Politics affects almost every aspect of our lives; from the price of basic consumables like bread, milk and meat right through to issues like education, transport and the environment. The scope is truly vast.

The summer has not been great for Politicians. Revelations regarding misuse of the expenses system have not helped their popularity any. As a result many people have become disconnected with politics.

Despite all of the recent fuss we are lucky in that our process is democratic and well structured towards making every voice in the country heard. Even young people that haven’t reached voting age have a right to speak with their MP or MSP on issues they feel strongly about.

A recent move by the governing Scottish National Party (SNP) in Scotland has suggested that a referendum is needed on Scottish Independence. There’s even an idea to lower the voting age to just 16 (from 18 years). End of Term spoke with Mike Russell MSP, who has the snappy title of Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution.

I started by asking him to comment on the SNP commitment to the possible lowering of the voting age for a referendum on Scottish independence – if we have one. “Well yes of course, we are committed. A letter that I received from Eileen Campbell, who’s our youngest MSP asked whether we intend to do so and I responded to her positively – we do intend to do so; the voting age for council wards election in Scotland has been lowered to 16, it is our intention wherever we can to do this, we don’t have control of our own electoral system here, it’s one of the anomalies of devolution, but for the referendum we will be establishing our own legislation, so in those circumstances we intend to lower the voting age for people to vote”

I asked whether he felt that other limitations based on age were worth keeping to. “We think you should treat each of these things in a different way.  We know, for example, the social damage which can be done by drinking and sometimes by driving a car, and in those circumstances, until we see evidence to the contrary, then I think that it’s right to remain with the status quo. There is substantial evidence that young people are not only interested in politics, but also wish to participate in politics in this way, we think this is reasonable, and we have been long term supporters in the SNP of that change.”

I asked why the referendum issue was so important. “We intend to bring into the Parliament a bill to deliver a referendum for the people of Scotland that will give people the opportunity to choose, essentially, the future Governments of Scotland. Our commitment to do that was on our manifesto; we are elected on that commitment, we’re going to try to honour it. We’re a minority Government; it may well be that the other parties will be able to vote it down, but the reason we’re doing it is because it’s not been done. Essentially, we think that the people of Scotland have the right to choose. We think that it is right that the next stage of that development is to ask the people of Scotland whether they would wish to be independent.

Politics in the UK is so accessible that if you don’t think things are being done the way they should be; you can stand for Parliament yourself. If you can convince the public that your manifesto and ideas are good enough to vote you in; you could affect real change.

John Smeaton stood for election to the North East Glasgow seat (vacated by former Speaker of the House, Michael Martin). Meeting him over a coffee before the polling, I asked him how he got involved in Politics. “We’ve always had political debates and arguments at the dinner table. You try to come to a compromise. With this there was an opportunity. You can stand and shout on the side lines as much as you want but nothing will ever get changed. You have to throw your hat into the ring and make a stand. I was very lucky in that the Jury Team came in for me.”

Mr Smeaton clearly sees it as a lucky break to have been selected so I asked him why the Jury Team had wanted to back him. “I don’t actually know! They just said would you like to be involved? And I said yeah! Why not?! They talked about getting Independence into Parliament; trying to take politics back from the parties and giving it to the people and I thought; that’s great.

Who comes up with the policies; you or the Jury Team? “They’re my policies. I went out and found out about the local issues. Rather than saying right, we’re going to do this or that for you. I said right what do you want me as your MP to do for you?

If you’re an independent you can work with everybody. You’re not constrained saying things like ‘I’m not working with the Labour council because I’m Tory or Liberal. Party politics kind of takes it away from the people. I’m here to do what my constituents want not just what my party wants.

I read in your manifesto that you feel people should “Vote for change or stop complaining?” “It’s been Labour here for 74 years. People are saying ‘they’re doing nothing for us, they’re this, and they’re that’ well you still voted them in for 74 years, so unless you actually vote for a change than the status quo will always remain.

Mr Smeaton seemed almost annoyed with people so I asked him whether he felt that they should be made to vote. “If you don’t vote, you’ve got no say in the matter. I think it would be a very good thing.” He confirmed.

John’s a local lad and I wanted to find out just what was really important to him – the people or the politics? Would he have stood for Parliament in another constituency outside of Glasgow? He answered without pause: “I’d have turned it down. I’m interested in helping the people of Glasgow North East. That’s why I got involved – because these people have been let down for 74 years. They’ve had all of their industry taken away and nothing was ever put back in; hence why unemployment is so prevalent. This is the constituency that politics forgot.

Here’s a man with a genuine ambition to make things better but what would he do on his first day in the job if voted in? “My priority is fixing unemployment and also making sure that the community groups get the funding they deserve. Very tough; but if you don’t go in and try... I’ll fight for it and I’ll fight damned hard for it. At the end of the day it’s not about me; it’s about what the people need and deserve. Local community groups should not be worrying about funding when they’re doing a fantastic job.”

Another manifesto point complains that people with no experience of teaching get to be Minister for Education and so on. I put it to him that he had no experience of politics which is largely the same thing. “It’s a valid point but what qualifications does a politician need? You just need to have your views and have the means to raise the views of your constituents. If you don’t do anything for them, they’re entirely right to kick you out. It doesn’t matter how high up you are. That’s the way it should be.”

Politicians have had a year to forget but I wanted to find out what Mr Smeaton thought was behind the fact that many young people still see politicians as the enemy. “I think politicians have detached themselves. You’ve got to get out and meet them to begin to understand them. Don’t speak over them; speak to them. Most importantly you have to listen to them and if they bring issues forward that are affecting them and their lives you have to go right ‘I’ll go and find out about that.’ Come back to them and say, yes, I’ve looked at that and I’ll fight for you on that.”

As it turned out the election saw Labour win by a comfortable majority. John Smeaton might choose to stand again in the future. I asked him at the time what it would mean to him if he were to be voted in. “It would be an absolute honour to go down and represent the people of Glasgow North East. It would be the greatest honour you could ever bestow on anybody to say we elect you to represent us. Nothing comes before that and the issues that they want brought forward. I’m in it for the people up here to get a better crack of the whip.”

Politics involves everyone and everyone can choose how involved they get; from voting to standing for Parliament. We can all play a part in shaping how the UK operates and we should; after all as Abraham Lincoln said “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.”

Boxout.

Study Politics:

“Politics, Philosophy and Economics: PPE”

University of Stirling

www.politics.stir.ac.uk