Monday, May 03, 2010
Watch the video of New Voters, New Politics
On Tuesday 27th April young people’s desire for change was made clear as senior politicians went after the all-important youth vote at a special hustings organised by a coalition of 15 student and humanitarian organisations.
Hilary Benn (Labour), Simon Hughes (Lib Dem), James Brokenshire (Conservative) and Darren Johnson (Green) answered questions on the five themes of Trust in Politics, Corporate responsibility and the Environment, Human Rights, Global Health and International Conflict.
Audience members showed their responses in real time by holding up pink cards to support what a panel member was saying, and black cards to object.
Video
The debate opened with a question on political reform, tapping into massive audience dissatisfaction at the current political system, and ranged from climate change and nuclear disarmament to civil liberties and treatment of asylum seekers.
Simon Hughes and Darren Johnson both made clear that their parties would end the detention of asylum seeking children immediately.
James Brokenshire explained his Party’s plans for right of recall, to which the audience responded positively. Benn pointed to the reforms which had been made under Labour, such as the removal of most of the hereditary peers from the Lords. Hughes and Johnson won audience approval with their support for proportional representation.
There were heated exchanges between panel and audience members over Iraq. Benn defended his Party’s decision to go to War, prompting a show of black cards, and there was massive audience support for Hughes and Johnson whose parties condemned the decision.
International aid was another topic on which the audience felt strongly, with audience members condemning the much larger UK expenditure on arms under the Labour Government. Benn responded that International Aid expenditure had tripled under the Labour Government after falling under the Conservatives.
Power2010’s George Gabriel, an organiser for the event, said:
Less than half of people aged 18-24 bothered to vote at the last election – but last night’s event was part of a growing movement turning the tide. Last week saw a surge in voter registration among young people – and with the polls so close, every vote counts like never before. First-time voters really do have the chance to change the political landscape this time. New Voters, New Politics didn’t just confirm young people’s anger about the Iraq War and the unfairness of our electoral system. It showed how acutely aware this generation is of the threat posed by climate change – and that tackling it is crucial to global health and averting international conflict. These first-time voters are coming of age at a time like no other, with a political system that is tragically out of date – and they really could bring about a new politics.
The event was coordinated by POWER2010 in partnership with Aegis Students, Amnesty International, Campaign Against Arms Trade, the Charities Parliament, the Fairtrade Foundation, Faithworks, the Network of Christian Peace Organisations, the Howard League for Penal Reform, MEDSIN, People and Planet, Student Stop AIDS Campaign, Students Supporting Street Kids, Student Action for Refugees, Student Hubs and War on Want.
Posted by STAR team on 03/05/2010 at 01:47 PM
