Susan van de Ven

Liberal Democrat Councillor for Bassingbourn, Litlington, Melbourn, Meldreth and Whaddon Learn more

You Don’t Speak For Me, Mr T

by Susan van de Ven on 9 November, 2016

This day feels like a rerun of June 24, on an even bigger stage. It had rained that night too, and the most beautiful delphinium in my garden toppled over like a symbol of what had just been lost.

The EU Referendum was advisory, not legally binding, but still it wreaked havoc and has divided our country with no resolution in sight. By contrast, the US Presidential Election is not advisory, and it looks like the most dangerous kind of human being will soon be installed in the White House.

There’s plenty to despair about in this world, but in the end it’s up to us to make a difference. We can let politics be the domain of people who absolutely shouldn’t be there, or we can get in and help to shape it. It doesn’t matter where you live – it starts in our own communities. The one saving grace is the democratic system itself.

Trump said, ‘I’m not a politician. I’m only interested in you.’ Sorry mate, but it is you who makes ‘politician’ a dirty word, and you’re not interested in me.

The choice is to do nothing or wait for someone else to do it. So let’s get in there and become politicians, and deploy the democratic system we still have.

   3 Comments

3 Responses

  1. Corinne Garvie says:

    Thank you for the inspirational words. I have sent them to the family. We felt so low after Brexit and now this.

  2. Christine Steers says:

    We do not directly elect our Head of State, Prime Minister or House of Lords! Our House of Commons (elected) is shrinking our House of Lords (unelected) is growing. What democracy?

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