Those of you that have followed Belwood Music for a while will know that this message is something very out of the ordinary. The site is dedicated to sharing new music, but I’d like a brief moment of your time from my UK readers to talk about politics; something that we’re all probably fed up of, but something that we must face head on now more than ever.

When it came to the EU referendum I made a conscious effort for the site to remain impartial. Although I had my own opinions about the vote, I elected not to share them. In the referendum, more so than in any other event in my lifetime, each and every vote carried the same weight, and they all counted towards an important decision for the future of the country. I saw that decision as a personal one, a decision outside the normal petty squabbles of party politics. Both sides had their flaws and their merits, both their heroes and villains, and both sought to influence people to vote in a particular way often without taking into consideration the views of the general public. I cast my ballot after turning a blind eye to campaigns and propaganda, conducting my own research, and coming to a conclusion that was entirely my own. I kept the site impartial in the hope that others would do the same.

With this new fight for the future of the country I feel I must speak my mind. Despite my small readership I feel like those with the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action. Though British politics is more convoluted than ever, and the nation is still reeling from the seeds of division that have been sown, it seems the upcoming general election on June 8th will be just as important for the future of this country as the referendum which instigated it. Until recently I was not a politically engaged individual. Until recently most candidates with any chance of power all appeared to be bumbling idiots cut from the same cloth. I would look at elections in the US and would struggle to fathom how they would have one candidate that could be a genuine force for good in the world and one that was the human embodiment of greed and hatred, and yet people would still somehow struggle to tell the difference. I now find myself dispairing that the same situation has hit far too close to home.

Over the past few years the Conservatives have brough this nation to ruin. They have taxed the general population into poverty, cut much needed funding from schools and hospitals and have cut tax on big business. The elderly and infirm are dying from the choices they have made, children are going to bed hungry while their parents work themselves to death to make ends-meet, all while the rich get richer as the Tories dismantle the country for their own personal gain.

Enter Jeremy Corbyn, one of the few politicians I have seen than seems to be genuinely kind and caring human being, and the first of such that could have a real chance at making this country better. Almost the entirety of the British media have led a daily bombardment of him since he became leader of the Labour party. They would have you believe that he is weak, despite never once bowing to the hatred they have aimed in his direction. They would have you believe he is unelectable despite inspiring hundreds of thousands of disillusioned people such as myself to fight for a change for the better. They would have you believe that he is dangerous for wanting to fund hospitals and schools, rather than bomb innocent civilians. They want you to hate him as he is a threat to the filthy rich and heartless who seem to thrive on the misery of the masses.

Corbyn was once arrested for protesting apharteid, he has stood up for miners, has been a vocal supporter of gay marriage and equal rights. He went against the majority of his party to oppose university tuition fees, to oppose the war in the middle east that has ruined so many lives. He is a leader in the most important sense of the word; he leads by example, and shows that the self-serving politicians of the past need not be the only way. He has defended people’s rights and encouraged peace, and has been on the right side of history his whole life. The same cannot be said about Theresa May, who somehow still gets called a ‘safe pair of hands’. Her voting record reads like the complete polar opposite of Corbyn’s. In her first few shambolic months in power, her few contributions to governing the country have further targeted the elderly and infirm and sought to increase profits for tax-dodging corporations. Trusting the country to her is the single worst decision since they gave Edward Scissorhands the waterbed… and let’s be honest, there are few things in the world as fucking stupid as that.

Even if the media is correct, and Corbyn is incompetent and May is some politcal titan and master negotiator, it still doesn’t add up. I would rather someone try and fail to make millions of people’s lives better than someone who ruthlessly and efficiently destroys all that we hold dear. Even if you are don’t agree with Corbyn personally, surely you don’t need to look much further than the damage that has already been done by the Tory government to see that we cannot continue like this. I urge all my UK readers to first and foremost register to vote. Do not blindly accept the story you are given, and look beyond your small circle to vote for what is best for the whole country, not the priviledged few. This is not the referendum, it is an uphill struggle all the way, but with enough voices crying out for change we can make a difference.

The choice is yours, the responsibility is yours. This time round I’m making my voice heard, and both my head and my heart say that there is only one option:
#VoteLabour