Closing remarks and the Big Vote!

Before the vote took place, the Speaker drew attention to, and thanked, members of the press who had been present at the debate for the entire day. After a long day of debating, the final job for the Youth Parliament was to vote on each motion, in order to decide which of the five would be carried forward as the National Campaign for 2012.

Following the ways of the general parliamentary votes, the members used the process of division, leaving the chamber into one of two rooms to vote ‘aye’ or ‘no’ on each of the motions.

Whilst votes were being counted there was the opportunity for an official photo, followed by a speech from Natasha Engle, MP, who thanked all MPs who had made an appearance, as well as the House of Commons staff team. Youth workers were also thanked and members in the chamber showed their agreement with Natasha in this, by offering youth workers a standing ovation. David Clark and Antonia Dixey as well as other UKYP staff and supporters were also praised. Mr Speaker was given special thanks for his continued support to the organisation.

Natasha continued her speech and praised the young people in the chamber for their perseverance and performance in debates, and saying “Amongst things I have picked up today, is this idea that you are adults when it comes to pounds, but children when it comes to voting. I can say that you have shown today, you are not children.”

“This is the first time we’ve ever had parliament week here. The theme of this years event was ‘stories of democracy’ at the end of that week, I think the thanks goes to you the Youth Parliament for having written one of the most important stories in democracy today.”

The Speaker gave a final speech, including thanks to Tim Loughton, Children’s Minister, for his continued support towards the UK Youth Parliament.  Mr Bercow also explained his reasons for wanting to chair the Youth Parliament debates, rather than the proposed suggestion of the job going to the deputy speaker.

Mr Speaker highlighted to the chamber the difficulty in making change, and the long-winded process that this involved, but praised the Youth Parliament for making great steps in the right direction. He stated that he would personally send letters to every minister responsible for issues within the five debate motions, urging them to do as much as possible to support these. He hoped this would show the commitment to the Youth Parliament and what we do.

Charley Finch was brought to close the day of debating, as the Member of Youth Parliament who got the most response to the Ballot.  Charley thanked PGs and Regional Co-ordinators, as well as BYC on top of those people already mentioned. She then thanked the 65,000 young people who took part in the Ballot, stating that “together we have demonstrated that politics is important to young people, and that our voices are important and should be heard.”

The results were as follows:

–          Make public transport cheaper, better and accessible for all: 1^st place

–          No to tuition fees, yes to graduate tax: 5^th place

–          Zero tolerance to bullying in schools: 3^rd place

–          End child poverty: 2^nd place

–          A greener future for Britain: 4^th place

So the National Campaign for the Youth Parliament this year is to “Make Public Transport cheaper, better and more accessible for all”.

Written by Ellie Vesey-Thompson, DMYP Wiltshire
South West Media Rep

A Poole of views

Poole’s Member of Youth Parliament will be joining over 300 young people from across the UK in a debate in the House of Commons this Friday 4^th November. It’s a very exciting opportunity, not just for the young people directly involved, but for all young people, to see which issue will be UK Youth Parliament’s National Campaign in 2012.

With over 65,000 young people having voted on the 5 Debate topics, including many young people from Poole, we were excited to see what they would be. It was great to see so many young people voting, particularly when all the work was carried out by young people themselves. We have been talking to young people across Poole to find out their views on the 5 topics so that young people’s views in Poole can be heard. It is clear that Public Transport is a big issue for young people in Poole so that debate in particular will be very interesting.

Nathan Thompson, Member of Youth Parliament for Poole, says “I am very much looking forward to such a big event for the young people of the UK. I will really be looking forward to hearing the views of young people, as well as hopefully contributing in the debates. It’s a truly exciting build up!”

I am Deputy Member of Youth Parliament for Poole, and Media Rep for the South West at this event, so both Nathan and I will be heading up to the House of Commons on Friday. Throughout the build-up to the event it has been great to see so many young people wanting to have a say and get involved. It is fantastic that UKYP has the opportunity to debate in the House of Commons every year; for MYPs, young people and UKYP as a whole – showing all the positive things that young people are involved in.

Vicky Olive, DMYP for Poole
South West Media Rep

No to Tuition Fees, Yes to Graduate Tax

As anticipated this very current issue sparked a somewhat passionate debate.

