"I'm Terrified!" - A Young Person's Plea

I'm terrified.

On December 12th, there will be a General Election and I am terrified of the result.

I am 15 years old, at the time of writing, and so far in my life, there have been four general elections. During the first two, I was far too young to have any understanding or opinion. I have a vague recollection of the 2015 General Election; I knew Ed Miliband was the leader of Labour, David Cameron the leader of Conservatives and that was probably the extent of my knowledge.

Then Brexit came up. Brexit. The dreaded word. I took a great interest in the referendum, a firm Remainer. And then we voted Leave. Was I bothered? Yes. One could even go as far as to say I was somewhat exasperated. I, an eleven-year-old, knew that staying in the EU was best for our country and our people. But that was just my opinion. A Brexiteer could say the same thing about Brexit.

And then it started. Years of it. The false promises, the failed deals, the waiting, the loss of faith. (This is starting to sound like a breakup song.) As time went on, I became more and more politically aware, questioning, debating and contemplating. Lots happened during that time and now here we are and I am terrified.

For years, despite other people's political views I have understood that even if our democratic system results in decisions I don't agree with, it's democracy and I respect that. Everyone's voice should be heard.

But this election is a completely different story. This is not about, "we all have our say and then whatever happens happens and that's fine ". Because this election is not fine. It could have devastating consequences. The magnitude of this election is greater than ever imagined. This time I don't respect whatever party you vote for. Because in this election the leaders of each party are more important than ever before, namely the Conservatives.

Their leader is a racist, sexist, Islamophobic, homophobic, liar. This isn't my opinion. These are facts. This man has openly said awful things. He has done awful things. And the lack of scrutiny he has come under as someone who is the Prime Minister of our country is abominable. (Remember, the Nazis rose to power "democratically" too.)

So no, this isn't just any election. This isn't one of those elections where everyone votes for who they believe is the best and everyone respects the results of democracy. Because in this election we have been lied to and misled as the British public. We are told the NHS is not for sale when it clearly is. We are told that we should blame the immigrants when they bring more to this country. We are told Boris Johnson isn't lying to us when he has been fired from two jobs for doing just that. We are told Jeremy Corbyn is anti-semitic when he has actively been tackling antisemitism within the Labour party, when he has simply expressed that he is against the GENOCIDE of Palestinians. We are told climate change, the biggest existential crisis that needs immediate action, is going to be tacked under Boris Johnson's government when he has said it doesn't exist. We are told he is the best person to lead our country when he has conspired to beat up a journalist that was investigating his criminal friend; when he has burnt money in front of a homeless person.

Yet they say to us: don't believe the guy who has openly fought against injustice all his life. Don't believe him. Don't believe the guy who will give the British people an opportunity to have their voices heard on Brexit fully. Don't believe him. Believe the guy who has refused to turn up to debates and interviews that every other party leader attended.

I am begging you to not vote for the Conservatives in this election (and definitely not the Brexit Party etc. !). I am genuinely terrified of what they will do in Government. The leader appears to have no care for the British public and so this is my plea.

The media are on the side of the Tories. Newspapers and broadcasters are owned by millionaires, who are the few who will gain from the oppressive Tory policies resulting in austerity. They push forward a narrative that suits their interests. The media paints a distorted picture of reality.

Think for yourself. Rummage through the lies till you find the truth. Remember, one of the worst feelings is regretting not doing something when you had the chance.

#Brexit #GeneralElection #UK #Labour #Youth