IT’S not long until the General Election – and I’m going to have a nag.

In recent local elections, only a measly 35 per cent of the voting population voted.

The ruling party were voted for by around 20 per cent of the adult population.

That is NOT a majority, it’s just a majority of the people who voted.

Everyone I know moans about the state of the country – about buses not running, roads and rail being privatised, benefits being cut, children’s centres closing.

Things decided in Parliament, and you can affect what happens there by adding your number to the 35 per cent on June 8.

I hear from many people ‘But I don’t know who stands for what’ or ‘I don’t know who to believe, they’re all the same’.

Each party is different, has different manifestos and priorities.

It’s worth taking 10 minutes to scan over them and decide which one most strongly aligns with your outlook on life, and vote accordingly.

Don’t vote for someone because ‘they seemed nice when they knocked on my door’ or because ‘they always wears nice shoes’.

Don’t discount someone because you believe what the media say about them. Look more deeply than personalities.

You can do quizzes based on questions from the different manifestos to help you decide if you haven’t got time to read them – whoshouldyouvotefor.com for example.

I think as mothers, we have a huge responsibility to vote. Who we vote for to run our country will affect our children’s education, future. It will affect social care for our parents and grandparents. It will affect our own pay and benefits.

Furthermore, I think that it’s important for our kids to see their parents getting involved in democracy, wider society and understanding how they can make a difference.

Women fought and died so we could have this freedom; let’s not waste it with apathy. VOTE.