Harrison Carter from Yorkshire and Humberside kicked off the action with a speech strongly focussing on the fear of debt and how this often this causes young people to “not only think twice about going to University but also dismiss categorically the idea altogether”.

He considered the issue that the fear of tuition fees added to potential unemployment is a significant issue for young people.  1 in 3 young people say they would like to go to university “but were not able to. Due to the financial burden that comes with studying…” The tax system would ask students to “pay the money when you can, not acquire masses of debts, and don’t pay it when you can’t”

Harrison questioned whether is was right to “accept fear as a barrier to Education”, and drew attention to the fact that “next year, there will be a 9% drop in University admissions after a fee rise we were promised would not happen.”

He drew his speech to a close by highlighting that this debate is ongoing and “it is time for us, the UK Youth Parliament to step up. Today we must show our commitment to every single young person…vote for fairness in education, better education and sustained funding for education.”

Alex Huston from Northern Ireland, speaking against the motion stepped up to the box, with an equally as passionate speech, focussing on the inequality of the current university fee system.

”Our current system leads to a postcode lottery; The MYP from Glasgow pays nothing for a degree in Scotland, whilst the MYP from Grimsby pays £27,000 for the same degree. The MYP for Aberystwyth pays about £9,000 wherever they choose to study, and the MYP for Armagh pays £9,000 if they choose to study in Northern Ireland. “

“We are all part of the ‘United’ Kingdom, but if you’re English- it’s going to cost you!”

Alex argued the point that “we must make a university degree really count, there are too many young people studying for degrees that count for very little…we must reduce the numbers of university places and increase opportunities at vocational colleges.”

He suggested that “MPs put their money where their mouth is…if MPs want to vote for Graduate Tax, we’ll work out how much THEY owe, and they can pay it”.

Many interesting points were raised by the floor. One of these was the belief that Graduate Tax would create a society of equal opportunities, whilst another suggestion was that the Tax system itself was simply a method of re-branding, where MPs were simply dressing up the fees we would face to go to university in 2012.

Ryan Findley from the South East said “the politicians said education was a universal right for all young people, yet in my life time I’ve already seen a rise twice. “ Callum Stanland from Yorkshire and Humberside added further weight to this argument. He explained that 25% of his constituents were not in education, employment or training, meaning that this 1 in 4 won’t get the opportunities they deserve. He stated that the UN Declaration of Human Rights states that Higher Education should be accessible to all, based on ability.

London Member of Youth Parliament, Rebecca Maynard provided an interesting perspective, stating that “We are throwing the word debt around in a negative way, but there’s healthy debt and there’s unhealthy debt. By making the calculation that university will get you the job and salary you want, you should realise that it is worth investing in. It is an investment in your future.”

Michael Haddad form Northern Ireland added a slightly contradictory view, suggesting, “Education in universities should be cut, and suggesting that money should instead be pumped into vocational courses, to provide a wider range of qualifications and education.”

East Midlands’s Hayley Ball continued with Rebecca’s belief of university as a life investment. She believes that in fact “everyone does have the opportunity to go [to university], and will be earning more money due to a degree, meaning they will be able to pay off fees.  She went on to say that “we need to educate young people more on how to get the best out of their education, anyone can pay off their degree” and also raised the question; “We already pay enough tax, will graduates want to pay even more tax on top of this?”

Cameron Brown from the North East agreed “the last thing I want as a graduate is another form of tax. It is effectively a tax on jobs, punishment for those lucky enough to have had an education and got a job”, as did Nadirur Choudhury, from the West Midlands who said “Graduate Tax will mean having the stress after the degree” she suggested “why not bring in more scholarships, so people can access these?”

West Midland MYP James Ellsmoor believes it is “atrocious that certain Scottish MPs can vote in favour of a tuition fees rise in England” He also introduced the issue of international students “it would be impossible to collect tax from international students when they return home, without breaking EU law”, as well as the issue of students who choose not to complete degrees “If I don’t complete my degree, do I not get taxed? If someone is on track for a poor degree, they could surely just drop out and pay no tax as they have no degree?” He concluded that a Graduate Tax has “no benefit to students, and risk creating serious financial implications to universities in the future”.

