A US President once said: “The Ballot is stronger than the Bullet,” (Abraham Lincoln) and how powerful this quote has proved to be in the recent years as the bullet is aimed in the direction only determined by the government of the day.
The irritating reality is that anti-politics is now reaching the stage where the public wants a politician to say: “We don’t know much about politics but we will help solve your problems.” The fact that young voters want ‘straight talking’ politicians is understandable. But this must be achieved in a more prudent way.
As a student, there are many issues that would shape my decision to elect a specific party when dropping my vote in the ballot box, such as education and crime. However, the decision is not an easy one, as it is hard to tell how honest the party leaders will prove to be in practice.
Much of the party policies are easier said than done. An example of this is the Tories 
incorporating their fight to tackle forced marriages as part of their campaign. With Britain’s rule of law (no one, including the Sovereign is above the law) and forced marriage Acts proving to be unsuccessful, this promise requires stronger preventative measures to be taken rather than mere words of assurances.
While some might use ‘tactical voting’ to vote for their least sincere preference in order to save the party with the most votes from winning, many people would feel safer in voting for the party they have always voted for and follow suit this time round as well.
However, with around four million young people becoming eligible to vote since 2005, it is uncertain how many actually avail the opportunity.
A recent survey revealed that the religious vote could be ‘critical’ in making or breaking a party’s election dreams, where it was highlighted that despite the Iraq war and anti-terror legislations, over half of Muslims intend to vote for the Labour party, as they were thought to be the friendliest towards Muslims. However, the survey also showed that most of these people would not vote.
As a member of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I believe that interculturalism and religious integration is the basis for community cohesion in Britain and it is, therefore, important to cast your vote for someone who is independently able to respect your beliefs and guarantee your rights as a British citizen for a secure society, not being influenced by our European counterparts.
We are living in a world in which politics replaces personal responsibility. Lets hope that whichever party wins, the majority vote aims its bullet towards trust and accountability.
