Beyond Selidor

Thank you for this post - it's a very helpful and needed reminder!

I particularly like your point that, for those of us living in Western democracies, it can be important to look beyond the borders of our own countries. I've been doing a lot of reflecting lately on my family's experiences in the former USSR, and how that should inform my approach to politics and activism, and it's really reinforced my belief that democracy - even when it's flawed and frustrating - is something we should never take for granted and which we must always fight to actively maintain. Post-WWII, my great-grandfather spent two years in hiding, day and night, behind a false wall in his barn, in a space no bigger than a cupboard, to avoid being sent to a gulag, because he'd protested at the lack of an alternative option to the corrupt local Soviet official in his local "elections". He was tipped off and managed to escape in time; lots of people like him didn't. His story makes me all the more grateful to live in a society with far greater civil liberties, and all the more determined to take action when needed to preserve those rights and freedoms.

As a foreign national, I can't donate to or volunteer for any US election campaigns (quite rightly - I'm passionately opposed to foreign interference in any elections on principle), but I've been donating to US-based pro-democracy organisations like the ACLU, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Carter Center which *do* accept foreign donations (further suggestions would always be welcome!). On a more local level, I've been meaning to donate to the Good Law Project's campaign against banning puberty blockers. I'm also looking forward to moving in the autumn to a safe Labour seat and being able to write to an MP whom I agree with about a majority of issues!