1970 School Magazine

ll* JUogqzine "f il". ,$ri'[on. Qirl" Qrornmqr S"lrool DDITONTAI, The strongest inpression ol our uorlil ol politics is one of conlusion and complexity; tbe only certain knouled,ge ue baoe in the woild ol public issaes is the auareness ol conflict, bostility, antagonism, contrddictiox. Ideologies anil analyses clash soneuhere aboue our beads, tbreatening and incomprehensible. Rbetoric, slogans and abuse sound round oar ears lrom teleuision and radio; a sensational beadline or neuspapil repofi shrieks alarn at as fron tbe street-cornet 'Ve hear of public issues, ol debates and decisions, and ue acqaiesce passittely and anknouingly - becaase ue arc unknouing, ue cntflot hope to understand all issues sinultaneousb or exefi inflaence oper tben il ue do understand. Thete is a sense ol direction lost, a loss ol certainty and inttohtement in oar public aflairs whicb ue cannot rccapture. And alter all, ue reosott, politics is wbat all tbat ceremonioasly establisbed machinery is for. The naioilty ffiilst be rieht - or dt least, the representatiaes ol tbe naiority nust be. And the people ubo do not dgtee, tbey baoe their sql too; after all politics is tbe interest ol tbese people, they knou uhat tbey uant. Politicians understand it all. The press and tbe teleaision arc ased to iaeeline crises and issaes and moaer?tents and political allairs - tbey understand hoat. Ve are saleguarded and. secure, there is a good systeffi to take care of tbings, and ue can saleb say, I an not really interested, in politics. Tbe decisions arc nade elseuhere. It seems lrigbtenins that we baae a sense ol belplessness anid forces gredter tban ourselaes. It seens that ute baoe dinqaisbed oar rights to indioidaal inoolaenent in politics in laaoar ol a happy laitb in the ultimate fightness ol the lorces in our society - forces ubich we bareb anderstand. Vhateoer bappens, ue appear to tbink, tbe Democrac! tbat we acbieoed a loxg time ago uill- asaally cone good axd gain the rigbt ends, witb or uithout oar interest : the national good, tbe collectiue moral conscience uill take care ol tbensehtes soneubere else on their oun. Tbings are too big lor us. The terrors ol this passiae non-inaolaeneflt are the paralysis ol indiaidual conceftt and iudgenext, the erosion ol tbe sense of indiaidaal political conscience. Il thines are taken out o! our hands they are, potitically, renooeil also lrom our minds and noral iadgeffients : "rigbt" i.s notbirg to do uitb as, it is decided by the knouledeeable people we baue lairly elected. Ve can only batte laith' And this, ultlmately, is the last thing, the worst thlng: that wq relinouish our riehts to- political values and consciences. Individual conscience is the-final basis upon which all political decisions should be made, the final arbiter of men's actions. _C.G.

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