Your country needs you

Scottish disabled MP Anne Begg says politics needs more disabled people

Politics! That’s not for me.

How often have you heard this? Well if it’s not for you, who is it for? If elected politicians aren’t like you, then how can they possibly make the best decisions on a whole range of issues which will affect how you are able to lead your life?

It is generally accepted that if Parliament is to be representative of society at large then it needs to have more disabled people as members. At the moment it is impossible to say exactly how many disabled people are MPs as not all have declared their disability, particularly if they have a mental health disorder. This was not an option open to me as it is pretty obvious that I’m disabled – the wheelchair gives it away! So when I did decide to run for Parliament, I answered the “how will she manage” question at my selection meeting even though it wasn’t asked. I knew that people would be thinking it even though their political correctness wouldn’t allow them to articulate their concerns.

But, for most MPs, election to Parliament marks the end of a political journey, not the beginning.

I needed some persuading that it wasn’t an “old boys’ club”, an alien environment for a teacher from a working class background who had lived in the North-East of Scotland all her life.

I’m often asked for advice on how to become an MP from people in their early 20s. I tell them to get a real job for 20 years, make politics and community activity their hobby, and by then they may have picked up the necessary qualities and experience for becoming a prospective MP.

That doesn’t mean that we need to wait another 20 years for more disabled people to start seeking selection. There are hundreds of disabled people up and down the country who have been doing just this for the past two decades, it’s just that they don’t necessarily realise that they already have a huge amount of “relevant” experience for a full time life in politics.

So if you are already an active member of a disabled group, a community council, a school board, a residents’ association, a Trade Union; or are the kind of person who, instead of moaning about an injustice or shouting at the TV, actually takes some action to do something about it, then you may already have the necessary attributes to be a politician.

While there may be strong competition for the MP’s job, in many areas it is easier to be selected for a Council election.

I’ve loved my time in Parliament and get a huge amount of satisfaction helping individual constituents. Why don’t you think about it?