I’m Emmie, and politics affects me.

Tell me a little about you…

Hi I’m Emmie and I’m a Secondary School Teaching Assistant as well as a UK Culture and Lifestyle Blogger based in Leicester. I tweet quite a lot over on @carpediememmie

Did you vote at the last election? And why?

Yes I did vote in the last General Election and the recent EU Referendum! 

It was the third time I had voted for something big in my country. My parents hadn’t educated me on the importance of voting but I knew myself how important it was and dug my heels into it all, I wanted my voice to be heard (I hate being ignored) and thought it was a great way of succeeding in that. In my area I don’t agree with my MP and their work hasn’t been effective so I still want to work hard to change things. I think it’s one of the most important influences we can have on our country so why not get involved?

What would you say to those who don’t vote?

I would ask them why? I get how easy it is to not bother or feel like you’re a drop in the ocean so your vote doesn’t matter but if we all thought that then nobody would vote right? Think about the things which are vital in the lives of you, your family and children in the future. If things like education, jobs, healthcare, environment matter to you then get out there and do your research. You’d be surprised how easy the information you want is to access. Like I said I wasn’t taught much about politics by my parents or school I just went out there and scoped it for myself.

What issues at election time are most important to you and why?

This changes between election because I’m growing up and the importance factor will differ. When I first voted at 18 it was about higher education, I wanted to pursue a degree and didn’t want that door closed to me because of higher fees which were enforced the year I graduated. Now I’m more concerned about BREXIT and how the entire process will affect me. I’d like more options for arts in education, for the wellbeing and health of our future generations. I’m angry at the lack of ‘affordable’ housing available to me and well our education system is frightening! 

I definitely want to connect more with local MPs this time around and get them to convince them that they can do something for me and my concerns.

Are there any causes/interests you’re particularly passionate about? And how does politics impact on these interests?

I’m passionate about the arts, mental health wise they definitely saved me and I know it’s importance to young people in school and beyond. Politics always hang over the arts. we’ve lost a lot of incredible projects and companies because funding has been scraped and well why isn’t Dance or Theatre an essential part of the curriculum yet?  

Does politics have an effect on your work or study?

I work in a school so there’s always politics about changes to the education system, I don’t believe in everything set out in the education system but I hope I can do what is best for the young people I come into contact with. There are talks of cuts to schools which could result in me losing my job, that sucks right?! Hopefully, this won’t happen though.

Do you discuss politics with your friends?

Sometimes, it depends on who I am with though because whilst I’m passionate about politics and for young people to get involved, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Hopefully, with the growth of online influences, we can change that and get everybody in the age range of 18-25 shouting about the issues that affect them.