Changing Perspectives

During my lifetime there has been a radical change in my political perspective. Born in the NE of England, indoctrination into the Labour viewpoint seemed a natural state of affairs. Life was hard and opportunities very limited. The aspiration of most of my peers seemed to be to get out of school and into work at the earliest opportunity – and for the highest wages regardless of prospects. I was fortunate to be selected for the local Grammar School (the 11+ examination was still in vogue - the Socialist commissars had yet to wield the power which they now have) and although by no means a brilliant student I achieved a satisfactory spread of O Levels which I hoped would give me a head start in the employment stakes. This was to be my first disappointment at the threshold of my working life.

At the end of the school’s summer holiday in 1951 all attempts to find a job which fitted my academic qualifications had failed and I had rejected any notions of unskilled work in the local industry (coal mining or fishing). Rather than roam the streets as many other unemployed school leavers were inclined to do, I opted to return to school and enrolled in the Sixth Form although my grandmother (who had raised me since infancy) could ill afford this. At that time there was no such thing as the “dole” for school leavers and going back to school seemed the most sensible option. Going on for A Levels could have been beneficial in the longer term but family economics really could not justify this and I was glad to take up the offer of a post as a Laboratory Assistant in the Chemistry Department at Durham University although the pay was pitiful at two pounds ten shillings (£2.50) per week – abated by ten shillings (50p) per week for the first six months which were deemed to be a probationary period!

Although the work was interesting (Chemistry had been one of my favourite subjects at school) the days were quite arduous, coupled as they were with further education to continue my A Level studies (at my own expense) three evenings a week at Sunderland Technical College. This meant a round trip cycle ride of nearly 30 miles a day rising to nearly 40 miles on further education evenings and I was glad when I was offered a post as a Scientific Assistant in the Civil Service even though this meant leaving home.

My first appointment in the Civil Service was at the Meteorological Office at Felixstowe, at that time a Royal Air Force flying boat station. It was also the first time I had ever been away from home and it was to broaden my perspective of the differences between the peoples of Great Britain. Over the ensuing ten years or so these differences were reinforced as I travelled widely throughout the land. Until my mid-late 20s I took little interest in politics other than believe the doctrines instilled in me by my childhood environment – that only the Socialist cause was worthy of any support and that Conservatism was the doctrine of the ruling classes and oppressors of the poor!

Until then I had never voted; indeed I had never registered as an elector, probably due to the peripatetic nature of my career which continued as such following my transfer to the Foreign Office. Whatever, when I first came to cast my vote I took a long hard look at the past and at my earlier perceptions and didn’t like what I saw. Unlike my earlier peers who considered that the world owed them a job, a house and whatever else they could get from the State, I had become (and remain) right of centre - some have said that my politics are somewhat to the right of Genghis Khan! That may be an exaggeration but I have learned that the world does not owe me a living – or anything else. My success has been the result of determination and hard work. This is not to say that Conservatism is always right (I am highly critical of some aspects) but it remains my political choice. My conclusion is that one's political viewpoint is determined by education (whether formal or other acquisition of knowledge), culture and environment. On further reflection, what dispirits me most is that, on my occasional visits to my home town, I am so often disillusioned at the apathy of my former peers, some of whom could clearly benefit from a change of attitude if not environment.