DREW HENDRY: Westminster is designed to keep trailblazers like Mhairi Black out
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Mhairi Black has decided to step away from Westminster, and the people she serves will be worse off for it.
That such a gifted young politician has had enough of Westminster’s toxic environment is as frustrating as it is unsurprising for the rest of us.
For those of us old enough to have enjoyed relative anonymity growing up, learning from mistakes, and blushing at otherwise long-forgotten errors, there is a certain weary acceptance of the misreporting, made-up stories, and spin that can come your way. For younger people involved in politics with a published history on social media, this can be life-altering and harmful to long-term mental health.
Now, if this sounds like I’m discouraging young people from a career in politics, then I am not – I want the opposite.
Without exception, our democracy is best served when those who are willing to step forward and take responsibility have a healthy workplace and are allowed to live their life alongside their job.
Right now, that seems impossible in politics, and it should not be this way.
When I visit schools – or when welcoming groups, such as the Inverness Kingsmills Scout group, to Parliament – I never fail to be impressed by talented and articulate young folk.
They possess an acute ability to identify injustices; they carry an inherent empathy and understanding that should be valued. It is not a lack of interest or a deficit of passion that separates them from the political realm. Instead, it is the very system that ought to encourage their participation that inadvertently keeps them at bay.
When we choose not to engage with these young voices, we lose not just their unique perspectives but we also risk snuffing out the embers of activism and policy-making that could blaze into significant forces for societal change.
Westminster represents a broken political system, and there is no will to change this – it is working exactly how it is supposed to; it is inflexible to change, with bizarre outdated rituals that make no sense to anyone in a modern society. It is designed to keep trailblazers out, busy and very much in their place.
As an elected representative, I have a responsibility to demystify my role and the political system for younger generations.
We must invite their questions, listen to their concerns, and respond in ways that honour their curiosity and growing social consciousness. We must do more than just allow them to observe the system; we must welcome them into it.
