Unfortunately, I shall be back at The University of York when the nation goes to the polls for the 2005 General Election. This means that every single time I have to walk from one lecture to another, I will not only be dealing with hoards of viciously territorial ducks, but I will also have to face numerous political fanatics giving me all manner of advice on how I ought cast my vote. A simple trip across campus becomes a logistical nightmare. I might no longer be able to take the shortcut through Vanbrugh College for the fear of the militant wing of the Campus Conservative Party trying to persuade me that immigration is something I ought actually be incredibly concerned about at half past nine on a Monday morning. There is always the risk, however, that if I take a detour to avoid the Tories, I might find myself running in with the Labour Party campaigners, a band of relentless enthusiasts who still blindly believe that there were the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that Tony Blair is a man I should both love and trust. Should I manage to avoid both of the above, then I might have the fortune to run into the Liberal Democrats, who, along with blind optimism and broad cheerful smiles, believe that their positive campaign is winning votes across campus. Then add to this the colourful range of extremist student political activists (communists, socialists, anarchists etc
) and it all becomes a little too much. Quite why students insist on getting involved in party politics, I cannot tell. I mean, students are busy enough with sleeping, parties, drinking and so on, to have time to get involved in campaigning for the election. Instead, some individuals spend their time plastering posters all over campus, handing out flyers to people who will bin them as soon as they get them, and sending out bulk emails to cram everybody's email inbox. It might well be the first time that some students are old enough to vote, but surely that isn't an excuse to get this carried away? Please don't think that I am not going to vote. I will vote, and I believe it is important to do so. Enough people fought to win vote, and far too many people in the world today are deprived of the right to vote, to make voting anything that might be taken lightly. I will take my vote seriously; I will take a little time to consider which party is lucky enough to get a resounding cross on my ballot paper. My point, however, is this. Although everyone should be encouraged to vote, and to seriously consider how they vote, it is not an excuse to make things extremely difficult for people who are trying to get on with their daily lives. When I want to find out about a political party, I will go and find out the information. I will get the information when I want it, when I need it, and when I have time to read it. I don't want to me stopped by some student activist who insists on telling me about something I have neither the will nor the interest to listen to at a time when I have numerous other things that I am doing. When I am sitting in a campus bar with friends, I am there to drink beer, not to listen to someone who decides to slither up to our table and try to win our votes. I don't want to have to spend five minutes clearing flyers and other paraphernalia stuck to the computer monitor before I can use a campus computer. I don't want to walk through a college seeing nothing but huge posters telling me about student political rallies. I will make my decision and I will place my vote. Until then, however, I want to be left alone.
Sam Fugill Could you be a student diarist?
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