Where Did All the Passion Go?

Words like ‘Freedom’ and ‘Privacy’ can ignite passions and rally people to a cause; they represent concepts that we intuitively identify as right and good (although they are often rather nebulous and ill-defined ideals).

During the early 1800s, in the United Kingdom, ‘Democracy’ was one such word. We were a country deeply divided along class and geographic fault lines about what constituted a ‘democratic’ society. On one side the Chartists demanded sweeping reforms, whilst the establishment held on to centuries' old traditions of class and privilege. The chartist movement was grass-roots political activism and upheaval of an intensity seldom seen in this land before or since. It was through the bloody and painful events of this period that the way was paved for many of the practices and principals of our modern system of democracy. Among the ‘radical’ Chartist demands: a vote for every man over the age of 21 and a secret ballot. In places Chartism erupted into riots and violence; in one location a Chartist militia even rose up and fought a pitched battle against Queen’s troops.

Fast forward 173 years, and again history is made; for the first time ever a British polling station reported a zero voter turnout.

How ironic that the scene of this second piece of history should occur just down the road from that Chartist uprising; both within the modern city of Newport in South Wales.

On the 4th of November 1839, Chartist leader John Frost led a march on the Westgate Hotel in Newport to free imprisoned Chartists. The hotel was (unbeknown to the Chartists) defended by a detachment of around 35 soldiers of the 45th (Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot, reinforced by local ‘special constables’. The Chartists vastly outnumbered the defenders and were armed, but with mostly home made weapons. The troops had the advantage in firepower, tactics and a fortified position. None the less the Chartists, holding true to their convictions, joined in a battle; the scars of which are borne by the building to this day. The hopelessly lopsided battle lasted only half an hour. The Chartists were routed and around 20 of their number lay dead or dying, a further 50 were wounded. Of the defenders only 4 were wounded (1 soldier and 3 civilians).



For many years the Newport town square has carried the name of John Frost, but soon it is to become ‘the Friars Walk development’ (ie a shopping centre), the Chartist mural (pictured above) to be removed. It seems then that the legacy of John Frost and the Chartists is to be forgotten. I predict no riot; apathy rules in the City of Newport over our past political passions, as well as our future direction.

History has shown that a garrison of redcoats armed with muskets isn’t up to the task of standing between the people of Newport and their right to free elections... so what kept the Newportonians from the polls in 2012, and how do we bring them back?

Newport West MP, the Rt. Hon. Paul Flynn (who has an excellent record of voting in Parliament) said that a lack of trust in politics and lack of confidence in politicians generally [was a factor]. After the endless scandals (MPs expenses, cash for honours and so on) a bid to reignite the passions of old is probably futile, so perhaps a different approach is called for?

Consider the poppy appeal; most of us wore a poppy and observed a silence on Armistice day, out of respect for those who have died for our freedoms. Rarely is link to a specific right and freedom as direct and clear as with those who laid down their lives in the Newport uprising, but even so fewer than 3 in 20 of us took that more meaningful step of going to the polls.

Why do so many go to the trouble and expense of getting a poppy but not to vote? There are many reasons, of course; however I would speculate that poppies being easily available is a factor. We now live in a society of convenience; 24 hour shops, on-demand entertainment and online services. Expectations of how and, crucially, when we communicate our views, have shifted massively over the last two decades, but the mechanics of our elections (ie gathering paper ballots at fixed locations over a 15 hour window) have remained the same for many years. Perhaps this is the alarm call for a change?