999). In the early 2000 many graduates participated in the process (Theocharis, 2011). However, as the year's progress, there is a sharp decline in their voting trends. The males are more affected by the decline more than female counterparts. The results also show that those with minimal qualifications have been consistent in participating in the electoral process. Also, it was noted that more youths were affected more than the older folks (Theocharis, 2011). According to the statistics, the numbers are likely to increase given that education is becoming cheap and more accessible in many parts.
As depicted from the table above, we can establish the relation between elections and education. There those who argue that the educated are tired of the popular majority who vote in leaders lacking credentials (Franklin, 2002). Others insinuate that the numbers of uneducated people running for public offices are many with their folks who fall in the category voting for them immensely. Well, the majority of the educated candidates lack the techniques of appealing to illiterate who are the majority voters. The majority of the educated are phlegmatic relay personalities who believe in facts and facts (Theocharis, 2011). For instance, when they start selling their manifestos to the public, they appear laborious, unrealistic and lack the sense of humor. On the other hand, their counterparts, who are endowed with sanguine traits, outsmart them by appealing to the public through their charismatic skills.
Public policies
In a liberal democracy, there exist several processes that the citizens are supposed to participate. For instance, residents are eligible to sign petitions in case they are not satisfied with the person who is being elected (Bromley, Curtice & Seyd, 2001). They should monitor the elections and report any malpractice to the authorities. However, this is not the case in the United Kingdom (Evans &Norris, 1999). The citizens and mostly the youths in the United Kingdom have exonerated themselves from public activities making it difficult for the few to scrutinize those who get elected into public offices.
It has also been established that there are fewer concerns on collaboration with the media. In as much as the youths are actively engrossed in social media platforms, they lack a solid voice to air their grievances. What they relay are sideshows and personal satisfactions. Hardly do they contribute to ideas and topics affecting society. It has been the old faces getting recycled on influencing decision making even in media platforms where they are the best fit (Dalton, 2013). They should also participate in protests but rarely will you find educated fellows on the streets. However, what is being experienced in the European countries is a mockery of democracy.
There exists lots of stereotyping in a society where the educated folks are seen as reluctant and passive to socialization. Many uneducated people view these educated civilians as the ‘educated fools’ who cannot grasps leadership roles and move the state forward (Inglehart, 1990). Such stereotyped personalities view the engagements in the society as a waste of time. On the other hand, the educated associate those who participate in such events as uneducated. This stereotyping has impacted heavily on the youths. Most youths are shying from engaging in social politics (Dalton, 2013). They feel that airing their personal views will not alter how the society acts. In addition, they don’t take a step ahead to exercise their rights fully by casting votes, engaging in street protests or even petitioning harmful laws and acts administered to them (Pattie & Johnston, 1998). As a result, there have been very minimal political activities in Europe for the past one decade and the repercussions are likely to increase given that more youths are getting educated.
According to Dalton (2013), he insinuates that the silent educated classes are likely to erupt in the future. It is evident that these educated are tired of the traditional methods of governing people in society. Getting passive in social matters depicts various implications and the current administration should be a worried lot. For instance, it can be guessed that they have either lost hope or they are getting armed for a revolution. It is believed that one day more than three-quarter of the population in Europe and especially in the United Kingdom will become educated (Pattie & Johnston, 1998). As that happens, there is the likelihood that the rules may change very soon. For instance, only qualified personnel will be allowed to run for office. Those w...