Jack Chamberlain for Suffolk believes that “tuition fees aren’t what stops people going to university. What we need to look at is the costs associated with the other part of going to university, living away from home, textbooks [etc.]”.

“We are destroying and scrapping young people’s future. David Cameron, I urge you, don’t scrap young people’s future.”

Poppie Simmonds from the East Midlands brought the debate to a close “we know we need to pay something towards the cost of our university education, but which is the best way to contribute? What we as the UK Youth Parliament have to question now, is if whether a graduate tax system is the natural next step”.

“Well, it could be…having a graduate tax system could potentially open up the possibility of going [to university] to those who’d never dreamed about it, due to money worries”

“However, it could also be a step backwards…there is no set value for your degree meaning two people on the same course could end up paying hugely different amounts for it, many would question the fairness of this”.

“The truth is, that people fear debt but equally loathe tax. If there’s three things Brits complain about it’s tax, debt and the weather!”

Written by Ellie Vesey-Thompson, DMYP Wiltshire
South West Media Rep

A Greener Future For Britain

The Greener Future for Britiain debate was opened by MYP for Scotland, Kyle Thorton. Kyle spoke of the climate change which has occured over the past few decades, “what were once, ‘once in a lifetime ‘ events, have now become the norm for our generation”.

Statistics about recycling were used to emphasise the effectiveness of something so simple, and the importance of it to be carried out on a much larger scale. “We currently recycle 40% of our waste, which saves 18 million tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of taking 5 million cars off our roads”.

Another vital point that was made in order to help reduce global warming levels was the use of mroe renewable energy, “Scotland alone has 25% of Europe’s Offshore Wind, 25% of its Tidal Energy adn 10% of its wave power. The UK has a massive renewable resource. With public and private investment, we can harness that natural power.”

The ease of doing such an important thing for further generations was stated as he said “we can take simple and easy actions at home”. His  final statement was  a very  interesting on that not everyone would first associate with becoming a cleaner and greener nation – the possibility of jobs for young people.  He ended with the reminder that this government has promised to be the “Greenest Government ever”.

MYP for Warrington, Ryan Barnes, opened up the opposing argument for this topic with the main problems of it becoming our national campaign. Young people are already working towards this, the only answer is sustainability, and we’ve already collectively made a big impact together nationally. He mentioned how “carbon-offsetting is the trendy equivalent of a Prada handbag among environmentally minded companies”, but the best way to tackle is to not rush into new green campaigns but to “make the right decision, here and now, but voting for a Greener Future that’s already round the corner just isn’t it”.

The final debate was opened to the floor as everyone hoped to use their final opportunity to speak. There were a variety of opinions, both for and against the motion. MYPs were suggesting standardised recylcing facilities. An MYP from Aberdeen, suggested that “Local auhtorities should put more pressure on us as individuals to reduced our energy consumption.” MYP for Stockton, Matthew Wilson made a very strong speech on his views on this matter when he stated that we should “stop relying on fossil fuels as countries will be battling for the last drop of oil which will create tension between relations.” He urged MYPs to “show this campaign what you’ve got!”.

There was a general consensus among those in the room that this is a positive campaign in which a lot of people are in support of. Many people, including Gemma from the West Midlands, mentioned that “little things, make the biggest difference”. As Emma from the North East said, “if we leave this big issue for the future to tackle, it will be too big and too late”.

George Poole, MYP for Cornwall, gave the opposing viewpoint saying that we only have one topic taken away from today to be made into our campaign, and we should be focusing on something that “affects young people, today, how we can, when we can”.

The debate was concluded with a speech by Alec Howells, MYP for Somerset, who summed up both sides of the argument and left us with something to think long and hard about. “Climate change affects everything, and is possibly the largest challenge faced by man to date.” It was made clear that this would be something of great importance that could make a better future for not only young people of our generation, but those of the next. He outlined the difficulty that we would be “campaigning into the great beyond”, but also told everyone to keep in mind “the relatively easy targets we can meet”. The entire debate was ended by a question asked to the floor prior to making their vote on the campaign that will be carried out nationally over the upcoming year, “UKYP where do your duties lie?”

