政治 politics 2009-10-25 22:34:57 阅读716 评论0 字号：大中小 订阅
Edmund Burkes quotation 'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing' illustrates a cornerstone of my moral compass and above all, passion for Political Science. Once ignorant to the terror and destruction untouched evil can bring, my veil of innocence was uncovered when a young Yugoslavian immigrant displaced by the Balkan conflict fled to the UK. Together as friends, he and I grew up discussing the rational behind the war, questioning his parents and recalling his own personal experience, which gave me a valuable insight to the terrors of war and how unnecessarily destructive in can be. In order to find satisfactory answers I was looking for I researched thoroughly, reading the fall of Yugoslavia and more recently the Balkans, 1804-1999 by Misha Glenny.
As I discovered more about the effects of war, my passion for politics and peace intensified. From this my political perspectives were broadened, matured, and became rational. I learned the significance of the dialectical relationship of people, and how their ideas and actions shape domestic and foreign politics, in addition to our everyday lives. The domination of historic feuds fronted by the ideals of nationalism in Yugoslavia, the actions of Milosevic and the intervention of NATO, instigated a chain of events that brought my friend and me together. Ironically the ideologies of nationalism and intergovernmentalism are reflected in my interest in European Politics, supported by my reading of Democracy in the EU by Vivien A. Schmidt, European integration theory by Antje Wiener and regular viewing of Youtube's EU commission broadcasts.
My A-level studies have enhanced my aptitude to objectively debate and analyse, with a degree of reason and logic, empowering me to weigh arguments from varying perspectives. For instance, I questioned the morality of our leaders in denouncing nation's undemocratic institutions, while we retained our own, such as the queen and House of Lords. Thus I decided to research the historical and political context of constitutional government. As a result I read John Locke's two treatises of Government and while agreeing with his refute of monarchism, found Vernon Bogdanor's case for British constitutional government compelling, in The Monarchy and the Constitution. Around my academic studies, I believe in the importance of maintaining a high caliber of political sensibility. To achieve this I watch Question Time and The Politics Show, as well as reading informative material such as the Guardian and Socialist Review Online.
Believing in the idiom 'Practice what you preach' encourages me to take an active role in society. Twice elected as class rep and student council member, my responsibility in debating policies that effect students and relaying their opinions to senior management has ensured my use of diplomacy and communication. Chosen as a regional volunteer for the British Youth Council, I've had to exercise my interpersonal and oral skills by participating in conferences ranging from the media's role in fabricating negative stereotypes of youth and crime to the age discrimination of the 16, 18 and 21 minimal wages. Winner of this year LSC competition gave me the opportunity to work for the MP of Birmingham Perry Bar, where I was given a tour of Westminster palace and among his political team discussed the application of public choice theory to analysing electorate and politicians decisions, debated the judgement of Tony Blair's intervention in Bosnia compared to Iraq and its consequences to future humanitarian intervention in Sudan.
Armed with my natural affinity with politics, evolving knowledge and inquisitive mindset, I'm determined to continue to question, discover and understand the political world I live in. To learn the ideas behind human actions and the collective society, and its consequences to the global community and individual, at university, would be a privilege and a welcomed challenge.
