Young PPCs week 8: Harry Aldridge
I’ve just returned from the UK Independence Party Spring Conference in Milton Keynes where we officially launched our election campaign. Conferences are always a highlight and this short but sweet one-day event was no exception. Most of our 500 adopted candidates were present, and we are on course to field perhaps 550 in the coming election, more than we ever have before. The mood was certainly buoyant, aided by positive opinion poll ratings.
The theme of our campaign is “Straight Talking”, a very apt slogan for UKIP and one which in so many ways embodies the philosophy of the party which rails against the political establishment and espouses power to the people.
Our most notable candidate, straight talking former leader Nigel Farage MEP, is contesting the seat of Buckingham, just down the road from Milton Keynes, and is hoping to oust the current Speaker John Bercow. Nigel holds a special place in the heart of UKIP and his rabble rousing speech setting out our campaign issues and “straight talking” messages was hugely motivational.
The conference also saw the launch of our most comprehensive manifesto ever produced. Typically bold, it sets out our vision for a Britain able to govern itself, including dramatic decentralisation of power to communities and individuals, and reforms to make government more accountable at all levels.
Having a strong and well organised national campaign is a great help to candidates on the ground in our constituencies. As a so called ‘minor’ party (I prefer the term ‘new’), national media coverage is thin on the ground and so branches and candidates are very autonomous and self reliant, but achieving local newsworthiness is also hard when you are unlikely to win the seat. Most of our campaigning revolves around the continuous distribution of leaflets, standing on high streets, canvassing and good old-fashioned public meetings.
In fact, we are known for our public meetings, and I personally find these the most rewarding, speaking directly to people and allowing plenty of time for questions and answers. When voters are crying out for substance and straight talking, being put on the spot under the glare of the public and directly responding to a wide array of questions is a valuable and rewarding exercise. It keeps you in touch with real people and their key concerns and importantly it is intellectually stimulating and helps you to think about issues in new ways.
Talks and debates at schools is something we do a lot of and do very well. As a ‘new’ party it is not always easy to get in to schools. Our MEPs have been doing it for years, but only more recently are our local candidates being invited on a regular basis. I recently attended a local school’s “culture and ethics conference”, and spoke to three classes of A-Level students about the EU, politics and culture. It is a fantastic opportunity, and for a party lacking the national media presence and thus awareness among young people, it is important to be able to put forward our beliefs and discuss the issues with them, not least because tomorrow’s generation is affected by today’s decisions.
I believe passionately in the twin principles of democracy and liberty. I believe supranational political structures like the EU are not democratic, and that more suitable cooperative structures are required. I think that the British people are adult enough to look after themselves, run their own lives, and make their own choices. But for the people to be free to live their lives, the state must get out of their way, and so must be localised and made more accountable.
Politics is important, and young people do care, but with the ‘old’ parties pale imitations of each other, a broken democracy and an opportunity to affect change through the ballot box, I believe UKIP offers a genuine straight talking alternative.
Harry Aldridge, 23, is the UK Independence Party Parliamentary Candidate for Horsham in West Sussex. Photo courtesy of Harry.
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