A few weeks ago I joined the Labour Party. On the political spectrum, I have always been somewhere between Labour and the Green Party. There are large portions of both their recent manifestos that I agree with, but a few things in each that I don't.
I have been involved, in a very small way, with both parties previously, but have never fully committed to either. This is partly due to uncertainty about which to opt for, partly because there were elements of their policies that I disagreed with, and partly because I was not motivated or political enough to commit.
After the 2015 general election, I vowed to become more politically aware and more politically active. That's why I started this blog in the first place and why I have been listening to podcasts on weekly basis, reading more political articles online and in newspapers, and sharing more political posts on the Facebook.
This year's general election was a revelation for me. For the first time, I felt a connection with one of the leaders who stood a realistic chance of becoming Prime Minister. There had been party leaders I connected with previously, such as Caroline Lucas, and potential Prime Ministers who I liked, such as Ed Miliband (who I like even more now he's a bit freer and a bit more amusing) but never a potential Prime Minister who I felt a connection with and who I felt was believable and honest.
I appreciate that there are elements of Labour party policy (such as renewal of Trident) and also parts of Corbyn's own beliefs (such as the abandonment of HS2 and to a lesser extent, the abandonment of the monarchy) that I might not agree with. However, I think it is highly unlikely that I will agree on everything with anybody, and the world would be a very boring place if that were so.
And so, I have, along with a large number of other people, taken the step to become a member of the Labour party.
I know that Corbyn as a leader isn't to everyone's tastes, both inside and outside of the party. However, his views are much closer to my own than any previous government in my lifetime. He also seems like one of the most honest and down to earth politicians currently around.
I remember the excitement when Tony Blair and New Labour won the 1997 election. I was just too young to vote at that point, but I felt that perhaps a fundamental change had happened in the country. I was born in the year that Margaret Thatcher came into power and so my whole life to that point had been under a Conservative government.
Things did change, however perhaps not as much as I had expected. New Labour were very much a centrist government and so I feel that I have lived my whole life under a right wing or centrist government that doesn't represent me. I'd love for us to elect a left-wing government that resonates with more of my views, along with those of many of my friends and peers.
I hope that the surge in Labour party members (a party which is funded by its members rather than large donors like the Conservative party) helps to make a difference and helps to make that happen, and that I will be able to play a part in it, however small that may be.
