By Macaulay Nichol and Edited by Tom Guyton-Day
Me standing with my running mates and the MP Tom Pursglove
They say there's a fine line between a personal life and a political life - but being a young person involved within politics - that line seems to be just a mirage. There's a social stigma, an anti-conservative aroma, that I strongly believe many people have become accustomed to. This stigma is embedded rich into our society.
Let's rewind to the last general election. The gloomy winter campaign, which any campaigner will surely never forget. Stormzy, Hugh Grant, Lily Allen, Mark Ruffalo, Vivienne Westwood, the list goes on... These celebrities would openly post on their Twitter and Facebook asking young people to clearly vote for Labour, professing that the Labour party are the only party that can bring change.
I have absolutely no problem with celebrities getting involved in politics. My problem is that they are not making this a political issue, they are making this a personal one. I attended reading festival in 2019 and it was great. I had some of the best memories of my life. Sometimes it’s good to take a break from politics, go to a festival, enjoy music, and spend time with friends. You'd think it was that simple, but even at a music festival, with half of the people attending dressing like school highlighters, you can't escape the negative political culture. The festival was literally handing out "F*ck Boris" stickers to everyone. The singers and performers who I love and idolise for their music couldn't resist but jump on the anti-Boris bandwagon. If are you one of those people that think that this doesn't do anything, or will have zero impact on how people vote, then you are wrong.
Let's rewind to the last general election. The gloomy winter campaign, which any campaigner will surely never forget. Stormzy, Hugh Grant, Lily Allen, Mark Ruffalo, Vivienne Westwood, the list goes on... These celebrities would openly post on their Twitter and Facebook asking young people to clearly vote for Labour, professing that the Labour party are the only party that can bring change.
I have absolutely no problem with celebrities getting involved in politics. My problem is that they are not making this a political issue, they are making this a personal one. I attended reading festival in 2019 and it was great. I had some of the best memories of my life. Sometimes it’s good to take a break from politics, go to a festival, enjoy music, and spend time with friends. You'd think it was that simple, but even at a music festival, with half of the people attending dressing like school highlighters, you can't escape the negative political culture. The festival was literally handing out "F*ck Boris" stickers to everyone. The singers and performers who I love and idolise for their music couldn't resist but jump on the anti-Boris bandwagon. If are you one of those people that think that this doesn't do anything, or will have zero impact on how people vote, then you are wrong.
Credit: Annie Spratt
However, for all the doom and gloom, being a young person involved in politics does have its good moments and there are indeed plenty of them... Canvassing and campaigning to some may seem boring - it's voluntary, unpaid time out of your day (why would anyone enjoy it you may ask…?). But do you know what, through canvassing, I have become a much more confident and well-spoken person. I’ve built skills which I’ll use for the rest of my life, regardless of whether I ever have a career in politics or not.
It's also great just speaking to people around you, getting out of the youth bubble and speaking to people in your constituency who may be triple your age. That skill of speaking to absolutely anyone, anytime - anywhere, is a trait you will need to use for the rest of your life. I would strongly recommend to anyone, if your Labour, Conservative, Green or even a Lib Dem - go out - help your community - and gain life skills, for really only a couple of hours out of your life.
It's also great just speaking to people around you, getting out of the youth bubble and speaking to people in your constituency who may be triple your age. That skill of speaking to absolutely anyone, anytime - anywhere, is a trait you will need to use for the rest of your life. I would strongly recommend to anyone, if your Labour, Conservative, Green or even a Lib Dem - go out - help your community - and gain life skills, for really only a couple of hours out of your life.
Credit: Clark Tibbs
There was Indeed an apparent youth wave in the last general election. In fact, I would go as far to praise the Labour party as to how well they attracted young people into their party. I did not and will never praise their manifesto or policies, but I do believe that you have to observe the opposition's strengths and that most definitely lies within youth engagement. They made themselves seem cool, a party for the youth, a party that in many ways became trendy. A good old-fashioned Labour mug on someone's Instagram or Facebook actually became a trend and that's something I've never seen the Conservative Party be able to replicate.
I have to admit the youth involvement in politics has been absolutely astonishing to watch - witnessing young people being so heavily involved in political events, such as the climate crisis and the Labour campaigns is great to see.
However, I can't help but feel that some people are doing this not because they believe in it, but because they don't want to look like an outcast. I genuinely can't count the amount of times I would say an opinion, tweet something, or just campaign with my local team and people would tell me, in grave confidence, that they are secret Conservatives or what is commonly called a ‘shy Tory’. Some of my closest friends have done this, in a group they stay quiet and won't say anything while people castigate against conservative policies, but privately they'd admit that they agree with me.
It's this stigma which I believe why so much of the young generation are not getting involved in the party. It's looked upon as sometimes embarrassing when it should not be. We as a society need to fight against this; regardless of which party this social stigma is against. There is an uphill battle to remove personal hatred from politics and I do not think that twitter helps that by any means. Polls, parody accounts, and just trolls in general roam the open media platforms and there's zero respect for human decency within them. This is on both sides of the political compass; I do not think people should ever be attacked on a personal level for something they think politically think.
We have a long way to go to maximise youth engagement in politics, but if the Labour Party proved anything, it is that the interest is there. Young people want to get involved we just have to help show them how.
I have to admit the youth involvement in politics has been absolutely astonishing to watch - witnessing young people being so heavily involved in political events, such as the climate crisis and the Labour campaigns is great to see.
However, I can't help but feel that some people are doing this not because they believe in it, but because they don't want to look like an outcast. I genuinely can't count the amount of times I would say an opinion, tweet something, or just campaign with my local team and people would tell me, in grave confidence, that they are secret Conservatives or what is commonly called a ‘shy Tory’. Some of my closest friends have done this, in a group they stay quiet and won't say anything while people castigate against conservative policies, but privately they'd admit that they agree with me.
It's this stigma which I believe why so much of the young generation are not getting involved in the party. It's looked upon as sometimes embarrassing when it should not be. We as a society need to fight against this; regardless of which party this social stigma is against. There is an uphill battle to remove personal hatred from politics and I do not think that twitter helps that by any means. Polls, parody accounts, and just trolls in general roam the open media platforms and there's zero respect for human decency within them. This is on both sides of the political compass; I do not think people should ever be attacked on a personal level for something they think politically think.
We have a long way to go to maximise youth engagement in politics, but if the Labour Party proved anything, it is that the interest is there. Young people want to get involved we just have to help show them how.
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