PEOPLE in Midsomer Norton have spoken of their apathy ahead of the General Election with one person stating “it means nothing.”

The Journal approached people who live or work in the town to ask what their local and national priorities are, with many appearing disengaged and unwilling to comment about the poll on July 4.

The lack of interest locally appears to reflect the national picture as reported by the Independent, which claims Britain could face its lowest turnout in modern history, with a study by Techne UK revealing that 20 per cent of people decided not to vote halfway through the election campaign.

One person who spoke to the Journal, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: “If I genuinely believed anything would change I would vote, but I don’t think it will, so I won’t. To be honest I wouldn't even know where to start when it comes to politics.”

Another responded: “Why would I want to talk about any of that ****, it’s means nothing.”

Another person approached on High Street added: “I guess the main change I’m looking for is honesty and integrity, but I think that’s a bit too much to ask. So, I think we need someone with personal skills, some kind of appeal, and the ability to lead whatever party sensibly and with the people in mind."

Shaun Hughes, an independent candidate for the Frome and East Somerset constituency, says candidates should focus on their own commitments and make them relevant to local issues.

He said: “The negative campaigning by political parties constantly attacking each other is turning voters away from politics, and the daily horse trading over who will cut taxes and spend more on public services has made it difficult to believe that any of the parties have a viable plan.”

Dom Chambers, CEO of Sound Vision, a charity which works with young people, claims there is a “real void” of ideas among political parties.

He said: “Starting with the national situation, it seems to me that we have been through a period of unstable governments in a political climate where there aren’t any ideas. We seem to have a management government rather than leadership government.

“Coming out of the 2024 General Election, I would like to see the return of ideas. Growing up in the 1980s, love her or hate her, Margaret Thatcher stood for something. Labour stood for something in those days. There is a real void of ideas now.”