I'm not an idealist by far, but I'm not defeated either. I know it's an uphill battle, but it's nowhere near as grim as you're making out. A career in politics

I'm not an idealist by far, but I'm not defeated either. I know it's an uphill battle, but it's nowhere near as grim as you're making out. A career in politics is unlikely to be in my future though! Nobody is going to start a smear campaign over a parking ticket. C'mon! Being political isn't a one-way ticket to indefinite detention in the UK either! We're not in a totalitarian dictatorship or police state, and the UK is still a functioning democracy. There are plenty of upstart politicians whose lives haven't ended; look at the UK Pirate Party! If I were to become an independent politician in the UK, or found a new party, I'd not live in fear of shadows coming to get me in the night because that fear would be wholly unfounded! Someone also doesn't go from political candidate to homeless on a roundabout without there being something seriously wrong with them, possibly some kind of mental illness! Bear in mind, someone with a mental illness might still be capable of rational thought but might be deficient in other aspects of their functioning. Who is this wrecked political candidate, anyway?