From Dartford to Downing Street

Eight year old Harold Wilson

In 1924 a young boy stood outside of 10 Downing Street – the British Prime Minister’s residence – to have his photo taken. He was then eight years old. Forty years later, in 1964, Harold Wilson, the boy in the photo, became Prime Minister himself and fulfilled a dream he believed in four decades ago.

Today, a movement which began in a classroom at Wilmington Academy was invited to the highest office in the land. An invitation which truly reflects Bite the Ballot’s growing presence on the mainstream political scene, as well as the efforts of all our young people who have got us this far. To think that only a few months ago we wouldn’t have imagined that we would be strolling through Downing Street, on our way to meet with the Prime Minister’s Youth Adviser Sean Bailey, but yet it was happening. It was happening because of the passions and conviction we have for engaging other young people in the decisions which affect our lives.

Downing Street

 As we strolled through Downing Street, a street built by and named after Sir George Downing in 1682, I thought to myself this is just a street. But it’s where it is that makes all the difference – it’s at the very heart of our government – right next to the Treasury, Whitehall and Parliament. It’s at the centre of all the action.

Speaking of action, suddenly the moment we’ve all been waiting for finally arrived. We were standing right outside the most famous door in the world – NUMBER 10 DOWNING STREET – Mike could hardly contain himself. And just as Harold Wilson had done, we also took a photo outside the big black door.

While standing on the doorstep I immediately noticed the inscription on the letterbox, ‘First Lord of the Treasury’ – the title given to Prime Ministers centuries ago. And of course our first Prime Minister was Sir Robert Walpole, a man who held the office for over twenty years. In fact Walpole was such a successful Prime Minister that King George III gave him a house at Downing Street – a house I was now standing in front of. Although Number 10 was a personal gift to Walpole, he was such a remarkable man that he gave his house to the nation, by insisted it be passed on to his successors.

Then the moment came, to see what lies behind the most famous door in the world. We finally entered Number 10 – an entrance that’s been the gateway to power for more than 50 men and one woman. Once inside the Entrance Hall, we could hardly believe that our movement had made it to corridors of power on HOPE. We were now standing in the footsteps of the many giants of history who have walked across this Hall. It was so inspiring.

A few minutes later, as we were soaking in the atmosphere Sean Bailey picked us up and we made our way to his office.  For those of you who don’t know Sean, he has been working with young people for over twenty years and after the last election he was appointed Youth Adviser to the PM. Personally he is a funny and a straightforward kind of guy. And unlike the cold tea he served us this morning the conversation we had was very warm and reassuring. He was very eager to help us make Bite the Ballot a success for British democracy.

Some of the highlights from our meeting include: A PLANNED RECEPTION for YOUNG PEOPLE at NUMBER 10 DOWNING STREET later next year; the possibility of the PM’S ENDORSEMENT; more FUNDING opportunities; and above all BITE THE BALLOT is ONE of 3 groups SEAN WILL BE CHAMPIONING next year – WHAT A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR BTB.

OH YEAH!!! 2012 WILL BE THE BITE THE BALLOT YEAR!!!

And just before we finished the meeting, Sean offered us some words of encouragement: he said that he was inspired by how we’ve made it this far on just the hopes of our young people. He added that “Possessing a passion for change – having that genuine enthusiasm for politics, along with an ability to keep going even when the road ahead seems steep, are powerful tools for success.” That’s what he said.

So let us keep building on that success – let us keep marching towards that distant horizon and a better day for young people across Britain.

A young man on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street

Let us remember the young boy who visited London eight decades ago, and a later-to-be-famous photo was taken of him outside 10 Downing Street, because at that moment, Harold Wilson was just an eight year old kid with a big dream, just as we are a young movement with big dreams. But what we both came to discover about our country is that, our freedom and our democracy do not lie in a fancy palace in Westminster, or even behind the big black door at Downing Street, but rather it lives in the hearts of all our people – it resides within all those who decide to stand up and contribute to the wellbeing of this great country. That’s why an eight year old kid was able to grow up and fulfil his dreams; it’s what led our movement from Dartford to Downing Street today; and that’s why I’m sure one day we’ll fulfil our every dream, and our highest aspirations. And on that day people would look back to this day, and they will say that “This is where it all began.” 

BITE THE BALLOT – BE THE DIFFERENCE

Hi, Usaama here – I just thought I’d share my extraordinary experience of Brussels when I went there with my Politics class, especially because Bite the Ballot is about to embark on a journey to the heart of Europe, to bring politics to young people across our European continent. So here it goes:

Usaama at the European Parliament Assembly

Bonjour, merci and au revoir were all common vocabulary during my 3 day trip to Brussels. The trip was short but the educational experience I gained was far reaching. Even before embarking on the journey I knew Brussels was an extraordinary place, it was the capital of a little known country Belgium but also the beating heart of the European Union, all of which excited me.

We spent our first night soaking in the foreign atmosphere, marveling at the grandest of architecture in the centre square of Brussels. The square was so grand it was actually titled the Grand Place: it was surrounded by guildhalls, the city’s Town Hall, the Breadhouse and numerous chocolate stores that would give even Charlie’s chocolate factory a run for their money. The Grand Place’s architecture consumed most of my camera space on that first night.

The Youth Hostel we stayed at was surprising acceptable. The Hostel’s chef who we nicknamed ‘Mama Youth Hostel’ cooked for us every night. One night she cooked an unusual meal for us which most of us found difficult to stomach. The meal was unusual because it combined pork sausages with mash potatoes and carrots with bits of leaf. We later discovered that this was the national dish and that we were actually the exceptional ones for disliking it.

