Is Politicking Among Students Dead? - Callum Caldwell, Heathfield Community College

The decisions made at the top of a nation have always had a large impact on the lives of its citizens, yet now, that impact seems to be so much more profound than ever. In today’s world, we have a man who sits at a computer tweeting about how his button “is a much bigger and more powerful one than his, and my Button works”. Of course, this could just be a school spat between two teenage boys, but the matter suddenly becomes a whole lot more morose and melancholic when we discover that the author of such a tweet is a sitting President of the United States of America, the person to whom he is speaking is the sovereign leader of another independent nation and the button to which he alludes is a button controlling the second-largest nuclear arsenal in the world. 
There are many people in the United States who are in education right now and feel that they could do a lot better in this leadership role, just as there are many in the United Kingdom who feel that they are keen to work as a representative in Parliament and replace, or in some cases support, the representation we currently have.
Politics is an area which always has needed, and always will need, a continuous supply of fresh blood else all we end up with is the same old men and women peddling the same dusty ideals, and yet, there is little interest in the younger generation for politics. It is one of the few things that people in our western civilisation can decide to hate with a uniform passion. To the eye of the many, politics is very little more than a waste of breath with a side order of pomp, often arriving at the same conclusion that they themselves arrived at two hours ago without having to be paid out of the taxpayer’s pocket. The reason why we bother with such dealings is that everyone needs to be represented and an MP speaking in the House of Commons is a constituent somewhere being represented, so even if it does take a long time, it is simply because everyone’s opinion and point of view must be considered. 
Despite the widespread dislike for anything political, this fresh blood must keep coming, but it is now that a truth must be faced, are young people (specifically students) having the urge to join the world of politics stamped out of them? This is extremely grave, for, should we have no more politicians, the world would stop spinning; no bill would ever find its way through to the law and no existing laws would be sufficiently upheld. Therefore, it is clear that it is very important to allow those who have a desire to enter into politics the chance to do so. 
It is important to note that when I speak about students having the politic beaten out of them, I do not necessarily mean teachers. Teachers can be some of the most supportive when it comes to a student’s ambition or sense of duty to their nation. Instead, I refer, in large part, to the students who admonish their peers who express even a meek interest in politics. “It’s so boring.” “Everyone hates them”. “It doesn’t affect me though”. 
Of course, to a student whose enthusiasm does lie in the realm of politics, they would know each of these accusations to be false. As far as my experiences go, there is little in the world more fascinating than politics and the intrigues that take place at the highest levels. In addition, not everyone does hate politicians. Indeed, particularly among the younger generation, only a minority would say that they hate Jeremy Corbyn. Somehow, he has been able to garner support from the younger population and even make them love him, despite his 68 years of age. And finally, there is no one on the planet who is unaffected by politics. There is not one person not affected by a tax hike, or a rebate or a declaration of war. 
If there were a wider acceptance for those who have a desire to enter into the world of politics at school level, we would have fresh blood, and maybe even better leaders. I mean, let’s face it, you can’t be much worse than what we currently have. Politics is one of the most admirable professions that you can possibly profess an interest in, and it is time for the nation to see that.