The crude nature of this coalition’s relentless pursuit of the so-called “grey vote” (pensioners) has sent a message to the British public: those who cast their vote are rewarded. Those who don’t – the “lost voters” – pay the price.
In 2010, 76 per cent of all pensioners in the UK turned out at the ballot box, compared to 65 per cent of the electorate overall and just 44 per cent of 18-to-24-year-olds. While the Tories have showered the grey vote with electoral treasures in an attempt to woo them, tuition fees have been trebled and the Education Maintenance Allowance, a scheme that once acted as a safety net for students from lower-income backgrounds, has been abolished.
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