The Trump petition and why it's wrong

I want to make one thing clear before I begin, I absolutely do not agree with the opinions of Mr Trump, in fact I despise them.

(However, here's where the crucial BUT comes in.....)

But I do not believe anyone with views I disagree with should be banned from travelling to the United Kingdom, and if you signed that petition to ban him, you are no better than Donald for wanting to ban Muslims from the US.

In case you forgot, we live in a Liberal democracy and one of the key principles of said democracy is the freedom of speech and freedom of expression. In theory we all have the right to voice whatever opinions we feel like and there should be no repercussions.

In reality this is slowly being eroded, with flimsy 'hate speech laws' and questionable spying charters.

Freedom of speech is also a human right, not just one of a liberal democracy. We are quick to defend those who have no voice in countries like Iran, China and North Korea, so we should not lower ourselves to the same depths of these countries either.

If we can allow hate breeders such as Anjem Choudary remain in this country we can surely allow Mr Trump to visit as well. Banning him from the UK also hinders another fundamental human right, the Freedom of Movement. Something we are very quick to defend whenever immigration is brought up.

Whether you like it or not, someone will have a viewpoint you will not agree with. It is not acceptable to silence them or prevent them from visiting our country because you do not like what they have to say.

As Voltaire said 'While I disagree with what you say, I will fight for your right to say it'. I would rather a man visit this nation who holds abhorrent views than silence them because I don't like him.

If we do ban him,  how does that make us any better?

Child Safety Press Release News Story

Child Safety Week comes to Southampton

The Child Accident Prevention Trust has organized a 'child safety week' in Southampton to allow families to learn more about accident prevention in their homes. 

Sure Start Weston Children's Centre has teamed up with the charity and has organized various activities where families can learn how to keep a safe environment for children and how to properly assess and manage risks. 

The Week will run from the 23rd - 29th November and will coincide with Child Safety Awareness Day on the 25th. 

What personal achievement makes me most proud?

As I'm sure people are aware we had an election this year. In my home town we had had our local elections in which we choose councillors for local government. Being extremely unhappy with the performance of our long standing incumbents, I decided to run for it myself.

Lack of funds meant I had to look for a party to represent and could not run as an independent like I originally intended. This was a difficult choice as my political ideas are not in line with any of the major parties. Ultimately I chose to represent the Conservatives after meeting their PPC (and now MP for Bath) Ben Howlett. His vision for my home town was very clear and thought out and had similar ideas of what I wanted for the city myself, so it felt natural to join his organisation. 

I didn't win, but having the opportunity to be able to represent my local community and try and make a difference there was amazing. Being able to see my name on a ballot paper and crossing it was a surreal experience. It increased my love for politics as a result.