The topic for this blog post came to me during an incident I experienced a few weeks ago. At the time I was attending a grassroots campaign meeting aimed at improving British democracy and making it more accessible and ultimately more popular. While I was waiting for the meeting to start I nursed my pint of ale while eavesdropping on a conversation between my fiance and another attendee at the meeting. The gentleman in question, probably at least 50 years of age made a remark stating his concerns that the meeting would be dominated by "young people". While I took these concerns on board I was somewhat puzzled by this remark. Not in the least because aside from myself and my fiance ("young" in the sense that we are on the wrong side of 25), the older demographic outnumbered the young by at least 75% in that meeting. What I found more disquieting was the fact that the implication was made that because we were young we were automatically some sort of invasion front for young interests, whatever they may be.
This is not a new trend in British society, or society as a whole. The media, politicians and lay people often display a more suspicious attitude to young people's involvement with current affairs more often than they look on such interest in hopeful terms. I think this is a great shame and his wholly unnecessary and not a little patronising if not at times outright infuriating. The legend of the elder and supposedly wider statesmen has wide reception. In many ways the British Monarchy, an institution I wholeheartedly reject is guilty of supporting this line of thought.
Even Al Murray aka the pub landlord, one of my favourite comedians thinks that people of his age (late thirties I believe) are too young to be politicians. The History Masters graduate Murray feels that political positions are better wielded by older and allegedly wiser people. I would argue with him that his objection to the current political class is more due to his disatisfaction with their policies and content of character that may or may not have anything to do with their age. Peter Hitchens made a comment portraying our current "young" generation of politicians as excitable and juvenile as naughty school children, even alleging that this mentality drives them into misjudged liberal military interventions in foreign countries. This conveniently ignores cases of more elder statesmen in the past pushing us into questionable military adventures, such as Eden in the Suez Crisis in 1956. Where was the elder restraint then?
The comment from the meeting attendee made me somewhat disollusioned, albeit temporarily. It seems us young people (however you define young) can never do any good. If we ignore current affairs we are accused of being irresponsible apathetic drones. If we get involved then we are mounting an invasion. And besides, since we are more wet behind the ears we obviously cannot offer as much experience as our elders. Well I am experienced enough to bare in mind one Earth-shaking life lesson: age does not necessarily bring wisdom. It is true! I see it every day from parents (not naming names for PR reasons) who psychotically live their lives through their children, over fifties who do their best to run me over at pedestrian crossings and other offenders are all pieces of evidence I put towards my case. And what of the case for bringing in new blood? New and enthusiastic decision-makers and thinkers? Are we so in love with what we have now that we don't want any of this. No, to the contrary we live in a country so disollusioned with the establishment and the political class that it practically cries out for input from the young.
The most important argument for young people's involvement in politics is simple, we have a right to be at the table and many legitimate interests to earn us a seat there. Our country is beset by many long term problems that will preoccupy my generation and our children for years. The environment globally is in crisis and our country faces an apocalyptic amount of national debt. Of most concern to those critical of young people becoming politically engaged is the issue of care for the elderly. It is our generation who will decide how to manage the care of our elder critics. Because of this, surely it is a time that they learn to talk less at us and more with us. We are hear to stay and we deserve respect. It is about time that we are given some.
