Apathy amongst the populace of today is not news but it is a big problem. Apparently we are in the age witnessing the death of participatory politics and the destruction of democracy itself. Students seem to be against the idea of aligning themselves with any political party. But can those students who still do think that party politics offer a way forward convince us?

I met with the Presidents of all the political societies on campus to talk to them about the state of political participation at Warwick. The consensus was that we're moving away from party activism towards issue-based involvement, that we talk less about our political affiliations and that apathy is the hardest thing to fight.

President of Respect society, Lucy Ayrton, said "Apathy feels unfightable. You can't make someone interested, you can only hope to change someone's mind who cares. I have actually stood on the Amnesty stall to get people to sign a petition to stop children being bombed and been met with the response 'no'. It's unbelievable. People don't care". Can that be true? Has all idealism really died? Chris Rossdale, President of the Socialist Students Society, believes "it's a sad fact of humanity that if you're comfortable then you won't react. Resistance and protest is not so common at Warwick because we're privileged and comfortable". This observation feels apt, but that doesn't say much for our egalitarian spirit. Basically, as long as we're feeling comfy the rest of the planet can go to hell. Labour president George Eaton warns that he can never see himself growing apathetic because "apathy is corrosive of democracy. You have to get involved and stir things up".

But are party politics the best way forward towards change? Most students think not and instead choose to activate their democratic rights under the banners of issue-based societies such as People and Planet, Amnesty, Warwick Anti Sexism and so forth. Party politics is seen as getting in the way. Ed Sanderson, President of the Liberal Democrat society, notes "people see themselves aligned to issues, for example the environment, foreign affairs, or gender. The youth of today don't like to see themselves pigeon holed into an ideology. They feel differently about different issues. We're so individualised and there is no communal basis for political involvement". That said, while Ed understands the situation he feels sad because he believes "political parties are the most effective tools of change. They're institutionalised and can institutionalise real changes". George Eaton also sympathises with students wanting to stay out of party politics because they can be "overly sensational, full of infighting, and unproductive. But if you don't like the system then you have to fight it from inside rather than shouting in from outside".

All the students I spoke to that had joined a political party dramatised that choice as a big step. Lucy Ayrton likened becoming a paid-up member of the Socialist Workers Party to "getting married". It's a big decision. Ed Sanderson described declaring himself a Liberal Democrat in similar terms, "it's kind of like 'coming out'". Rather like choosing a partner, choosing a political party requires a lot of thought, research and confidence in your decision. George Eaton sees it as a problem of labelling, "people see you through the prism of your party. You become perceived as the same as other party members and everyone in the party represents you". That's obviously a situation that students feel uncomfortable with and arguably compromised by. They have to sacrifice something of their individual thought and emphasis to towing the party line. Lucy Ayrton emphasises "Don't join a party unless you're aware of all their ideologies, policies, and beliefs. You have to know that you will defend those ideas and feel well-versed before joining".

Of course the joy of campus politics is that you don't need to become a paid-up party member or make any set political ties. The university is an environment in which you can debate political issues, join a range of societies, be active on various levels and educate yourself about politics. With this objective in mind, I set out to sample campus politics myself and find out what was on offer and how the students involved viewed their parties.

Warwick's Conservative Society is one of the key branches of Conservative Future in the country. The society's chairman, Matt Hartley, is also the area Conservative Future chairman for Worcestershire and Warwickshire and plans to stand for Warwick Council next May. Conservative Future is the fastest-growing youth movement in politics today and David Cameron appears to be the inspiration leading the way. Matt was attracted to the conservatives because "it is about the state being small and people being big and taking individual responsibility". Matt is a 'Cameronite' by self-definition and was uncomfortable about Michael Howard's immigration policies. The Conservatives provide a centre-right voice on campus and favour lower taxes. A money imperative did drive a lot of their ideas and Matt's favourite word was "realistic". He said, "I'm not against Top Up Fees in principle, because they're realistic". I must confess to squirming slightly; I always do when the word 'realistic' is used without qualification, as if it's common knowledge and accepted wisdom.

George Eaton, chairman of the Labour Society, resisted arguments that Labour and the Conservatives are much the same thing. George still feels Labour is an idealistic choice and insists that he would still choose Labour even if they were the "third Party". George explains, "I think Labour's done pretty well. This Government introduced the minimum wage, equal female pensions, civil partnerships and increased paternity rights. However, I have been disappointed by some policies, and I did march against the Iraq war". George is also concerned that the introduction of Top Up fees will bring us dangerously closer to the US educational system. George is the man that wrote in The Boar a few weeks ago that the New Left had betrayed the enlightenment. By this he meant to critique "the fact that the New Left are so vociferous in their dislike of the US that they align themselves with states like Syria and theocracies like that in Iran. The UK is definitely in a better state than Syria and I think such factions go too far".

