[Margaret Pilkington]

No, no, no......it isn't that at all.
The political complacency is a symptom of the fact that the electorate have been (in the main) used for their votes and then let down. That is the cause of political apathy.
Why vote if it does not bring about the change promised by the selected representative.

As to the Asian community voting how it is directed to vote by the religious leaders....in my mind that is not democracy. It is a brand of tribalism, where the head man directs what is going to be done...It is a form of autocracy, but in local pockets.

The community cohesion you speak of was fractured when whole families stopped living in the same street. When people had to move away either to,find work or to better themselves.
Working practices also broke up the indigent communities and also the fact that people no longer go to church or attend community social events(they are far fewer nowadays)
When you talk of community cohesion the Asians are a part of the reason why there isn't much of it.(well except in their communities).
The asians( in the main) do not integrate. Much of this is due to language difficulties in the older end of the community....But the younger Asians prefer to keep to their own people.

I worked in the NHS for almost 30 years and saw men and women from the Asian community who had been here in excess of twenty years and still did not speak English and required interpreters.
The fact that politicians tap into the Asian community is why the Labour open door policy was instigated. Tony Blair saw it as an infallible plan to hold onto political power, because these people could be relied upon to vote how they were told to vote.

We, on the other hand, think for ourselves, we critically appraise, we reason......well most of us do.....some will still just follow the colours of the flag the representative travels under.