For years, I have regarded myself as political. Ever since I watched coverage of the 2015 general election, I’ve been hooked in all matters relating to politics. I am a proud politico. My interest is not just following and writing about political matters, but forming my own opinions. I have all kinds of views on health, education, welfare, foreign, defence, social and economic policy. While I hold my views sincerely, I don’t know whether they are right or wrong. There is plenty that I don’t know and have yet to learn. Despite this, I have always felt confident and assured in my opinions about how the world should work. Politics, after all, is all about competing visions of how humans should live and how society - if there is such a thing as society - should function.
People have often been surprised that I am not party political. Given that I have plenty of trenchant views, you may expect me to join a party which holds similar perspectives, campaign for representatives and maybe even run for office myself. I rejected all of this. While I was, remain and will always be a political animal, I never saw myself as tied to a specific party. None suited my tastes or vision for the world. Although my values - based on the Enlightenment ideals - remain consistent, I am the definition of a floating voter. Despite having great admiration for my fellow politicos at university who are tied to a party and will campaign for it day or night, rain or shine, I knew that was not for me. I’m not, and would never be, a party loyalist. I would always be an independent, preferring to report and commentate on political matters rather than run for office myself. Or so I thought. One has to take a regular assessment of the country. It is important to look at where the nation is going. Is it progressing in the way you would like? Are the individuals running things competent? Of course, the coronavirus outbreak has changed everything but it is important, even in these appalling times, to look beyond this. The broader future for the world, let alone the UK, must be considered. I also like to question my role, my purpose within this future. Where can I be most influential and valuable? Is it as someone on the political sidelines, outside the arena where the battle of ideas, the battle for power takes place? Or is it as someone within the arena, prepared to stand up for my ideals and seek for them to be enacted? Once I had put those choices next to one another, the answer was obvious. As the UK leaves the European Union, our future as a nation has never been more important. We’ve made the biggest political decision for decades and the choices we make post-Brexit will have a huge impact on our standing in the world. I want to be a part of shaping that future. Therefore, I’m writing to announce my intention to become a member of the Youth Parliament. A first step to greater things, I believe it can be the catalyst for furthering my beliefs in how the world should function. In order to stand, an individual has to be between 11 and 18. As someone who turns 19 this August, I am just within the boundary to stand. Had I left the decision any later, my ability to influence matters would be slightly weakened. The Youth Parliament regularly takes part in parliamentary debates, even taking over the House of Commons ever year. I believe I can use this platform to contribute towards the political discussion and change how our nation operates. Below, I lay out my key pledges and aspirations as a prospective Member of the Youth Parliament. These priorities, I believe, really encapsulates what parts of society require change and an active government to deliver them. With this, the actions of individuals are also important in delivering new opportunities and helping our country develop. I hope you give these pledges a serious read and, if you’re between 11 and 18, consider casting your vote for me. More information regarding this, and my future pledges, will be released in coming weeks. As ever, do not hesitate to contact me for further questions or information via my social media accounts. For now though, I leave you with my opening pledges that perfectly convey my political philosophy. 1) All individuals who fail to walk on the left hand side of a staircase are given on the spot £100 fines. 2) Abolish corporation taxes for all companies that sell books (apart from Amazon obviously). 3) Anyone who wears socks and sandals is taken to a re-education camp. 4) Two new radio stations will be created: one devoted to Eurovision songs, the other permanently broadcasting the songs of ABBA. 5) The New Statesman and The Spectator are immediately made free for all to purchase. 6) Demin jackets become compulsory outfits for all students. 7) All individuals are required to stock up on every variety of tea (bonus ‘good citizen’ marks for biscuit tea). 8) People who fail to wash up their crockery and cutlery are fired from their present job. 9) All cinema popcorn is priced the same as - or below - prices of Tesco Express popcorn. 10) Hairdressers must accept the style requests of their customers, however wacky or bizarre. 11) All individuals are given £3 for every Google review they write: the funnier the better. 12) Every cookie pop-up on a website leads to a packet of cookies in real life. 13) All individuals who are comedians must be referred to as ‘alleged comedians.’ 14) Robbie Williams’ ‘Angels’ is legally declared the worst song of all time. 15) Children are taught the history of the world through the lives of z-listers (lessons taught by LBC’s Steve Allen). 16) To solve the problem of North Korea, the nation is simply removed from future editions of maps. 17) Holding doors open for other people is banned with immediate effect. 18) Twitter is shut down, again, with immediate effect. 19) Costa and Starbucks are banned from opening until 2pm to reduce the nation’s morning caffeine addiction. 20) Cat domination is created by building islands of sand where cats can roam free. 21) A hologram of the late, great Nicholas Parsons is permanently beamed onto the BBC’s Broadcasting House. And finally… 22) All supermarket check out staff who lose their jobs because of self service machines are immediately reemployed to deal with the permanently faulty self service machines.
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