When we are young, it is not uncommon to imagine what it would be like to be famous, and to be recognised wherever we go.
Some of us make it a life aim. Some find it arrives as a consequence of the job or jobs that we choose to do.
What we don’t realise when we covet the idea of being publicly known, is that it can have as many negative consequences for us as positive ones, and possibly a whole lot more.
Whilst you may not be thinking about trying to be our Prime Minister, it is important to be aware that as soon as you begin campaigning to get yourself elected, you will become known publicly by people you don’t already know – and almost certainly by people who don’t agree with some or perhaps everything that you have to say.
Politics solicits very different reactions from people in a way which can make someone you thought you knew very well seem very different indeed. You really could lose friends over getting involved in politics, simply because different political viewpoints usually thrive on building stereotypes on those of others.
We don’t have to look far to see this today, and you will almost certainly know some people who voted leave and others who voted remain in the European Referendum in June 2016 which has resulted in ‘Brexit’.
No matter how careful you are in what you say, write or discuss publicly with others, there will always be some who will automatically view you as being an enemy, from the moment you go public and tell people that you want to be a politician.
Some will never see you as a normal person again, and will only ever see you in the light of any public office that you attain, or the campaign you have run as you try to get there.
It is wrong, but if you are going to go forward and seek election with your eyes wide open, you must accept that people will automatically judge you and be ready to judge you on the basis of everything you do.
You do not get the choice over what people can judge you for either and once you step into this spotlight, it is essential that you consider everything you do to be fair game and information that can be used for some political purpose by another.
You are always on duty, the moment you step into the public eye.
DIY Politics UK 