“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” Shakespeare wrote these words over 400 years ago, yet they still ring true today. In the last few decades, our politics has seen the emergence of politicians whose role is to paint themselves as a figurehead that both defies the status quo whilst simultaneously reaffirming it. Concurrently, the reality we face is increasingly distorted by the emergence of AI and deepfakes. As such, the truth has become a relic of the past. We, as citizens, face the paradoxical contradiction of both having all the world’s knowledge at our fingertips whilst also possessing the ability to distort objective truth into the lies that we deem fit, comfortably fitting our ideologies into our own definition of the truth, like a dog chasing after its own tail.
This is nothing new, we know this. Intellectuals have defined the era we live in as the “post-truth” era. You may ask yourselves what this has to do with youth politics and participation. The reality is that young people are tired. They are tired of the same old scripts and the clean-cut politicians who promised them prosperity and opportunities. In other words, the leaders who promised us that their vision of the future would become true and then failed to fulfill it. This year alone has seen the largest drop in graduate hiring, with over 1.2 million graduates competing for under 17,000 graduate vacancies. Young people are also facing the highest cost of living in decades, with over 9 out of 10 young adults living with their parents in the UK facing costs of nearly half their income if they moved out. It is undeniable that young people’s lives are becoming increasingly harder, in a generation that had promised them unparalleled access to opportunities and self-fulfillment. In 1995, Bill Gates famously referred to the internet as a “tidal wave” and an incredible opportunity and challenge. In 2025, former Prime Minister Tony Blair declared AI will spark “revolutionary change”. Over 30 years have passed and we are still dancing to the same melody, though it may appear the track has changed.
Populism and Followers
Our present cultural shift has opened the gap to a new kind of populist leader. The truth is that when people lose trust in the old script, they want to rip the script apart. And the populist leader has come to represent the rupture of the status quo. But history is a stark reminder that there is nothing new under the sun. Though it may appear that they have done away with the old script, these populist leaders have just repeated the old one, hoping no one remembers it. It was only 50 years ago that thousands marched in support of Enoch Powell after he delivered the Rivers of Blood Speech. Fast forward to today and 100,000 marched in support of the very same far-right ideology, but this time, being addressed by the likes of Tommy Robinson. As Mark Twain very neatly said: “History doesn’t repeat itself but if often rhymes” and right now, we are facing the cliched structure of a nursery rhyme.
Over 52% of Gen Z believe “the UK would be a better place if a strong leader was in charge who does not have to bother with parliament and elections”, a Channel 4 study revealed. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that we are seeing a great drop in youth participation and when young people do show up, we are seeing unprecedented pivots to the far right. Reform UK has now doubled the youth support received in comparison to its competitors, around 17% among 18-24 year olds compared to 9%. Critics may argue that it is contradictory that I propose youth participation should be increased in democracy, given they are to an extent driving part of the rise of the far-right. To that I respond democracy can only become what is mirrored to it. By placing young people at the heart of democracy, they can firsthand uphold the rule of law and drive the institutional pillars that underpin it. You cannot expect young people to trust the systems that they are not part of and whose interests are not reflected in, but rather appear to be subjugated by. That begins with giving young people a voice through avenues such as the UK Youth Parliament and the British Youth Council. It has been empirically demonstrated that when young people across the UK participate in these programmes, they grow in confidence while also gaining civic education by putting it into practice.
From Following to Leading
As UK Young Ambassador to the European Youth Forum, I have seen how young people across the UK have grown emboldened towards political action by being given the opportunity to participate at a local level. I think of Peehu from Youth Link Scotland, who told me her story of facing discrimination or similarly Hillary who expressed her fear of how the far-right continue to rise in her local community. But, despite their fears, they took a step towards getting involved in their local governments. They possess this unshakable, radical idea that may well be the antidote to our ills. That is hope. Hope that, despite our democracy being fragile, it can only become stronger if we actively shape it. It is not naive nor cliche to have hope. But rather it is the only thing that remains when all seems lost. And, if history tells us one thing, it is that young people are the ones to maintain hope. It is that very desire that change is possible that has driven the most seismic revolutions. I think of the Fridays for Futures movement or the collective Votes at 16 campaign propelled by the British Youth Council. Of the latter, the UK Government has now committed itself to lowering the voting age to 16. I saw firsthand how youth organisations across the UK pushed towards the Britain’s reintegration into Erasmus+, which has now since been approved, marking the start of an optimistic new chapter in EU-UK relations. I say all this to simply state the following:
Change is possible, but it can only start with young people.
About the Author
Zara Okusi is the UK Young Ambassador to the European Youth Forum, representing over 24 million young people and advocating for greater youth participation in European policymaking. A Warwick PPE graduate and former Y7 EU Delegate for Economy and Supply Chain Resilience, she champions equitable economic growth and UK–EU cooperation. As Ambassador, she has addressed all Ministers responsible for youth at the Council of Europe Ministerial Conference and drafted policy recommendations for Secretary General Alain Berset. Be sure to follow her work here.
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