Sunday, June 4, 2017

Look Left

The ideological left, that is.

In the wake of the recent Brexit vote (which is an actual reality that I, and half of the people that voted to leave apparently, never saw coming), I thought I'd share a bit about my internship experience while abroad, in which I was honored to work in the office of Jeremy Corbyn MP of Islington North and Leader of the Opposition Government which is the, of late, slightly chaotic Labour Party.

The following comprises a journal assignment for one of my classes. Not exactly my finest writing, but it's truly difficult to convey my gratitude for and the utter coolness of my experience in Parliament and London in general. I wish, wholeheartedly, that I was still there, but I anticipate a swift return following graduation and before this whole Brexit thing gets too messy. Also, I over-use the word constantly, like, constantly. To my credit, about 50% of this was written in a pub, 25% on the tube, and the final quarter in a jet lagged, post-abroad melancholia stupor. Anyway, I present to you "An American in Parliament; A Poorly Written Recollection Of A Culturally Enriching, Immersive Learning Experience in Westminster."

Week 1: 11/4 – 15/4

            My first day as an intern for Jeremy Corbyn MP came just a few days after the Panama Papers reveal. On Monday, I joined Jeremy and David Cameron himself in the House of Commons for the latter’s hearing (albeit I was behind a thick panel of glass in a viewing gallery) in which he attempted to provide a tenuous rationale for his connection to money in offshore bank accounts, prompting speculation of tax evasion. Jeremy and the Prime Minister debated the need for Cabinet ministers to publish their tax returns in order to ensure complete transparency. The Prime Minister, of course, opposed this idea- which begs the question, how much money is the Conservative front bench actually hiding? If the answer is really none, than complete transparency shouldn’t be an issue. Dodgy, indeed.
            For the most part, however, I help sort and respond to correspondence from constituents from Islington North and beyond. I read a lot of letters from people who are either frustrated with their local MP’s or simply think Jeremy will be able to directly intervene and solve all their problems. Some people are clearly mentally ill or perhaps just bored, but some are truly disadvantaged, frustrated, and struggling with the current austerity government.
            I am constantly grateful for my crash course in British Politics courtesy of Andreas for providing me with a solid background in the major political events of the 20th and 21st centuries, and I am equally grateful of my awareness of the current socio-economic climate of the UK courtesy of EGL. My internship requires I draw from both courses in order to better understand the frustrations of those who write to Jeremy asking for help or (sometimes vehemently) expressing concerns  and critiques of both Conservative and Opposition policy initiatives.
            It is particularly fascinating to see how quickly the populous is affected by and responds to changes in policy, or even just proposed changes.  I’m constantly shocked by how a government meant to justly serve its people is failing so many of them. I know that Jeremy is a controversial figure in the Labour Party- frankly, he’s left of the left. But at the heart of the hundreds of letters and complaints from people who don’t know who to turn to or who just need to feel validated is a belief that Jeremy is someone who can help, and who can change things. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even both turning to him.
            Also, I answered the phone call of a constituent asking for a “surgery” and had to stop myself from directing him to St. Thomas’ Hospital across the bridge. On the same day I participated in a discussion about the possibility of Donald Trump becoming the next American president. I honestly don’t know which was more embarrassing.
  
Week 2: 18/4 – 22/4
             A couple months ago, I wrote a paper for British Politics in response to the prompt “Is Jeremy Corbyn’s Britain’s next Prime Minister? Discuss.” After doing a bit of research on Jeremy’s long and impressive political history and the circumstances that lead to his election as Leader of the Opposition Party, I decided that I did not believe Jeremy will be Britain’s next PM, but that his current position and the accompanying surge in Labour Party membership will usher a necessary change in British Politics. The fact that Jeremy was elected to replace Ed Miliband on September 12th indicates that people are unhappy with the austerity policies of the Conservative Party, but I found many of his socialist policies and beliefs to be a bit too leftist for New Labour MPs and supporters (the Blairites) to stomach- though many of them are admirable and seem to be aimed at getting back to the welfare surge of the Post War Labour government. However, the United Kingdom needs someone like Jeremy to come in, against great odds and against a rowdy bench of privileged private school buddies who favour their tax brackets with neoliberal economic policies that disadvantage the middle and lower classes, and represent those who suffer the most from disability cuts and the housing crunch, from cuts to local pharmacies and changes in the NHS, among many other issues. I still strongly believe that Jeremy is a modest, but genuine and intuitive voice that the Labour Party needs to reunite it with its roots in social welfare policies, though perhaps he is a bit before his time.
                However, you can’t tell an office of hardcore Corbyn supporters that you don’t think the man they have complete faith in can be the next Prime Minister, though I am critiquing the stubborn, unsupportiveness of the Labour Party and not the capabilities of the man himself.
                That being said, I am amazed at how hardworking Jeremy’s team is, and this internship has given me remarkable exposure to all that goes into packaging a leader and managing his image and schedule while still ensuring he is communicating with the people that matter most- the constituents.
                I am inspired by their belief in Jeremy and their disbelief that anyone could support any other cause.
                I still don’t think Jeremy will end up being Prime Minister in four years. But this was a particularly hopeful week. During Prime Minister’s Question Time, Jeremy drilled David Cameron on his plans for the government to academize local schools and, accordingly, initiate top-down organization of academics and administration. The Labour backbenchers cheered like they actually supported him.  Back in the office, Jeremy’s team was hopeful. It felt like we were doing something good- standing up for the people who can’t stand up for themselves. Stickin’ it to the man.
  
