1 | 1 | | Thousands of young people become fully paid-up members of political parties every |
| 2 | | year. What makes them commit themselves when, in some cases, they aren't even old |
| 3 | | enough to vote? We asked three party 'animais' why they had signed up. |
| | | |
| 4 | | Bharti Patel |
2 | 5 | | Bharti Patel, 19, from Birmingham, joined the socialist Labour Party when she was 16. |
3 | 6 | | Were you confident about expressing your views when you were 16? |
| 7 | | 'At school I got myself a reputation for being the class "Lefty". I'd make a stand whenever |
| 8 | | I got an opportunity - especially in English. My essays were always on a hot political issue. |
| 9 | | Looking back, they were probably really silly. |
4 | 10 | | I actually think that my friends admired me because of my polities. Luckily, I wasn't |
| 11 | | just interested in polities, so they didn't seriously start to believe 1 was a creature from |
| 12 | | outer space. Other people thought I was a bit odd, though. They were off to parties and I |
| 13 | | was going to meetings.' |
5 | 14 | | What kind activities are you involved in? |
| 15 | | 'I'm in the Labour Party for a purpose. If you campaign around certain issues, you can |
| 16 | | effect a change. There's reaIly no end to my political activities. One week I'm working for |
| 17 | | a women's section, the next for a black people's section, as weIl as four generaI Labour |
| 18 | | Party meetings a month, and ward meetings. If I'm not doing as much as I should over a |
| 19 | | particular campaign, I do suffer feelings of guilt.' |
6 | 20 | | Can polities eome between friends? |
| 21 | | 'Yes, definitely. There comes a point in friendships when you stop talking about going out |
| 22 | | and start talking about political issues . If you find yourself completely at odds with |
| 23 | | someone, you'll just drift apart. But I also think polities can cement romantic relationships. |
| 24 | | You're likely to spend a lot of time with people and mutual respect develops.' |
| | | |
| 25 | | Claire Hili |
7 | 26 | | Claire Hill, is, a schoolgirl from North London, joined the Young Conservatives last |
| 27 | | October. There are between 5,000 and 10,000 YCs in this country and while most members |
| 28 | | are between 18 and 30 years old, Claire's age hasn't stopped her from becoming the leader |
| 29 | | of her group. |
8 | 30 | | When did you first beeome interested in polities? |
| 31 | | 'l've re ad the Daily Mail newspaper since I was nine, which has helped me understand |
| 32 | | what was going on. I was about 12 or 13 when I realised that polities weren't just boring |
| 33 | | talk that didn't affect you, but something that can change people's lives.' |
9 | 34 | | Do you think polities ean eome between friends? |
| 35 | | 'I have two friends who support Labour and we argue on everything from taxes to capital |
| 36 | | punishment. You do have to be sensible, though. You can't get to fever pitch, then burst |
| 37 | | out crying. I don't think I could go out with a boy who supported Labour, though. I |
| 38 | | couldn't imagine marrying someone who I argued with on every point. I don't think I'd get |
| 39 | | on with someone who was a-political either, unless I could change him into a Conservative. |
| 40 | | You must have an opinion, I don't think you can be very bright if you've no idea what's |
| 41 | | going on.' |
| | | |
| 42 | | May Malteno |
10 | 43 | | May Malteno, 18, joined the Green Party two years ago. |
11 | 44 | | What would you say to people who were environmentally aware, but didn 't want to join |
| 45 | | a political party? |
| 46 | | 'I'd ask them how they intended to save the planet. There are certain things you can do |
| 47 | | about your own lifestyle, but ultimately you have to find a way of influencing people who |
| 48 | | make decisions on your behalf and those are Members of Parliament. ' |
12 | 49 | | How do outsiders view your polities? |
| 50 | | 'We are accused of being foolish and hopeful. We'd love a world where everyone loved |
| 51 | | each other and it didn't matter what colour your skin was and everyone had enough to eat. |
| 52 | | We admit that's going to be very hard to achieve, but it should never stop you aspiring to |
| 53 | | those things. The Green Partyallows you to be idealistic.' |