Politics isn't beyond the grasp of ordinary people

Seasoned politicians fighting for their seats may sigh at my naivety, but I find election campaigning exciting. It must be heartening to meet voters who have supported your party their whole life. And making the case for your proposals on how to solve the country's problems must be enthralling, if daunting.

I gained an insight into such a day of campaigning this week with the 26-year-old Green Party candidate for Hartlepool, Michael Holt. But there were no visits to farms, nurseries or manufacturing plants to strike a chord with the public for this young candidate; no media-tailored, showcase exposés. Spin doctors were absent and party lines were beneath the radar.

So anybody who is used to this slick, TV-ready brand of politics may have been disappointed. Some would go further and argue that a lack of "professionalism" indicates something wider: young, first-time election candidates could get lost in the Westminster jungle if they lack experience of the professional world.

But professionalism and the Westminster worldview should not be seen as the best qualifications for a representative of the people. They won't amplify the voices of those supposedly being represented. The ability to understand voters' needs - by exploring the nooks and crannies of local opinion - is the best qualification for an MP in my eyes.

While Michael and other Greens huddled together for a photo op at Grey's Monument in Newcastle, I chatted to onlookers. Would anyone else buy the idea that there is a point to standing for election if you haven't taken out a mortgage yet? Young candidates show that you and I can get involved if we want to Many said they liked to see young people on the ballot paper, regardless of their professional experience. Seeing young Davids take on Goliaths of the establishment demystifies politics, which needs to be perceived as a part of the real world. It's not just a sport for intellectuals or wordsmiths. Young parliamentary candidates show that you and I can get involved with politics - if we want to.

We ought to be pleased if a young parliamentary candidate wakes up on 8 May with a new job. The national debate could be freshened up if we elect representatives who travel to London without the Westminster-blinkers in their suitcases.

"If you don't have the people that are capable of setting the political agenda young people care about, it won't be set," said Richard Kilpatrick, a 23-year-old Liberal Democrat fighting for a seat in Middlesbrough. An onlooker at the Green Party photoshoot echoed this, albeit from a partisan angle: "Climate change is not an immediate concern of the current generation of politicians. It is an issue on the periphery for them. This is why I back the Greens. They're dealing with an issue that truly affects my generation," she said.

On the train home, I asked Michael about the role social media plays in his campaign. "My campaigning video has had a few thousand views. Who needs Rupert Murdoch when you can be your own media empire?" Michael also set up a discussion forum on Reddit to find out what people's concerns were, a kind of digital canvassing session. If social media can be used to discover the electorate's opinion - the holy grail of representative politics - its uses shouldn't be underestimated.

Neither should young parliamentary candidates. An MP of any age can discover the will of a constituency and represent it at Westminster. The national debate could benefit from being shaken up by a fresh pair of hands. Even if unelected, young candidates challenge the assumption that politics is beyond the grasp of "ordinary" people.

'Young candidates show that you and I can get involved if we want to'.