I usually save any political posts for my other blog. However, this one’s more of a statement about myself than about anything to do with politics. It’s not about who I vote for, or even why I would vote for them: it’s about what guides me when I’m deciding who will earn my vote.

Before we go on, here’s a tiny bit of context. I like to keep things simple, which means I’m driven forward in life by one overriding principle:

We should all have the freedom to do whatever we want to do, so long as that thing doesn’t hurt anyone else.

That’s it. It’s really simple. You can apply it to any walk of life without any ifs, buts or whatevers. If what you’re doing is going to hurt someone else, then don’t do it. That’s it. Let’s get into it.

Be a leader; not a follower

You’re after that top spot for a reason: you think you can be a leader, and some of the people around you think you can be a leader too. Being a leader doesn’t mean you stop listening to those you’re hoping to lead (quite the opposite) but it does imply moving forwards, not backwards. If someone else has paved that path for you then you’re not a leader. Don’t try and second guess what the other person is going to do. Carve your own way forward.

People before power

People vote for you. People buy your product. People create your product. No company, business, organisation, or social structure would exist without people. Never forget that without the people you’re nothing. It’s the people that defer the power to you. Put the people first.

Compassion before cruelty

This should be obvious, but it doesn’t seem like many of our leaders are paying attention. Cruelty creates enemies. Compassion creates allies. So, don’t be a dick.

Health and education

You want a healthy economy? You need a healthy workforce. (Also, see above — compassion first: don’t let people suffer). You want that workforce to be useful? Productive? Creative? Then you need to educate them. Yes, education costs money, but it’s money that you will always see

Freedom is not the price of liberty

We shouldn’t have to surrender our freedoms in order to maintain our ‘freedom’. Nope, that’s not how it works. Who’s the real enemy? Is it really the same people you’re supposed to be leading and protecting?

Equal rights

Understand the difference between equality and equity. Give everyone the same chance, the same rights. Remember that everyone is different and everyone’s the same.

Religion

On a related note: respect all religions equally. Don’t discriminate against or in favour of any one religion. If a person chooses to let religion influence their life then that’s their choice: respect it. If a person tries to use religion to influence someone else’s life: that’s something that deserve neither respect nor protection.

Climate change

There is no debate. Remember that. There is no debate. Now let’s get on with fixing the problem because no one’s going to complain about having a little less pollution (unless they’re the ones making money from that pollution). Refer back to points 1 and 2 if you need to.

Sustainability

And while we’re here: whatever you do, remember the generations that will come after you. Plan for the future. If you’re only looking as far as the end of your term, then you’re not going to get my vote.

Asylum seekers

If people come to you for help: help them. Don’t punish them for being victims already. If people are drowning at sea trying to get to you, then make sure they have safe passage. Don’t spend money on deterrence; spend it on quick, effective processing. This way you weed out the minimal number who aren’t genuine refugees and get the rest into the workforce where they can start living their lives again and — as an added bonus — start contributing to the economy. And if you’re worried about an immigrant stealing your job, then maybe you should worry about being better at your job.

The Internet

Don’t try and break the internet. That’s all. The world needs to adapt to it; not the other way around.