First time voters question MPs in Parliament
With the general election less than six months away a group of young people from around London have been interviewing politicians in Parliament to quiz them about issues that affect them. The group are aged between 13 to 19, meaning some of them will be voting for the first time in the forthcoming election. The collaborative project has been organised by the Hansard Society's citizenship education programme and
Headliners - a journalism programme for young people aged 8 to 19.
The politicians involved in the project are Charles Kennedy MP (Lib Dem), Damian Green MP (Cons), Parmjit Dhanda MP (Lab), Mark Durkan MP (SDLP), Elfyn Llwyd MP (Plaid Cymru) and Jean Lambert MEP (Green). In advance of the interview sessions the young people received training
and came up with questions on issues that
mattered to them. Amongst the issues raised were university tuition
fees, the expenses scandal, the UK's relationship with Europe, votes
at 16 and youth unemployment. Following the interview session in
Westminster Hall the young people visited central lobby and the House
of Commons chamber, witnessing a debate from the public gallery.
Once edited the interviews will be hosted on the Headliners website (www.headliners.org) and the Hansard Society's Y Vote Mock Elections website (www.mockelections.co.uk) so that first time voters and young people taking part in mock elections can learn about each of the political parties before deciding who to vote for.