At the next general election in 2015 we have an opportunity to do something different. That election is going to be a turning point but only if we, the people, make it so. As a socialist I voted Lib Dem in 2010 because I had made an oath to myself to never vote for anyone who had voted for the Iraq war. I was wrong. I should have voted Labour and then held them to account. Jumping ship in a storm is a really bad idea, that’s the moment you get to work and work as you’ve never done before.
The election in 2015 is going to hinge on full engagement. It will be our opportunity to work to create the government we want. We could create the pivotal moment which prevents the Tories from ever coming to power again.
If the government gets complacent, it will be because we have allowed them to, If they get involved in sleaze, cronyism and corruption, then it is our job to slam into them like a freight train and demand accountability and to force them to obey the will, through, action, of the people. Our will is not enough without action, you can’t will yourself out of bed, you have to exert yourself and do it. That is what must happen. We can change politics into engagement and change the face of Britain.
If people don’t understand politics then we have to educate them through honesty and plain speaking.
Politics isn’t what goes on in parliament, that’s just the management committee at work on our behalf, or it should be. Politics is our everyday lives because that’s where the effects of the management committee are felt, or these days endured and survived as best we can.
If people are on zero hours contracts and are struggling to make ends meet, cannot get their teeth done or can’t get the operation they need, that’s politics. Rising food prices, sanctions from the Jobcentre, having to use a food banks to survive, closed fire stations, are all politics; policy in action. The impact of policy is what MP’s are responsible and accountable for. The only way they can be held to account is if we take action and hold them to account. It’s as simple as that, though it may be intimidating at first.
It is not necessary to understand parliamentary process to understand politics, politics is making the connection between what happens in our lives and the process of parliament which gives rise to much of what we experience. It’s about talking to the organ grinder and not the monkey. Go to the top. Why were you sanctioned? Because MP’s voted for you to be sanctioned and you have a perfect right to complain.
If the idea of engagement intimidates you, you are not alone, everyone who engages has to choose to get involved and ignore the nagging voice of caution or fear. Rest assured though, as with anything unfamiliar, once you’ve done a bit, you will find your feet and you will discover that once engaged, you will never want to stop. You are engaging with life and it is a very, very good feeling.
Keith Lindsay Cameron