Our 4th Motion – End Child Poverty

4^th Motion – end child poverty

After a short lunch break in Westminster Hall, the MYPs have returned to the Chamber for the fourth debate. Mu-Hamid Pathan, MYP for East Midlands, moved the motion on ending child poverty, which he said is “one of the biggest issues our country faces today, yet it goes unnoticed.” He backed this up with the example that “50% of young people in one Enniskillen ward in Fermanagh [Northern Ireland] are living in poverty. This must change.” He concluded by urging fellow MYPs to vote for this motion, which set the scene for the rest of the debate.

To oppose the motion, Jess Simmonds MYP for Wales reminded the House that child poverty “is a millennium development, which has been adopted worldwide, we have global leaders, governments and so many people pouring into it”, asking the question, “how can we make a difference if these people can’t?” Following this the debate opened to the floor; Jack Lewis MYP for Richmond-Upon-Thames, London said that “child poverty is a disgrace… a third of all children in the UK are in poverty”, but agreed that the issue was already being tackled by various other groups.

Joseph Hayes MYP for East Midlands stated that one million young people in the UK are unemployed, while Jess Frost MYP for North Wales thought it was “disgusting that young people in as developed a country as the UK are in poverty”. They urged their fellow MYPs to give their constituents the future they deserve by voting to campaign for the end of child poverty. There was some laughter in the Chamber at times but on the whole the tone is serious.

To close the debate, Shona Morrison from Northern Ireland reminded the House that child poverty is “all around us”, but that ending it is “already a millennium development goal”. The debate was concluded to rapturous applause.

Zero tolerance towards bullying in schools one of the ‘biggest debates’ so far

Zero tolerance towards bullying in schools was one of the biggest debates so far.

David Crone (for) made the point that hostility is not inherited and that antagonism is not genetic. “Equality can only be attained through education, and repetition of the problem can only be prevented through rehabilitation.” What may seem like drastic measures makes a lot of sense in a metaphorical way. David believes that if there is a zero tolerance on the streets of our county enforced by the law, then this should be applied in schools.  David spoke passionately about this topic. He ended well, explaining that 170,000 young people are truanting from school every day from the fear of bullying. This is something that needs to be addressed now.

Xavier Cohen (against) said that bullying is something that has, is and always will be a serious issue. But doesn’t believe it is something that is a realistic goal to work on. “Schools in Scotland are strongly recommended to have an anti-bullying policy where as in the rest of the UK it is the law.” Since this is already something being addressed we shouldn’t try and throw in more of time to this matter. He also said, “The root cause of this issue is sadly far too deeply ingrained in society for UKYP to make any impact.” Like David, he spoke passionately and honestly. He made some interesting points and ended strongly.

Some people made points about Xavier’s speech. They said that if we don’t try to do something then we are letting our constituents down by giving up at the first hurdle. Members of Youth Parliament also felt that it affected people’s performance and ability at school which would affect their futures, which of course is something we cannot stand for.

Robert Littleton closed the debate. He spoke about how bullying, as well known, is a terrible practice and should never be tolerated. He said, “We are looking at a motion that calls for a reform of the way that we deal with bullying.” However, he said that, “There are a number of anti-bullying laws already in place to confront the issue – how much more can we do?” He also commented on how we can make a difference regardless of how big the change is. “Weigh up both sides of the argument” he said. He ended strongly, creating some ‘food for thought’.

The motion was debated well; both sides of the argument had valid points and certainly left people thinking.

Sam Cantlon, DMYP Swindon
South West media Rep
and
Colson Smith, DMYP Five Towns
Yorkshire & Humber Media Rep

“Public transport forms a pillar in the lives of many young people”

UK Youth Parliament’s first debate was around a motion which calls for a cheaper, subsidised public transport system for young people in full time education.

MYP for East Sussex, James Davies, had the nerve wracking job of opening the first debate. He supported the motion, making very clear and valid points throughout his speech. He showed his passion for the issue and stated how “Transport affects every young person, whether it’s getting to your job, getting to school or college, or even getting to health services. Public transport forms a pillar in the lives of many young people”. He outlined three main problems: the price, the consistency and the accessibility of public transport. “Young people are taken advantage of and are forced to pay unreasonable fares”. He ended by urging MYPs to support transport as the 2012 National Campaign as “there are a multitude of issues that should not be allowed to continue”.

