An old friend recently complimented me on my hard work as a Lib Dem. I was quite embarrassed as I don’t feel that I do that much, and I know others who do more. As a Lib Dem voter with a full time job, four children, and very little time to be politically active, he was just pleased that I found a bit more time, went out and did stuff. He’s the same age as me – in fact, we went to school together. Today, knocking on doors in Steyning, I was reminded of his praise. The vast majority of Lib Dem voters I spoke to this afternoon were over 65, many of them unwell or struggling to look after illness in their family. They could not offer practical help – though good conversation and plenty of moral support – and said, time and again, that what I was really after was ‘young people like yourself’.

However, in this District, the population is ageing. House prices are too high for young families, and those with young families – like my friend – are too busy to be able to help. Younger people have also grown up with a different political diet – everything is national – politics by the media; all is austerity, headlines and scaremongering; the local politics, that matters, where Lib Dems – just like members of any other party – cut their teeth is often eclipsed by what we see on the television screen. And what do we see? Murdoch and then Blair – all powerful, stony faced and getting away with it. Something about where they are just makes one uncomfortable, doesn’t it?

But real politics is knocking on doors, having the conversation about issues that matter (local and national) with the very people who live around you, publicising issues, finding things out and trying to change things. There are not enough hours in the day, but then whatever you choose to believe in, there never are. Democracy is more about getting involved and teaching oneself to listen, remembering that you can always learn something and always give something back.