Voting
Here’s the thing I’ve never quite got. When I vote, I don’t vote for me.
I don’t vote for what tax cut, what pension benefit, what fuel price freeze, what VAT adjustment will benefit me.
I never have.
When parties promise me things, I can’t help thinking they are pointing at the wrong person.
I’m not rich - in accepted UK terms. But I’m not poor.
I’d love a bit more money. I’d love to be able to pay my rent without first checking that I can. It would be great to be able to pay for a restaurant bill without freezing momentarily when my card goes in the machine,
But generally, I can eat. I can survive, I can feed and clothe my cat. (Shut up).
Thousands and thousands can’t.
I never vote for me. I only ever vote for those who don’t.
I vote for those who never watch Newsnight, who have never heard of the IFS, interest rates, annuity funds, oil prices, deficits, retail price indicators.
I vote for people who need help. People who are much too busy feeding their kids to worry about what colour tie that man is wearing, what clever line that person has rebuffed, what apparent howler that person has been caught on video saying.
It seems simple to me. Vote for the people less fortunate than you. In every situation.
Vote for the people who aren’t looking up. Vote for those who are looking down.
The alternative seems so absurd: “Vote for the person who will enrich me in tiny ways for a little bit, and make sure the other person gets less.”
When my time is up, I can’t imagine happily thinking “I wish I’d grabbed a little bit more for myself.”
But I would be happy to think: “I tried to do something. For people who have less.”
