Caring for humanity
Politicians are regularly bombarded by requests to sign up for one cause or another, by a huge variety of campaigning groups. There are so many good causes, it is not possible to effectively support them all.
Although I have a particular interest in supporting causes in the local community, it does not mean my eyes are shut to more global issues. Some causes are very well known and attract lots of funding, but there are too less well known causes that are no less deserving.
In September 2015 I attended a short debate in the Westminster parliament. It wasn’t a debate brought forward by the government or any of the opposition parties, so the attendance was sparse: less that 10 MPs if memory serves me correctly. The Speaker had agreed to give a colleague a 90-minute debate on the topic of “The use of children as suicide bombers”.
It was a harrowing experience. I learned a lot about the scale of the problem worldwide, and I also learned about the aftermath of violence, and how little support was given to the humanitarian issues involved.
There is so much violence in the world. I eventually became involved in supporting an organisation that seeks to support victims of violence from the likes of landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Although western governments spend millions supporting the clear up explosive weapons, often there is nothing put in place to support the long terms impact on innocent individuals, families and communities. Often children are the most innocent of all the victims. I do what I can to provide support to those, like my former parliamentary colleague, who continue to raise these rarely seen causes and provide a voice for the innocent victims.
So although I can’t do everything, I find it helps to keep me grounded and aware of how lucky I am, to contribute what I can and give a voice of the most vulnerable and innocent people in our society. If I am elected as MSP for Falkirk East, I hope my voice can be raised in support of those most in need in our community.