Young people, with days left to register, you could dominate this election

Radical times call for radical measures. It’s been said before, but worth repeating. This general election is like no other. Its outcome is as yet undecided; its consequences far-reaching.

Multiple parties have been duking it out across many different constituencies. Alliances have been planned, implemented and called off, at short notice.

Not for a generation has there been such a clear cultural divide on values between the main parties, who hope their leaders will be prime minister.

And that’s before we get to the question of Brexit. It might be credibly claimed that this election is less about a long-term programme for government and more about whether the country gives Boris Johnson a parliamentary majority to deliver his disastrous deal.

Many of the students I represent at Bath University, and young leaders across the country, are rightly confused and worried about what this election could bring and what they can do.

For Our Future’s Sake, a youth and student-led movement campaigning for a Final Say referendum – a group of which I’m proud to be a part – has some solutions.

Firstly, and most obviously: register to vote. You have until 11.59pm on Tuesday 26 November, to ensure that you can actually have your voice heard.

As has been reported in recent days, record numbers of young people and students have been taking that opportunity with both hands.

But once you’ve made sure you get to have your say, how can you use it to the best effect?

The reality is that this election is where young people and students need to put party allegiances aside to deliver a Final Say referendum.

The Brexiteers are already doing this, with Farage promising to not field Brexit Party candidates in any of the 317 held Conservative Party seats.

This might not be comfortable for some people, but we too have to ensure we give ourselves the best chance of winning.

That means in places like Canterbury (with multiple universities and colleges), long-term Liberal Democrat supporters should be backing pro-people’s vote Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who currently has a majority of 187.

In St Albans, near the University of Hertfordshire, polling shows that the Liberal Democrat candidate Daisy Cooper will be best placed to take on incumbent Brexiteer Anne Main.

For Our Future’s Sake – based on cutting-edge analysis of public polling – will be making surgical interventions into key constituencies such as Canterbury and St Albans, where they can make all the difference.

I know there will be long-term members and supporters of political parties who find this message difficult to swallow. But we need to push for change.

This general election certainly could have radical consequences for young people and students across the United Kingdom. And therefore we need to be radical in our response.

Eve Alcock is president of Bath University Students’ Union and an activist with For Our Future’s Sake