The future’s bright, the future’s Yellow
As the Election Campaign reaches its climax I, like so many other Liberal Democrats that I know, am feeling a little excited. For the first time since I became truly aware of Politics the result seems much more open. The two big parties are running scared and the electorate finally seem to realise that we have more than just two choices.
I’m not living in a dreamworld though – I know that the first past the post system means that we have little to no chance of getting a Lib Dem government. But it’s just nice to hear polls showing that (with equal exposure) all three of the main parties are getting a similar percentage of the votes.
But the other thing that’s exciting me for this election is the fact that it’s the first where social media really has been able to reach out to the masses, Facebook, twitter, YouTube and the like are allowing people to discuss ideologies, policies and political positions with so many more people, instantly. I’ve been following Old Holborn and Man Widdecombe throughout the campaign and, even though Old Holborn is based in Cambridge, I’ve found myself challenging my pre-existing political beliefs and really looking again at what each party stands for (rather than just checking out the Lib Dems and thinking “yep, they’re the ones”).
There’s a lot wrong with our electoral system, we need PR, we need to challenge our MPs and remind them that they’re civil servants – answerable to the people, we need to take power back to the people. But at the same time we need to have a direction as a country, and for me that’s the Liberal Democrat’s direction.
We don’t need a nanny state, ID cards, an outdated nuclear deterrant, we do however need a fair and just house of representatives of the people, fair taxation to pay for useful and necessary state projects. Successive Labour and Conservative governments, along with the old media have managed to make us forget that we are the people with the power, not Tory Central Office, Peter Mandelson, Rupert Murdoch, or anyone else. You, me, and the rest of the electorate here in the UK have that power. Now more than ever we can make the difference.
So, on Thursday, go to your Polloing Station and mark your cross – just remember that it’s YOUR day, not the politicians, and make sure you get to Have Your Say.
