On both sides of the Atlantic, the political class seems preoccupied with selling the idea that people's votes really matter. In the aftermath of the US election, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, Al Gore, insisted that his demand for recounting ballots in Florida was motivated by the belief that every vote must count. America is getting an important lesson in civics', was how one commentator depicted the legal battle. British politicians have also embarked on a mission to get people to vote.
New Labour presents the act of voting as an heroic gesture with deep moral connotations.
Thank you for voting for change' was the theme of a recent advertising campaign and a series of meetings addressed by prime minister Tony Blair. The purpose of this thankyou offensive is to send the signal that the party bosses are not taking Labour voters for granted. New Labour politicians even accuse the Tories of encouraging public cynicism about voting. Peter Mandelson has warned that the Conservatives are spreading cynicism to stop Labour voters from turning out at elections. According to the story spun by New Labour propagandists, the Tories are cynically pretending to have given up on winning the next election in order to lull Labour voters into a sense of complacency, so that they don't bother to vote.