Because Keir Starmer has the first name as one of the founders of the Labour party, Keir Hardie, there have been a few articles about the original Keir. Do read more about him.
But what struck me was that Keir Hardie was only 14 when he became chairman of a miners union and only 23 when he co-founded the Labour party. This was not unusual for people to be becoming leaders and politicians at a young age. William Pitt the younger was standing for election when he was 21 and was Prime Minister by 24. Lord Nelson had his own command of warships at aged 20. And these are just a few. Ordinary people were having families in their teens.
I know we could say that happened because they died younger. But there is more too it.
Lots of the laws passed to stop children working were good but did things go to far? I do wonder if there would be less young people – aged 12-20 hanging about in parks, in high streets, in gangs, if we treated them more less like children and encouraged their potential.
We keep children young for much longer than they used to be. Ok yes back in Hardie and Pitt and Nelson’s times often these men were fighting and leading but were not able to vote so that has changed. But now we keep our young people as children at school until they are 18, followed by the expectation of many to go to university where they are still hanging out with people mainly their own age. After having a stint at university from 2011-2014 it did seem like not much, apart from getting 1st or 2.1’s in their degrees, was expected of the young people.
This year Nadia Whittome is the youngest MP in the UK parliament at 23 and is being called “the baby of the house” is some papers. And it is being made into quite a big thing. [There was a woman of 18 from Scotland who won in the previous elections but she step down not very long after being elected]
I think if you call someone the “baby” you are making them feel young, feel small, feel maybe not as able as “the old timers“. Being 23 and in the House of Commons at one time was not a big thing.
We need to stop holding our young people back!
I wonder if we harnessed some of the energy of these young gang leaders who do run drug businesses that are well-coordinated and make lots of money – if we could take that energy and, instead of holding it back by saying they must be in education until they are 18+ – by which time they are off making money – I wonder what a difference our world would be?
But instead these young men and women, who our school system does not agree with, are in and out of prison, have babies, are “lost”, vilified, and seen as no good and a waste of space.
[My tutor friend of mine was paid by the local council to worked with a young man of 14 who classed as a “school refuser” because he was running his own decorating business, including doing all the accounts, getting the correct amount of materials, etc, and could not see the point of saying at school. She understood!]
Read Keir Hardie’s story of being an the child of a single mother, working class, living in the slums, and look where he got to with not being held back as he matured and saw the things in the world that needed changing.
But how do we get to those young people have been told for so long that they are a waste of space and no good and give them something positive to aim for?
[See tomorrow’s for my take on prejudice]
Aspirational Adventures 