Next Thursday we are asked to vote for the politician and Party who will represent us in Parliament, possibly until 2029. Since the last General Election a lot has happened, including; Covid, formal separation from the EU, 3 Prime Ministers, 2 leaders of HM Loyal Opposition, the Official Bank Rate has increased from 0.75% to 5.25%, an increase in UK GDP of 2.64% in the five years to March 2024, an increase in the number of emergency food parcels issued by the Trussell Trust network, operators of around 60% of the UK Food Banks, from 1.6 million to 3.1 million, and an increase in annual net migration into the UK from 212,000 to 685,000 between 2019 and 2023.

These are only a sample of the issues faced by the last Parliament, but regardless of whether you read the above with anger, joy or utter indifference it indicates the potential range of issues to be faced by those we will elect. How they deal with them is chiefly determined by the policies of the governing Party and the expertise, as well as, hopefully, the integrity of our MP’s. The political parties (generally) appeal for our votes by focussing on what the polls tell them we think threatens us most. Chiefly it’s the cost of living crisis, followed by NHS waiting lists, immigration and asylum, climate change, the housing crisis, and these are just the main ones, there are many others.

Sadly, a lot of our problems as a country and in the wider world today stem from prioritising the demands of the powerful few over the needs of the many. Prioritising my self-interest today pleases me but at your expense and happiness. Alternatively, prioritising the common good over narrow self-interest benefits us all, but it’s a long haul. Ignoring the needs of the poor, the marginalised and the vulnerable today stokes anger and the threat of unrest we will inevitably have to face tomorrow, as will blaming them for the country’s problems. It’s not my place to tell you who to vote for but please consider this when you make your X on the Ballot Paper. While UK politics is inextricably linked to government power, it’s shaped by those who bother to turn up, and I urge you to do just that; exercise your right to vote – and this year, make sure you take your photo ID!