Despite the society having a tiny member count of around 30 people, the Liberal Democrats were the most voted-for party by Warwick students at the last election. Society President Ed Sanderson nods, "We're the party of choice for students when it comes to our stance on Iraq, tuition fees, and the environment. We have always been very consistent on these issues. However I am wary of the triumphalism of some of our members over Iraq. Yes, we were right about how that war would turn out, but I wish we'd been wrong because what's happened, and is happening, in Iraq is a tragedy. It's up to the public to see for themselves that the Liberal Democrats were right, not for us to push that upon people". The big obstacle for the Liberal Democrats is being seen as the 'third party' or even not being seen at all; "I'm interested in breaking the duopoly of Labour/Conservative control. People constantly say they don't want to vote Labour, but they'll never vote Tory and so there's no choice. That's so frustrating. The Liberal Democrats are marginalised or seen as irrelevant". Ed is frustrated that the Party doesn't pay more attention to its youth wing as there is nothing like the Conservative Future group to harness political will. Ultimately it comes down to a lack of funds. Ed feels that the Liberal Democrats stand for "individual liberty coupled with social concern for society" and that they have always been consistent and retained integrity, pursuing environmental issues long before it became fashionable to do so.

Respect is an acronym for Respect, Equality, Socialism, Peace, Environment, Community, Trade Unionism. The campus society defines itself as more about education than action, and is intent upon educating students about this relatively new party. Respect grew out of the Stop the War movement and its membership has grown beyond all expectations. President of the Respect society Lucy Ayrton sees Respect as "a unifying force in a diverse country. There is so much hope in Respect because it is only 3 years old and still developing. I can phone a guy on Respect's national committee and contact the top very quickly. It's accessible and so you really can make that difference. It's definitely a real alternative that people are starting to be aware of".

Lucy Ayrton largely represents the Left Wing on campus, as she straddles herself across Stop the War events, Respect and the Socialist Workers Party. Anna Bogdanova heads up the Socialist Workers Party on campus and distributes their newspaper to students. The two ladies are extremely proactive in organising events and banding together with activist groups on campus such as Friends of Palestine. They see their Leftie field working like an onion. The Socialist Worker group forms the core of the onion for the most radical socialists, then Respect surrounds it to catch those people who would be alienated by the hardline views of the Socialist Workers, and the Stop the War movement encompasses both and also reaches out to the more apolitical floating voters strolling about campus. Ultimately Anna wants students "to feel ok about getting political". She feels that the Socialist Worker voice on campus is important because it is dramatic and encourages other people to speak up and make a stand.

Chris Rossdale is another man with divided modes of attack, being President of the Socialist Students Society and running an Anarchist group. The Socialist Students have 150 students signed up to their mailing list. That is the highest membership figure of all the political societies on campus, which only goes to illustrate the shoddy level of participation generally. It is pertinent however that the Socialist Students are most popular as they represent the generic Left and have less strong party-specific affiliations. Chris explains that his society does not have such a strict party line despite advocating raising the minimum wage to £8 and nationalising the 150 wealthiest companies. The Anarchist group developed from a talk at One World Week last year. Chris explains that anarchy means "without rules, not without order". Anarchists are against rulers, the state, hierarchical organisation, private ownership of industry, capitalist competition, war and nationalism. They are for co-operation and consensus decision making. He feels that it's a reaction to a capitalist society "where corporations hold a lot of power. They form the most totalitarian system there could be. Capitalism kills to protect itself. An unregulated economy will never help the environment because it doesn't deal with externalities and the environment is the biggest issue of our time". Chris identifies "two key problems with our democracy. Our democracy is controlled by the rich in terms of campaign funds. We also work a 'first past the post' system which doesn't require a majority vote".

Nationally, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has more members than our three main political parties put together. Understandably it's easier for the British public to agree that they all like birds, rather than on a specific collection of various policies. But where does this take us? As party memberships decrease parties are increasingly turning towards private funding that brings in a host of unwanted pressures and influences. With a world rapidly changing, and a country dependent upon a party-based system, we need to act fast to effect change. All the political societies on campus go to demos, party conferences, canvas for elections, have socials and public debates. Use the resources here now to educate yourselves and enter the field. The big problem facing students who feel ineffective and disenfranchised is the question of how they can be of use. Is it through campaigning on one issue, for example the environment, or is it through using a political party to set the agenda? We don't have much time to figure out the answer to this before the planet gets into real trouble. So, young minds, start banding together to solve the problem and enter the debate!