Week 3: 25/4 – 29/4
            This was easily the best and worst week in the office. High’s include the historic Junior Doctor’s strike and marching with Jeremy and John McDonnell across Westminster Bridge and to the Ministry of Health, where both politicians declared their support for Junior Doctors across the UK. The turnout was incredible. I’ve been wearing my “We are the BMA” badge since the strike and have been approached by multiple supportive strangers in coffee shops and on the street. It was a victorious event for Jeremy.
            The big low, of course, was the resurgence in the Anti-Semitism rumors, spurned by old Tweets from MP Naz Shah. I feel as if I’ve discussed this topic extensively- see Gower Street barbeque, 29 April 2016. Regardless of whether or not what Ken Livingstone said was Anti-Semitic, the statements were poorly timed and serve to further fuel the relentless Conservative attack, right before the local and Mayoral elections.  It’s a petty distraction from the real, important issues that Jeremy continuously campaigns for, and it’s disheartening that this issue is in the forefront of people’s minds, as opposed to the righteous justice of the Junior Doctor’s strike and the academization debate. Labour party divides re-emerged and re-solidified. One step forward, two steps back.
            It was interesting to witness the “damage control” process and to see the media team hard at work, releasing statements and drawing attention away from the whole Anti-Semitism controversy, and toward Jeremy’s aforementioned recent accomplishments.
            Also, the whole team went out for team-building drinks on Wednesday night after participating in the Sadiq Khan phone bank , where I, an American, encouraged British citizens to participate in their government for the good of a city I’ll be leaving in a week and a half. All in all, a good night before a pretty rough second half of the week.

Week 4: 02/05 – 06/05 (and beyond)
            During my last week, I was part of a historic election in London’s history. The day of the May 4th Mayoral Election I, and quite a few other team members, woke up early to campaign for Sadiq Khan, London’s first ever Muslim Mayor. While I still wonder what people think when they open their doors to an American telling them how to vote in an election that will have minimal impact on her American life (but might in her future London life?), it’s probably not too strange considering London is such a multicultural hub. I learned that campaigning, even in the 21st century, takes feet on the ground to get every vote out. It’s hard, sometimes tedious endurance work. Sadiq’s victory, though predicted, was satisfying and exciting. Almost as satisfying as finally saying goodbye to Boris. 
It is so hard to encapsulate in a handful of pages and various rearrangements of 26 letters all that my time in Parliament and London in general has taught me. In short, I loved it. I don’t believe I’m home. I don’t believe it’s over. My parents came and visited for a week after the program ended. Their first night in town, we went out for dinner in drinks in Kentish Town with my wonderful manager and some equally lovely coworkers and it was so indescribably cool for both of my worlds to collide. My one comfortable, reliable, warm, and familiar home world with the world that has challenged, surprised, frustrated, amazed, and utterly delighted and enlightened me while abroad. They got along swimmingly.
On Monday, we went on a tour of Parliament and then to the office of the Leader of the Opposition, where I introduced my parents to more co-workers and my manager had prepared a little goodbye gathering. We ate banana cake and toasted the last four weeks, all while taking in the view of the looming Eye across the Thames. I felt so content. I felt like I was in the right place, even though I was leaving soon.
The rest of the week with my parents was spent touring the city and trying to show them how I’d been living for the past few months, which was mostly fun by also frustrating because it’s impossible to purely express the absolute study abroad experience to anyone who hasn’t done it. But I did my best to show them the London I’ve grown to love, which included some live theatre, lots of good food in quirky restaurants, and more than one adventure in East London.

I have absolutely loved my time abroad. I learned self-assuredness, something I’ve always struggled with both professionally and personally. I learned to channel curiosity and adventurousness into every outing. I honed navigation skills. I communicated with people from all over the country and the globe. And of course I was scared sometimes, I was frustrated more than a few times. But mostly I was just happy and amazed and grateful and just totally in love. Mostly, I was home.