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Step up, or we're destined for another decade of McBrides
Posted by Kasch Wilder (@KaschWilder)
Thursday, 25th February 2010
I've been engaged with politics and involved in grassroots campaigning for about eighteen months now. With the general election fast approaching as well as the start of a BSc in Politics and International Relations from September, I thought I would take the opportunity now to put down on paper where I am personally in terms of the state of our democracy.
I was lucky enough to have an interest in American politics sparked in December 2007. I caught the tail end of the period where Presidential candidates were putting the finishing touches to campaign machinery for the Iowa caucuses. It was fascinating. By mid-January it had snowballed into what could be described as a borderline obsession with the campaigns. I knew who all the main advisors and consultants were for Obama, Clinton, Edwards, Biden, McCain, Romney and Huckabee. I knew of all the main political action committees that would be playing substantial roles in the campaign. I knew where to go for all the best polling. I remember being in my Business Studies classes at sixth form spending at least half of the time in each lesson trawling through websites like CNN politics, The Hill, The WaPo, POLITICO, The NY Times, the Time Magazine website (Joe Klein and Mark Halperin FTW!!), Huffington Post, Drudge Report.... maybe this explains the 'CC' grade I got for Applied Business Studies lol!
The best thing about developing such a strong interest at such an early stage of a VERY LONG election, was that it became almost a self-education in domestic political issues and campaign strategy. I learnt extensively about politics in relation to economics, healthcare, education, foreign policy, national security, the environment. That then lead to further learning about lobbyists and interest groups etc etc. You get the picture!
So its November 2008, I come off this amazing high of following such immense ideological warfare with the motivation to get involved in campaigning myself. I put a lot of thought into who I wanted to support. I decided that the Liberal Democrats best represented what I wanted to see from a Government and the direction I wanted to see society go in. So I get in contact with my local PPC, Dr. Sue Farrant, and its off to the races! I was schooled in resident surveying, doorstep/telephone canvassing, attended party conferences, met endless numbers of activists etc.
While I was enjoying it and appreciating the extent to which I was being involved in campaigning, it was becoming more clear month after month that UK politics is in such a devastating rut.
This country is very old. We've had so many great historic triumphs. We've been victorious in world wars, we've seen an extensive progression of the way the State addresses poverty and healthcare, we've seen equal rights awarded to people who fought for generations and we have these great ancient traditions and institutions such as our political system.
The consequence of it all seems to be this notion that we can't achieve such historic greatness again. All discussions about change to our system, even from my own party, are "what can we change within the confines of this rut. What can we do that won't step on the toes of our history."
I want to see an end to that. I am tired after only eighteen months, of trying to find ways of supporting people who think they are destined to be leaders because they can string a sentence together. American politics is insanely commercialized, but at least they have some people with backbone and energy.
There are some very tough questions facing this country. Some we havnen't even realised yet. We need someone with vision, someone with backbone who's connected to other people's lives. We need someone to inspire us. That's the only way we are going to be able to face the great challenges coming our way. Instead of telling people who's the most qualified, instead of telling people who's got the better ideas, we need someone who can make it obvious. Nobody is making it obvious.
The current generation of "leaders" have proved that they are incapable of moving past the attitude that our political system can now only be tweaked rather than radically progressed.
In this election my generation has the opportunity to rise up and say "If you guys are incapable of making Great Britain great again, we'll do it for you".
Decisions are made by those who show up. If my guys don't.. we're destined for another decade of McBrides. Another decade of smear/fear politics where the battle of ideas takes a back seat. We can't keep laying the blame on Parliament. It is our responsibility to rise up!
