Tony Randall Talks To........

In conversation with a Labour Parliamentary Assistant by Tony Randall  With your MP generally doing everything they can to help their constituents and having Parliamentary duties to attend it can limit the amount of time they have dealing with all enquiries.  One vital piece of support to an MP is their Parliamentary Assistant and i spoke to a Labour one who works in the heart of Westminster who didn't want to be named.  TR: How long have you been a Parliamentary Assistant for now? And have you always had a love of politics? PA: I've been in Parliament for around four years now, I interned for one MP for three months, worked full-time for another one for 2 years up to the 2010 election, got made redundant when he lost his seat, and then i came to work for my latest MP who I've been with for just under 2 years. I was always interested in international issues but only came to UK politics in the year after leaving university. My family aren't political at all so...

How do you start by attempting to say how you feel and what your going through? It's so difficult and embarrassing for me to talk about my Mental Health, having to this day kept my illness a secret from my family and friends all my life. I do know  its something that controls my life, it's a force a powerful one at that and no matter how much good professional support I'm receiving that dark gloomy cloud always comes over and strikes to the heart of me and then comes all my mixed emotions, anxiety and the voices in my head which confuses me and I lose all sense of reality. Fear is a big word for me, it's constantly getting more difficult to cope with and kicking in touch all these emotions and thoughts that go round and round in my head day and night. Fear that my only safeguard of wanting to carry on is my parents, not wanting to put them through the hurt and pain of me taking my life. And yet having had close calls recently of wanting to end it all with out a though...