As a young voter, I’d always gone with Labour. Not this time

I’ve not abandoned the socialist ideology of the Labour Party. I would argue that the Labour Party has

“You can tell which wing of the Labour Party someone is from, whether they’re voting for the Liberal Democrats or the Greens on Thursday.”

So said a tweet late last week, from a longtime Labour friend of mine.

They were totally right. Friends of mine to the right of the Labour Party voted Liberal Democrat. For my part, I wanted to unequivocally back a people’s vote, whilst honouring left-wing, socialist values, so I voted for the Greens.

I backed Labour in both 2015 and 2017, and have been a vocal supporter of the party for a number of years, so I can’t pretend it didn’t feel odd not backing them this time around.

I believe in the values of the Labour Party – from its education policy to its anti-austerity message – and I still feel the party represents me.

I’ve not abandoned the socialist ideology of the Labour Party. I would argue that the Labour Party has abandoned it with its stance on Brexit up until this point.

But in these European elections, where the only issue and the only thing that mattered was its answer to the Brexit question, I, like so many others, simply couldn’t vote Labour.

Whilst Farage’s hard-right Brexit Party did slightly less well than expected, the other big winners of the night were the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats.

It’s obvious why. When the public asked about their position on Brexit, their answer was simple and clear: a people’s vote.

The Lib Dems ended up with a total of 15 MEPs, a massive increase of 14, since 2014. They topped the polls in London and their cheeky messaging of “Bollocks to Brexit” cut through.

And the Greens didn’t just do well across the United Kingdom but across the entirety of Europe.

Early results early on Monday showed Green parties in France, Germany (where they got 20 per cent of the total vote!) and elsewhere came fourth in the European Elections with 70 seats in total, an increase of 18 compared to 2014.

As more and more social democratic parties across Europe continue to struggle, and the climate crisis continues to dominate the political agenda, I would expect this upward trend to continue.

Back at home, the Greens now have 7 MEPs, an increase of four – including one in my home region of Yorkshire and Humberside, in the guise of Sheffield’s former mayor and social media celebrity Magid Mah.

Magid, as much as anyone, has always been clear that Brexit is harmful for young people, and divisive for the country.

Young people like me respond to that message, and have found a home away from Labour in several smaller parties, as Brexit becomes a pivot point in an intergenerational culture war.

Conservative politicians (when you can find one today) will try and tell you that the horrible European election results were a verdict on their inability to deliver Brexit. Good luck to them trying to out-Brexit the Brexit Party.

But for parties on the progressive side of British politics, there is only one way forward. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but as last night showed, it’s the electorally smart thing to do as well.

Alice Dee is a campaigner and member of For our Future’s Sake, a student and youth-led group, supporting a public vote on the Brexit deal