As young people we are frequently fed with the idea that politics is a taboo topic, not something that should be brought up at the dinner table. On the contrary, I believe it to be a profoundly important subject, one that we should feel obliged to learn about and discuss. As in its rawest form, politics is about people and their lives.
Many of us feel as though we do not need to be educated about politics, home or abroad, with the common expression ‘it doesn’t affect me’ or ‘I find it boring’. But these are two examples of being in a deeply privileged position, one of which you shouldn’t take for granted. In the vast majority of cases, politics, matters of welfare, education, and housing aren’t distant and foreign concepts, instead they are laws and pieces of legislation that define peoples lives and how they survive. This is highlighted in Marcus Rashford’s campaign to end child poverty, whereby the government’s response was to provide sub-standard food parcels to children, when their family's failure to feed them was due to a government oversight in the first place.
These issues may be political, but ‘the personal is political’. You cannot remove yourself from politics, as it is what fundamentally guides the way we live. This is why it is so crucial to gain a better understanding of the impact of government and politics outside your localised bubble, as it may not seem to personally impact you, but these matters do affect millions of lives.
Equally, it is crucial for us as young people to find our own political voices - by this I mean separating yourself from your parents viewpoints. Growing up, more often than not, we hear only one political viewpoint that is often preached as unequivocally true. This can prevent us from exploring other experiences and opinions concerning politics. It can be a difficult step to take, but a necessary one to cultivating your own personal political opinions.
Additionally, on the Internet and especially social media, we find ourselves unintentionally creating echo chambers, whereby our existing views are reinforced without encountering opposing views. This can often increase social and political polarisation. This is dangerous not only in understanding why others with differing views think the way they do, but also disrupts our ability to educate ourselves and challenge our own views.
After now explaining the issues surrounding being uninterested or ill-informed on political matters 'how can I take steps to alter this?’ you may ask.
My number one piece of advice is to read the news either from the BBC (politically neutral), or read a variety of news sources from across the political spectrum to gain a more insightful understanding of the subject. Try to avoid tabloid newspapers (Mirror/Mail), or getting all your news from twitter. Although twitter is a great place to be, it is filled with bold statements that lack any hint of the truth.
Another great way to shape your opinions is to pick a few subjects that you care about or find interesting, for example LGBTQ+ community and rights, immigration or environmental policy, and learn what each political party stands for regarding that topic, the claims they have made and the tangible steps they have taken towards policy making or change. (Click here to see the UK parties 2019 manifesto commitments ) In addition, it’s vital to be open to others viewpoints and understand the mechanics behind their thinking before you firmly form your own. Learning about the UK’s political history of the main themes and parties is equally useful to gaining a broader understanding of political beliefs.
Here are some useful links:
Imi Dobber Yr12
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