By Danny Bowman, Head of Campaigns at Parliament Street.
As I sit down every evening to watch the 6 o’clock news I await that dreaded B word. The word that has possibly changed the shape of British politics forever. It’s the word that most citizens of the United Kingdom hear daily being flung around by politicians, commentators and others from the Westminster bubble.
Citizens like me watch with batted breath for a small mention of the issues facing us, the regular people up and down the United Kingdom hoping for once the headline won’t be ‘Brexit Plan in Chaos’ or ‘MP’s Undecided Again on the Route Forward’. Most citizens want to know what lies beyond the B word, what their lives are going to look like, what their children’s prospects are going to be, what their country is going to stand for and how we are going to ‘Unite the Kingdom’. Our political discourse has become so clouded with ideological restraints that disenfranchise us from each other and disallow us from having a proper conversation about the domestic issues that matter to us all.
Parents may want to know what their elected representatives are going to do to make sure that their children get access to the best education or how they are going to act on climate change to secure the planet for the next generation.
Older people may want to know how their representatives plan to reduce waiting times in the NHS or make sure that they can maintain their dignity in old-age through a comprehensive and affordable social care plan.
Younger people may want to know MP’s plans to reduce the costs of higher education and the debt they face once leaving University. They may want to know how their representatives are going to make housing more affordable, so they can start to build a life with the opportunity to own their own home.
People may want to know how MP’s plan to build a social security system that truly works for everyone, helping those who can into work and offering protection to vulnerable people without the threat of sanctions.
Although these tasks are not just the job of MP’s or Councillors alone, it takes a conscious effort by all of us to play a role in recreating the promise of our nation and uniting the kingdom. We must go beyond the squabbles of Brexit, beyond our own political affiliations and aim to come together not through some idealistic façade that it will all just work itself out, but by bringing forward our own ideas on how to achieve a country that allows every individual the chance to succeed. Through innovative ideas we can make sure everyone can have the opportunity to go as far as their talents and dreams can take them.
We at Parliament Street are asking everyone, no matter who you are to get involved in Parliament Street’s new campaign to ‘Unite the Kingdom’ through ideas for the domestic policy agenda. We are asking people to write 500 words on their ideas for improving health and social care, education, social security, environment, housing, justice and transport or other domestic policy areas. The best submissions will be posted on our website. These ideas will also be put to a panel of politicians, experts and people with personal experience of the issues at a panel discussion we are organising for later this year. So, however big or small your idea is, submit!
Send submissions for our website to danny.bowman@parliamentstreet.org
