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The General Election was called on Wednesday, which means the next six weeks are going to be pretty busy for me…

For anyone that doesn’t know, I am the campaign organiser for the Liberal Democrats, which means the calling of the General Election will have me rather tied up in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, this means that I may get a little behind on my new writing venture, but I’ll do my best to keep up! 

Not that political…

I used to say that I’m not very political, in fact I used to not even vote! I felt that all parties are the same, and that our votes don’t make much of a difference anyway, so what’s the point. Furthermore, on a national level, it just seems to be between Labour or Conservative and I don’t feel like I align with either of these parties, I’ve always thought of myself as more of a centrist. 

After working in this job since October 2023, I can no longer say that I’m not political – I understand it all a little too much now! However, I am thankful for the opportunity to gain a better understanding of politics – so here are some of my key takeaways.

1) There is no perfect government

I think this is quite an obvious one, especially when we look at the political world around us. No country has it right. Britain is supposed to be one of the politically ‘better’ countries and look at what a mess our government is in. 

I think this comes down to the fact that our government is made up of human beings, and not one of us is perfect – even the so called “goodens” have flaws. Plus, everyone has different opinions on moral, social and economic issues, so no government will keep everyone happy, we’re all too subjective. 

However, I think working in politics and seeing some of the ‘behind the scenes’, has given me a greater understanding of the privilege it is to have the right to vote. Knocking on doors and speaking to people about their concerns and where they feel the government has helped or let them down, has given me a greater insight into our democracy. This is something that has come as quite a surprise to my historically-cyncial self. 

2) Local politics is important

I think the biggest thing I’ve learnt in this job is to appreciate local politics. I still feel that on a national level, our votes don’t really make that much of a difference.

But they do matter locally, and I don’t think this is something that’s emphasised enough. How often do we look into the candidate that we are voting for, rather than just putting a cross next to the party that we think we may relate to the most? When we’re voting for a party, the person we’re voting for locally can often be rather different to the party we’d be voting for nationally. 

What’s more, when do we (especially younger people) pay any attention to local elections and the voting in of local councillors? It’s been an honour to work closely with councillors throughout North Wiltshire and The Cotswolds. Many of them are hard working and have stood for councillor because they really care for their community and area.

Realistically, if we do ever have a problem, it will be our local political representatives that we will be turning to. 

3) Trusting where God has placed me

In all honesty, sometimes this job is really tough. It’s a big old challenge (even before the General Election was called!), and some days are just really hard. Because I’m not particularly politically driven, when I’m finding the job hard, it can be difficult to find motivation. 

In these moments, I turn to God in prayer. He graciously reminds me that I am where He has placed me, and I remind myself that He probably has a lot to teach me: 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

And really, this job has been a wonderful experience. It’s helped me to get a better understanding of people and the needs and challenges they’re facing. Plus, I’m grateful God has given me the opportunity to gain such an understanding of how our country is run nationally and locally, and I’m excited to see how He will use me after having gained this knowledge. 

I also want to close highlighting what many of us are feeling. As the General Election approaches, it’s clear that we need people of integrity and honesty in government. It’s a privilege to have the right to vote, and when we are using this democratic privilege, please do your research (especially on a local level) – perhaps using The Electoral Commission. Please think before putting down that cross, and celebrate that we have the right to do so. 

But overall, remember the true governance of this world. But more on this next time…

“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)