Ahead of the elections on 8 June, on Woman’s Hour, Siobhann Tighe interviewed women in Sunderland on their voting intentions and opinions on politics. One woman in particular stood out for me; she had just had her birthday, was currently a full time single parent to five children and said, frankly and articulately:

‘To be honest, I don’t really understand politics. I wouldn’t say I was intelligent enough to have an opinion, even vote, to be honest […] I wouldn’t know who I was voting for […] I’ve never voted ever […] I think it should be left to people who work.’ 

Why doesn’t she feel entitled to her vote? Why don’t we understand our system better? Why don’t we learn more about politics in school and why does politics – with all its tiresome, braying, testosterone-fuelled populism… Well, there’s the answer.