Tonight's debate in the UK--it will begin in a short while from now, as I write this, is a biggie. Nick Clegg has turned everything upside down and whittle what looked like a sure lead for Cameron and the Conservatives into a tossup election.
Whatever happens, one thing is sure: the youth of the UK have become empowered and energized and are going to be the deciding factor in this election, just as the youth of the U.S. put Obama in the White House.
Wow! This is big and has major ramifications for much more than politics. It's about a way of life that is espoused by the young of Britain and they are not going to let go of their hold on things now. Or are they? One of the biggest surprises to me since Obama's election is how unenergized America's youth seem to be since that historic inauguration in January 2009. They haven't rallied, really, for anything since then. And Obama doesn't seem to have taken much of an interest in making that happen.
That's a mistake because young people are the future of our country and have already demonstrated in undeniable fashion that they are the ultimate decision makers if they care enough about an issue.
Will the same thing happen in the UK?
What I'd love to see is a "hands across the Atlantic" kind of thing where the youth of Western Europe and those in the North American hemisphere decide to combine efforts to do something awesome and significant. Like, say, cut global warming. Fix the economy. Throw out whatever rascals got us into this financial quagmire.
They talk a lot on the Internet. So here's hoping they turn that talk into a force for something important.
I'm waiting.
Author of I is for Intercourse: The ABC's of Conversation, Susan Bird is the visionary behind Wf360, and a sought-after speaker around the world for her views on leadership, the strategic importance of conversation, entrepreneurship, and the role of women business leaders.
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