ESSAY | MEMOIR | THE NARRATIVE ARC
Election Day in London Triggers Old Memories
A pensive pause on this immigrant’s journey
A few hours ago I cast my vote in both the mayoral and local elections. Next year I’ll have to renew my passport for another ten years. At first sight both events are not related, but scratch the surface and you’ll spot the similarities.
I became a naturalised British citizen in 2005. As rites of passage go, my passport renewal feels like one of the more important ones of my adult life.
However my path towards British citizenship started five years before my official status changed. In May 2000 I voted for the first time in this country. It was also the first mayoral election in London. A year later, I’d do the same in the country’s general election. These simple acts of democracy had deep, philosophical repercussions on me.
Today’s visit to my local polling station and the thought of getting a new passport in less than a year’s time have made me reflect on what I found in London when I first visited it in April 1997. All around me there was a hard-to-fathom euphoria. Strangers talked to strangers on the Tube, on buses, in parks, and other public spaces about Blair’s New Labour vs Major’s Tories.
