”There is no such thing as society.” Margaret Thatcher, wicked witch of Grantham.
“Human rights culture has infected every part of our life.” David Cameron, Bullingdon Club veteran.
Back in 1215, even Britain’s robber barons recognised there was something wrong with letting the school bullies run the schoolyard. So the Magna Carta was written, a one page document that laid out the rights of all. It was basically aimed at reining in King John but it also started our road to democracy and human rights.
Someone said to me the other day that whoever you vote for in Britain, you’re screwed. On what basis does living in Britain, compared to most countries on the planet, constitute being screwed? We are born into a safe, supportive society which educates us, guards our health, protects us from invasion, crime, disease, starvation and oppression. Of course, it could always be better but “screwed”?
This lack of balance is becoming all too typical. We are so untroubled in Britain but so determined to complain that we believe every foreigner is either stealing our jobs or our benefits, every teenager with a hooded sweatshirt is a vandal, every man in a paedophile, every other country is out to get us and every politician is a crook. Yet do we vote? Do we participate in improving society? Not many of us, no. I hear it all the time, “Where’s the point?”
As I see the pictures of millions of Afghanis, Iranians, Zimbabweans and Iraqis risking their lives to vote, I feel ashamed that we live in one of the most privileged and beautiful countries in the world and yet we can’t be bothered. The reason I’m standing for Parliament in the next election is because I got fed up with complaining and yet doing nothing. I really do want to make a difference – to improve the things that can be improved and to protect the things that I cherish about being British. It’s not a power trip and it’s not the best way of making friends at the moment. It’s about getting involved in helping something I love.
What are you going to do? Well, you could start by voting and by thinking hard about who you’re voting for. Don’t just do what your dad did. Don’t just do what the papers or Jeremy Paxman tell you. Find out whether your favourite party has actually selected a candidate for you who will do the job or whether you’ve been landed with a party sheep? Read the party websites and the candidates’ blogs, read articles about them, read the oppositions arguments against them. Judge for yourself.
Then, why not volunteer? Stand for your parish, town, district or county council, or against me. You could stand for the education board or the hospital trust board or volunteer for the scouts. Age Concern are begging for volunteers to help the elderly in Wyre Forest (it’s only a couple of hours a week). There are endless charity shops, faith groups, hospital visitor groups, sponsored events. Dare I say you could even join a political party and help get your favourite candidate elected! You could join mine via www.wyreforestlibdems.org, if you’d like.
If one thing should come out of the current economic collapse it should be that we cannot sit back and leave it to those currently at the top. If we, we will end up back where we were before the Magna Carta with just a few, very rich bullies kicking us around. Check out who have been put up as your local candidates in the next general elections. Democracy and community and humanity are precious things. Let’s help protect them for our own sakes.
Neville Farmer
Parliamentary Spokesman
Wyre Forest Liberal Democrats
