Politics and me

On Tuesday 11 May I joined the Labour Party. I was more than a little surprised as for many years I have never been bothered with politics and I, along with many of my generation, was quite apathetic regarding politics. You see I was still a little girl when Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government came into power and the Tories were all I knew well into my adulthood. Although my childhood was okay my memories of the time tend to focus on never having enough and just 'making do'. I specifically remember The Falklands War – what a terrible waste of lives, and The Miners Strikes – which damaged so many communities. I really didn't understand much, if anything about what was happening as like I said I was only little but I knew that something wasn't right and that life should not be like this.

One of the funny things about Thatcher being Prime Minister was that I had come to take for granted that the Prime Minister of our country was female so much so, that the first time I heard a BBC newsreader refer to the Prime Minister as 'he' after John Major took power, I was totally shocked. I don't think I shall ever forget that moment.

While I was at university I was surrounded by lot of 'political types' but thought they were all fanatical lefties and had little to say that was of relevance to what life is really like for most people in our great country.
However, I was always concerned about our society, having been instructed by my maternal grandmother who was probably the kindest person I have ever known and who was a massive influence on my life. So, I got heavily involved with charity work and really had my eyes opened to what life is like and how politics per se is not the answer.

But then I also think that historically massive political changes have been made by people getting involved or being roused into getting involved by visionary leaders. People such as Martin Luther King.

The words “I have a dream” uttered by Martin Luther King are probably the most famous words of modern history. It may sound cheesy to repeat them but we need to remember why the words in this particular speech were so powerful and have resonated with so many over nearly 60 years. 

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!”

What Martin Luther King said has stood the test of time, I feel, because he was talking about something incredibly powerful, a dream that his nation and indeed the world would be a just place, and a place of freedom and equality. Our dreams are incredibly powerful and while we still have dreams, we still have hope. We can argue and debate as much as we want and we may ‘win’ a few arguments but winning arguments doesn’t win the hearts of the people. I want to serve the people of this country, starting off with the people in the area in which I live. I don’t want to seek glory and fortune for myself but sadly I'm not sure that this is the reason why most people get involved in politics.

So why did I join the Labour party – well, I joined for two reasons:
i) because I was so touched by a book I read – The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressel which is a brilliant novel containing many essays about the value of socialism and felt so moved by it that I wanted to write (unfortunately I didn't) to the Rt Hon Gordon Brown and urge him to not give up the fight and to fight with passion for the sake of the people of this country. As a country we are significantly more blessed than we were at the time this book was written but there is still a long way to go.
ii) because I saw Gordon Brown on TV on the 11th May give such a rousing speech at Labour party HQ where he talked about service.

 “On the back of our party cards it says:

By the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more together than we do alone …

And we continue to fight unceasingly because progress is not a word we just speak but a reality we have been creating where the ambit of opportunity always expands and never contracts. And we fight for progress because we know the energy and talent of the British people are boundless whenever they are released from stereotype and allowed to soar. …

And you are part of a Labour Party which is and will always be the greatest fighting force for fairness our country has ever seen.

We are irrepressible: we fight for fairness, and tomorrow we fight on.”

The people of this country are the countrys greatest national asset. All of us in this country have a part to play in our communities and especially those of us wishing to serve the people of this country. We should be prepared to serve even when the media are not there watching. We should be prepared to roll up our sleeves and get on with it, even when it’s not glamorous to do so. Let’s get ourselves involved in the things we are passionate about e.g. helping the drug addicts fight and overcome their addictions, helping the illiterate learn to read, helping the migrants feel that they’ve found a place of safety, helping and supporting families whether they be 2 parent or single parent families.

Let’s work ‘with’ our communities so that they are empowered and don’t feel that they have a load of politicians who know nothing about what life is like for them, telling them how to live and what to do.
The people of Great Britain are far more powerful than we realise and we need to mobilise these people to create opportunities for all and to allow all our dreams for a better, fairer future become a reality.
Call this (or me) naieve if you want to but I have only just joined the party and have only recently felt that I had anything to contribute. I grew up under Thatcher, for goodness sake, and felt completely apathetic regarding politics for most of my life until Gordon Brown who finally seemed to me, to be more about serving others rather than his own agenda.

I am hoping that I won't be disillusioned by the Labour party and that the things I believe in and care about will become a reality. I don't think I want much apart from having a nice home, enough money to pay my bills and provide for a family, to live in peace, have satisfactory and fulfilling work, excellent education, excellent childcare facilities, medical provision, provision for care throughout old age and a community of people that cares about and respects each other.
Well that's it for now, I'll see how I get on as a card carrying member and see what I can do for my community and my country :)