Adieu ASI!
Today marks my final day as part of Team ASI. My stint at this gilded institute has been defined by opportunities I truly could never have imagined and meeting the kind of people that would make any nineteen-year-old politics buff tremble at the knees.
Since first entering the imposing wooden doors I was instantly struck by the energy oozing from each corner of the building. The rich ensemble of classical liberal memorabilia adorning the walls and bookshelves to the archives of research papers chronicling the history of the free-market revolution over the past four decades. But the true excitement is in the people here. It has been a delight to meet the wide range of characters that come to our events and feel a real sense of growing camaraderie with the regular attendees.
Yet my experience would have been far diminished if not for the Adam Smith Institute team. Being at first nervous in moving hours away from my quiet Cheshire family home, the superbly talented ASI staff were instantly hospitable and warm, and soon my initial worries disappeared.
In my time here I have been exposed to a wide range of duties. Regular intern responsibilities involve maintaining a clean upkeep of the office and scanning documents when called upon. Yet this was not all I did in order to receive the monthly stipend. I have been eager to immerse myself in the esteemed ‘wonk’ side of the Institute, something I’ve found the ASI to be more than receptive towards. This has led to me producing a wide-range of internal research papers, co-authoring the influential briefing paper ‘Pulling Out All the Stops’, having work I’ve produced on childcare being forwarded onto MPs as well as being the focus of a roundtable discussion for Parliamentarians. This comes alongside countless articles I’ve written for outlets including CapX and 1828, having discovered a real passion for writing.
But don’t be mistaken in thinking the ASI is all work and no play. I have been greatly fortunate to attend two staff trips: a week in blistering hot Gran Canaria, and jetting off for lunch in Copenhagen (yes, lunch), besides a five-day excursion to Colorado for a conference with the Objective Standard Institute. A highlight of mine was in turning a year older on a particularly, uhm, ‘blurry’ night this May, surrounded by friends from the ASI in the classic Westminster establishment, Players Bar. But if there is one memory that time will endure, it would be our July ‘The Next Generation’ event. Twenty minutes before being set to take the stage, our speaker (Sajid Javid) resigned from the Cabinet. Few moments in life will match the exhilaration in being surrounded by a troupe of journalists as the Government began crumbling. It was the Westminster circus on go – and I had a front row seat to the entire performance.
A quiet moment of introspection soon reveals the extent of my growth this year. I first arrived as a fairly naive teenager indulged in a lifetime of his mother’s cooking and lavender-scented pillowcases. Now I stand before you, an independent young man with a quiet confidence in his ability and a marked optimism about the future.
I’ll always maintain a soft spot for the ASI for how they treated me. Since joining I have felt nothing but respect, trust, and above all else, being a valued member of the team. My patron saint once exclaimed there was no such thing as society, which now I begin to doubt. What I have felt at the Adam Smith Institute is a close-knit community bonded together by a solemn fondness like that of a family. When even being sat in the office in complete silence (which as any team member would confirm, is a rare phenomenon), you can’t help but feel that you are part of a mission much bigger than your mere self.
The past nine months have been an enlightening time where I have learned much about the world and myself. With the Institute bustling with talent, flair and passion, the ASI is well-positioned for an immensely successful future.
I do not know when I’ll be next at the ASI. Whether soon or in years to come. But one thing for certain is that returning will always feel like greeting a long lost relative.
