For the majority of students, the month of May is characterised by tireless revising, sleep deprivation, and the feeling of impending doom. For Mhairi Black, the month of May 2015 was characterised by all of these things, with just one minor addition: She was also running for Parliament.
At the age of just 20 years and 237 days, SNP candidate Mhairi Black, whilst sitting her third year university exams, became the MP for Paisley & Renfrewshire South by defeating Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander with an overwhelming majority of 12.3%. Although specific dates and statistics are unclear, it is true to say that she is the youngest Member of Parliament in a very long time.
However, it is not just her age that makes Black an impressive political candidate. Her gender and sexuality puts Black in a distinct minority in Parliament. In an interview with Owen Jones, she expressed how the reality of Westminster somehow managed to be worse than her already exceedingly low expectations, describing it as “a complete boys club.” Characterised by subtle sexism and arrogance, she went onto regard it as a “totally defunct institution that has to drag itself out to the 21st Century if it has any hope of surviving.”
As well as the biological obstacles that she had to overcome in order to be elected, she continues to impress people with her patriotic determination, her resilience, and genuine wish for social wellbeing. Her goal for an independent Scotland, although controversial, derives from her belief that the only way the United Kingdom can truly function harmoniously is to give each nation the power to build themselves into the nations that they want to be. Although disappointed with the result of the Scottish referendum, she described it as the wake up call that the country needed to stop people “sleep-walking into the polls” and voting Labour purely to keep out the Tories. People began to question the people that were leading them, the people that were making decisions that affected their daily lives – and surely enough, the SNP vote sky-rocketed as a result of political dissatisfaction.
As a very recent graduate, Black is perhaps the most accurate representation we students have in Westminster. She is able not only to counteract the negative youth stereotype of our time, but also to speak out for student rights, namely, in repulse at the increase of tuition fees. As Black rightly stated: “People’s education should never be resting upon someone’s ability to pay.”
It is hardly surprising that a young, gay female does not feel welcomed to an institution dominated by white, middle class males, but Black is a flicker of light in a once bitterly dark and gloomy future for politics. As a female, Black can be a leading figure in the long-lasting quest to gain equal representation for women in Westminster. As a young person, Black can be the inspiration for youth to engage more in politics and combat the negative attitude towards young people. And as a gay person, Black can be an important figure in the fight against sexual prejudice.
All in all, she’s a pretty important lass.