So, a few days have passed. The country has not yet entirely imploded, although the protests in London did appear to fall victim to somewhat of a media blackout, and we have begun the next five years of Tory rule.
There is a positive right there. We can tick off five. We are five sleeps closer to our next chance to change things.
And, I know it seems unlikely, this is the point of this post. What can we POSITIVELY do now? I have read many articles about this in the last few days and this is my somewhat re-hashed version of the bits that work for me. We cannot alter what has happened, that’s democracy folks, and long may it last but if, like me, you were a bit bemused by the outcome then it might be time to think about what you can do to help.
Try to be tolerant on social media.
It is oh so easy to let rip from the keyboard and I was quite guilty of this as the results came in on Friday morning. However I did try not to respond with my immediate thoughts to those whose views clearly oppose my own. I have been witness to several unpleasant Facebook spats this weekend and whilst I completely understand the need to offload your frustration, I had my own public vent right here, it is a shame to see friendships and relationships broken over this. How does that actually help any of us?
Surely we learn more by trying to understand our opposition than by trying to demean them? Discussion is key. And with only a small Conservative majority the voices that we have managed to elect will still hold power within the walls of Westminster. Debate is to be encouraged and the only way that can happen is if everyone is prepared to listen.
Don’t alienate your friends.
Take action.
So the party you wanted to rule didn’t get elected, what are you going to do? Winge on Facebook? Yep, probably. Me too. But I have also (just) joined the Labour party. If you really want to help then get involved. I have been truly inspired by the number of women I know that have joined both the Green and Labour parties within the last few days. I have my own first local meeting on Wednesday. I’m excited.
Prepare to help.
There are many things that will be totally out of your control in the next five years but there are ways to minimise the (potential) damage. Find your local food bank. Offer to help. Donate. Did you know in Aldi you can buy a decent tasting jar of bolognese sauce for 49p and a large bag of penne pasta for the same. That is less than £1 and would be a reasonable meal for a family of four. Consider adding stuff like this to your weekly shop. It is only £1 to you but a meal to others that may otherwise have to go without.
Support your local hospitals and hospices. If they have a fundraiser go along. Buy some cake. Give them a hand. They have a tough five years ahead.
Protest peacefully.
With someone like this being given the job of Justice Secretary, despite publicly stating that “Britain was wrong to abolish hanging in the 60s,” there are likely to be an increasing number of political protests in the years ahead.
Turn up. Be heard. But do it peacefully. Don’t waste your fellow protesters efforts by defacing war memorials and the like. Have some respect, some pride in your beliefs and act accordingly.
Vote.
If you didn’t this time please, PLEASE do next time. If you don’t want to go to a polling station register for a postal vote. It really couldn’t be easier. SO MANY WOMEN fought to win women the right to vote. Realise how lucky you are that you even have the chance. Don’t waste it.
Fair play to you for deciding to actually get involved with your local political party.
I think the backlash is a consequence of the shock of the result. In the weeks leading up to the election, practically all the polls were either saying that Labour had a slight lead or that it was very close between them and the Conservatives. On top of this, the Tories had failed to win a majority over an unpopular New Labour led by Gordon Brown in 2010 and it is also rare for a sitting government to increase the number of seats it has.
So a lot of the pre-election talk was centred around which parties were likely to be forming a coalition.
And then the exit poll shit on our heads mere moments after the voting deadline had passed, with the final result rubbing it in our eyes, in our ears, and in between our toes.
I think The Daily Mail referred to the protest as a “mass riot” which was quite weird when the short video they had on their site showed the exact opposite.
A lot can happen in five years though, so there’s plenty to be optimistic about.
Oh, and 90 odd years ago it wasn’t uncommon for the protesting suffragettes to be physically and sexually assaulted by the police… which didn’t particularly bother the then Home Secretary Winston Churchill.
Great post and great suggestions. I agree with your thoughts on social media, I found my Facebook and Twitter timelines very upsetting for a few days, even though I kept out of it completely I hated seeing it. I need to find out how to donate to our local food bank, like you say I could easily add a couple of £ to my weekly food shop and it could make a difference to someone.
Jennifer there will be lots of places you can donate food within your town. many supermarkets, churches, schools etc will have boxes specifically for the food bank. Google your local one and I am sure they can find you somewhere convenient to donate x
All of our local supermarkets have am area to donate to our local foodbank – we do a foodbank shop every couple of weeks where one of the kids will have an extra trolley and will buy a few essentials to add to the donation box. It’s amazing what you can get if you buy the value ranges – for just a few pounds you can make a difference.
Thank you, I’ll investigate!
I was quite shocked by emotional outbreaks on social media and I truly believe that if you are passionate about politics, then go and do something to change the situation. It doesn’t have to be anything big, investing time to read with kids in your local primary is a great start, but remember to be tolerant and respect other people’s opinions…
Like everyone else I was really shocked by the social media backlash. I was shocked and I did whinge a little but at the end of the day, we voted and that was the outcome, you do have to live with it and move on, unless like you you are willing to do something about it. Very wise words x
What a well written post. I do hope people listen to the advice in it.
What a brilliant post! The dust still hasn’t settled in my mind – I am still so angry to think of it. I love these ideas though and agree 100% – it is in our hands x x
Great post Jenny! You are so right! It is so easy to get upset and express your angry on social media.
applauds wildly gret points and have joined up just like you xxx
Well done you for taking action and joining the Labour party, and being tolerant on social media is so important, but I do understand so hard at times. It’s such a instant way to express how you feel isn’t it?