[user104658]

Originally Posted by EyeballPaul

I agree.I'm 33 and i feel i'm only just at the point now that i really understand it.Mainly due to a lack of interest until 2010.I knew abit and i used to vote but i really did'nt immerse myself in the facts until the last GE.As far as i remember i did'nt learn about the voting system in school and the only politics i learned were the politics of the past in history.

Originally Posted by Livia

I learned the basics of voting and of government when I was at school. Most people I know have a decent grasp on it. We've had this conversation before TS, but I have faith in the British public, I don't assume they're a bit dim and don't know what they're doing because as far as I can see people generally have a decent grasp on what's going on.

And as before Livia, I maintain my suspicion that you run in politically active circles and more importantly in the City. It's a world of its own. I live in a world where I have a coworker who didn't know what SNP stood for and kept referring to the Conservatives as the "Conservatories". I actually thought she was just making a play on the word with "Tories" but no; she thought that's what they were called.

It's really not that unusual. Some find it confusing, some find it boring, others just find it too depressing to think about (and I sort of understand that last stance) but it's fairly evident that a huge number of people have no interest at all, and even those who do have a passing interest, a large number don't fully understand the process.

I challenge you to quiz some random people in the street (normal ones, not professionals who will be up on politics) and ask them to explain the concepts of FPTP, Alternate Vote, and Proportional Representation. If you had a pound for the number of blank stares you would get, and another for the number of people who would get it wrong...

Also, as with Eyeball above, modern politics was not taught at all at my high school unless you opted to take Social Studies, which I have to say, was not a very popular choice, with most opting for History or Geography instead. I think there was a class of around 27 in my year, out of a year group of nearly 160 pupils.