Lots of Belgium Chocolate

One remarkable landmark we discovered in Brussels, which I’m sure tickled all of us was the Manneken Pis. It’s a small bronze fountain sculpture portraying a naked little boy urinating into the fountain’s basin. The myth surrounding the sculpture was that the boy urinated on fuses connected to cannons which were aimed at the city of Brussels, and by doing so he defused the bombs. His statue is therefore a symbol of courage. However what we found unstoppably funny wasn’t merely the indecency of a boy pissing, who we later dubbed ‘the pissing boy’, but the joke was that imitations of the sculpture were everywhere. There were ‘pissing boy’ key chains, t-shirts, chocolate bars, bottle openers and more ridiculously a ‘pissing boy’ sculpture which urinated wine at one restaurant we passed.

On the morning of our European Parliament visit, things got off to an interesting start. I was forced to eat out for breakfast because Mama Youth Hostel’s cooking came back for an encore, and in addition to that our teacher Ivan got us lost en route to the European Parliament by walking us in circles (literally).

Finally we arrived at the European Parliament. The buildings that made up the Parliament were spectacular glass structures, a true testament to the spectacular architect Atelier Espace Leopold. We began our tour of the Parliament with a briefing on the institutions of the European Union and the controversies that surround them. The most important institution is the European Commission which is the Executive branch of the EU and has the power to propose legislation including the annual budget. This institution is also the most controversial because it wields unprecedented power whilst surprising unelected by the citizens of the 27 member states it governs. It’s the main recipient of the phrase ‘democratic deficit’ which suggests the European Union lacks an electoral mandate.

The Council of Ministers is next down the chain of European seniority. It’s an institution made up of representatives who are appointed by the 27 national governments in the Union. The institution has the power to pass or reject the Commission’s legislation and Commissioners are nominated from this Council. This institution is also criticised for its undemocratic credentials.

The European Parliament Assembly

The most democratic EU institution is the very building that we were standing in on that very day: the European Parliament. The Parliament is the only institution directly elected by the citizens of the 27 member states. It too has the power to reject or pass the Commission’s legislation but more importantly the Parliament has the power to supervise the 27 Commissioners, and is also the only institution that can sack them for misconduct. It’s clear from the above that the European Parliament cannot be criticised for lacking an electoral mandate but it is however critiqued for its lack of power to initiate legislation (it can only amend it). One surprising fact I discovered in the briefing was the extent to which Britain is so euro-sceptic: the majority of Members we elected to the European Parliament were from political parties who most rejected Europe like UKIP (UK Independence Party), the Conservative Party and even the British National Party. I thought this said a lot about how our fellow citizens view the European Union.

Last but not least is the European Court of Justice which is responsible for ensuring directives passed by other EU institutions (in other words EU law) are implemented by the member states, and also irons out disagreements between member states concerning policy.

Some of the most shocking revelations we uncovered at the briefing were about the over 600 translators hired by the Parliament to break the language barrier that exist amongst the linguistically diverse member states. The second European Parliament in Strasbourg (France) was also a source of vigorous debate in the briefing. This is because the second Parliament building is only active 12 weeks a year during plenary secessions, but yet it is open all year round, wasting taxpayers’ money. However to shut the building down, it would require the consent of all 27 member states in the Union and France would obviously never ratify the policy because by hosting the Parliament, they possess both political prestige and it provides jobs for the local economy of Strasbourg.

Just as everyone was beginning to doze off I attempted to breathe new life into the briefing by cracking a terrible joke. I suggested that the current President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy looked a lot like Mr Burns from the Simpsons. There were some chuckles around the room but the lady conducting the briefing was quick to leap to his defence. She told us that he was extremely hardworking, understood the EU extensively and although he didn’t look it, he possessed admirable charisma which I’m guessing she was clearly taken in by. I should also add that she said he wasn’t nearly as evil as Mr Burns from the Simpsons. I should also point out that the position Mr Van Rompuy holds as the official face of Europe is highly criticised for being so important and yet unelected by the Union.

European Parliament

Eventually the briefing came to a close and the climax of our entire journey was now at hand. At last, we emerged through the viewers’ gallery and as we marched ahead the European deliberating chamber opened up before us. It was a hemicycle, divided up into political preference and right in the middle of the chamber was a speaker’s podium, with each member state’s flag hanging directly above it. I might add that the ceiling lights were also magnificent. Well anyway, at that moment as you might imagine I was overwhelmed by a whirlwind of memories of debates taking place in the very chamber I was standing in. One particular debate came to mind which I thought summed up the majority of Britons views towards Europe. It was a debate where the UKIP leader Nigel Farage was criticising the EU President Van Rompuy, and broadly criticising the whole idea of a European political Union. Mr Farage uttered the words “Who are you? The British people don’t know you; the British people didn’t vote for you; the British people don’t want you!!!” He uttered them rather aggressively I might add. You see the thing is – a lot of us think Britain’s future in Europe is to be a part of the Union whilst also expressing our hostility to it at the same time. I used to feel that same cynicism, but after having studied the subject and discovered the heart of Europe for myself, I don’t feel that way anymore. Je suis européen. Ich möchte ein Teil einer Europäischen Union. Credo che l’Europa è il futuro e la Gran Bretagna dovrebbe essere una parte di esso.