The Writing’s on the Lamp Post
INGRID ALLAN, a charity caseworker and political activist explains what jolted her out of apathy in the recent election campaign
The enthusiasm with which I once participated in politics at a local and national level has waned in recent years. Where once a general election would have seen me knocking on doors, delivering leaflets, making badges, reading newspapers, and using every minute of spare time to scour the internet for the latest poll results, it was difficult to summon the same excitement this time around.
Housing First, established by the Finland government, operates on the idea that having a place to live is both a human right and a basic right
My general sense of apathy wasn’t just a matter of work and family commitments and the general chaos of uprooting my life in Worthing. The government seemed to have dragged itself so far into the gutter that it felt as though we had to wade through deluges of excrement (of the kind currently filling our seas and rivers) just to get a sense of what was really going on.
The thing that convinced me to get back out on the campaign trail was a hand-drawn sign tied to a lamp post on my street, of the kind that usually details a lost dog, or a quarrel over parking spaces.
At closer inspection the sign appeared to be a well written plea by two local children for greater care to be taken of our communities, and more action to prevent homelessness.
Coming, as I do in part, from Finland, where homelessness has been all but eliminated through the successful Housing First policy, I have always been shocked by the levels of rough sleeping in England, and in coastal towns like Hastings in particular. But to my chagrin, I hadn’t stopped to think about the impact that seeing human beings treated like unwanted debris was having on the next generation, who had been born under austerity and never known anything different.
But to get back to the sign on the lamp post…. last issue The Hastings Independent reported on the 11-year-old girl whose idea it was to put up the signs, and I was touched by how sincerely she expressed her desire to live in a country where human beings are treated fairly, regardless of income or social class. So, I’m thinking about writing a response and putting it on my nearest lamp post. It’ll look something like this:
Dear Seraphina and David,
As you might have noticed, an election took place the other day, and I hope that as a result things will change.
I hope that as you both grow up, we will find ways to give everyone a safe place to live and look after those in our communities who need more looking after, no matter what it costs.
I hope that in the years to come, your teachers are less stressed, and less tired, with smaller class sizes, so that all of you can be valued and helped to get the best out of your education.
I hope no-one ever tries to tell you not to be ambitious, to dream big, to believe that you can change the world, because if children don’t believe these things, adults won’t either.
I hope that in five years’ time, when you’re old enough to vote, you will do so, and do so wisely, because not all politicians are the same. It’s easy to see which ones care about other people, and which ones only care about themselves, if you know how.
I hope too, that despite the admirable sense of responsibility you feel towards your neighbourhood, that you will never try to shoulder too much of the burden of fixing it. Changing the world is a marathon, not a sprint, and it may be a while before it truly feels like things are getting better, but they will.
In the meantime, keep smiling, keep dreaming, and if you ever feel burned out, take a break and spend time with the people who love you.
If you should walk past a blue house with red geraniums in the garden and a white dog standing at the window, know that the person who lives there is grateful to you for cheering up all of West Hill, after what has been a difficult time for our town and our country.
Yours sincerely,
Ingrid
I suppose, among all the challenges that await the new government, there is the question of whether they can look beyond the short-term thinking of these four-year election cycles, to the world that Seraphina and David will inherit.
Covid proved that when there is a political will to do so, we can house everyone, just as the Finnish government has done. Will these two earnest young people approach the ballot box for the first time in 2032 feeling a burning sense of betrayal? Or will they be emboldened to believe that a better, fairer future is possible?
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