STUDENTS are gaining an insight into the complexities of politics in a series of workshops with Parliamentary hopefuls.
Redcar Liberal Democrat candidate Josh Mason was the first to take questions from students at The King’s Academy, Coulby Newham, at a time when all the political parties are trying to mobilise the young vote.
The deputy leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council told students how he had become interested in politics at school and secured work experience with former MP Ashok Kumar.
“I didn’t set out to be a politician but joined the Lib Dems to do something constructive and to benefit the area,” he said.
He stood for the council because there was little interest from anyone else and was elected at the age of 23.
When Labour members resigned en masse, he ended up as deputy leader of the council and is now standing as a candidate following the sitting Lib Dem MP’s decision to stand down.
“I’m now trying to persuade 60,000 people that I am the best man for the job,” he said. “It isn’t easy because of the impact of five years of coalition government.
“But what is important to remember is that we live in a liberal democracy where nothing is truly broken and all the national parties are simply tweaking the way things are run.”
Mr Mason outlined what he saw as some of the successes of the coalition government before taking questions from students on a host of issues.
These included MPs attracting bad press, tuition fees, whether Nick Clegg was the best leader for the party, would the Lib Dems continue to hold the balance of power, women’s representation in the party, Trident, the vote at 16, youth unemployment and first past the post.
Politics teacher Lucy Dear, who went to school with Mr Mason, said: “Our students are incredibly well versed in current affairs and take a real interest in politics.
“It is invaluable having the political candidates in school because it brings their studies to life. I was really pleased with the questions they asked which were well thought-out and challenging.”
Candidates put to the test by students
The King's Academy will be hosting a speaker from all the major parties in the run up to the General Election as part of its regular lecture series for students. After each candidate has spoken, we will ask a representative group of students for their views on each party, its policies and the personality it's putting forward for the election.
The students this week are: Max Tweddle, 18, of Coulby Newham; Charlotte Grubb, 17, of Elwick; Paige Cope, 18, of Coulby Newham; and Harvey Clapperton, 16, of Coulby Newham.
Party: Liberal Democrats
Max: I don't think they're a bad party but in coalition they've allowed themselves to be walked over. This was their big chance - their only chance in government - but I don't think they've made the most of it, mainly because Nick Clegg isn't an effective leader.
Paige: Even in government they seem pretty powerless. It's hard to tell the difference between the parties, which is a lot to do with the party leaders, especially Nick Clegg. The Conservatives have taken ownership of anything good that's happened under the coalition. I think the Lib Dems are weak and they're not representative of us; I just feel they aren't as passionate.
Charlotte: The coalition was probably their only chance to get into power but they seem to have taken a back seat. The Conservatives have taken all the media attention from them. I don't think Nick Clegg is very good. They haven't stuck up for themselves.
Harvey: I don't like them. They have abandoned most of their policies, for example, university tuition fees. I don't think they are representative of the people. The economy has been rebuilt and unemployment is low under the coalition but the Conservatives have taken the glory for that.
Policies: Liberal Democrats
Max: I volunteered for a day at the constituency office in Durham but even now I'm not sure what their policies are. However, I did an online questionnaire on which party my views matched and it came out as 75 per cent Lib Dem.
Paige: They want a liberal democracy. University tuition fees is a grey area. Labour and the Conservatives are more clear-cut about their policies, whether they are left or right wing, and I think people are sick of those extremes. The Lib Dems don't really fall into a category, which is good. They should play on that more. They could really express the fact that they can't be categorised.
Charlotte: I don't know any of their policies. Tuition fees is a massive issue for students like us wanting to go to university.
Harvey: They want to change the voting system to proportional representation and increase spending on the NHS.
Personality: Josh Mason
Max: We can relate to him more than any of the others because he is young and from the area and is not from a posh background. He knows what the area and what people our age need. But I wouldn't vote for him because of his party.
Paige: As much as he was engaging, he swore a lot which, apart from being inappropriate in a school, isn't very professional. I didn't like him. When I asked him certain questions he didn't seem to want to know, which I thought was patronising. He discouraged us from getting involved in politics and told a student who's a former Member of Youth Parliament that he would regret it.
Charlotte: He was an engaging person but he did avoid some of our questions. I have nothing against him personally but I wouldn't vote Lib Dem.
Harvey: Young people look at other young people they can relate to, but I thought he was over confident especially considering he isn't even an MP yet. He addressed us well and did answer the questions quite well. I asked him about the fact that only 12 per cent of MPs are female but he didn't address the point that his is the only party that's not doing anything about it.
Next time, the students will hear from and comment upon the candidate representing the Green Party.