South West Member of Youth Parliament, Maria Neary, followed this up with a counter argument for the reasons as to why transport should NOT be this year’s National Campaign. She stated that “our national campaign topic needs to be something current and crucial” and that transport”is not a problem for young people to solve”. It was suggested that if alternative means of transport were used such as the “Boris’ bikes scheme, which has 110,000 subscribers so far”, then it would have three positive outcomes as opposed to one; “both walking and cycling are carbon free, it’s great exercise and they’re both cheap methods of transport”. The final argument against transport being the national campaign was that the impossible financial situation is what is important, not the state of public transport. This was made with powerful descriptive imagery, so that her point can be empathised with – “I want you to imagine one third of the people in this chamber, in your classroom and in your community, excluded from a lifetime of opportunities due to insufficient funds.”

Many MYPs gave personal accounts as to why transport is an important issue for young people, from stories of bus fares more than doubling on their 16^th birthdays from £2 to £5, to the poor punctuality causing young people to regularly turn up late to work or school multiple times a week. Most young people seemed to feel passionate that this was an important issue for young people across the nation.

However, many other Members of Youth Parliament mutually agreed that although there is no denying the importance and effectiveness of cheaper, subsidised transport, it is not what the UKYP national campaign should be because it is a campaign that is better tackled on a local basis, as every region has their own problems with transport since it is run differently in different parts of the nation.

All in all, the debate was very unbiased with viewpoints from both sides of the argument being put forward, and it was full of information and opinions on the matter that only young people who themselves have been in the position could express. Two very highly rated and congratulated powerful speeches that have been noted were made by Bolton MYP, Asim Iqbal and MYP, Amber.

Asim gave a very thought-provoking speech about what young people and their financial skills, suggesting that perhaps it’s not just a case of lowering transport fees but prioritising what we spend our money on. He stated that “most people can’t afford transport, but will have a £2-300 phone in their pocket. The money should go towards something more important, such as youth workers, because in 10 years time, I will still remember what they did for me.” He also expressed his disagreements with the unhappiness some young people have that the elderly are entitled to free transport, “When I am 60 and I have put my money into the system for so long, I don’t have a car, I’d expect a free bus pass!”.

Amber, MYP, was strongly in favour of the motion. She believes that young people should have subsidized public transport, particularly to attend school, somewhere that they have to be by law. She gave the startling fact that “It can cost up to £1000 a year to get to school, and with three or four children over the seven years that we must be in school, it could be cheaper to buy a house closer to school than to pay for the bus!” This shocking fact made everyone really think.

James Potts had the difficult job of closing this controversial debate. He explained how public transport is an issue “close to the hearts of young people in the UK today”. He gave the shocking fact that a “cut in fares of 20% would lead to an increase in bus travel of 13%”. He believes that a National Code of Practice would help young people; however he also described the “viable alternatives to public transport that are a healthy alternative to public transport”. He concluded by urging MYPs to “vote to change an issue that affects us all, that we can make a difference, to public transport”.

Written by Razzia Gafur, DMYP Newcastle
North East Media Rep
and
Vicky Olive, DMYP Poole
South West Media Rep

An intro from Mr Speaker himself!

All the Members of UK Youth Parliament are now in the Chamber and The Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt. Hon. John Bercow, has welcomed everyone. Mr. Bercow introduced the Leader of the House of Commons, Sir George Young MP, who congratulated the UK Youth Parliament on getting 65,000 young people across the UK to vote on which issues are being debated today and thanked Tim Loughton MP for his continued support throughout the year.

Next Mr. Bercow introduced the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, Angela Eagle, who stated that “over the 10 years the UK Youth Parliament has been a powerful voice for young people”, adding that “what you all share.. is that you believe in the power of politics to change things for the better”.

After these speeches Mr. Bercow reminded Members of UK Youth Parliament of the rules of the debate and called on the first speaker to move the first motion.

Written by Lola Mustapha, DMYP Barnet
London Media Rep
and
Xavier Hussain, DMYP Croydon
London Media Rep

On the most anticipated day of the year…

Members of UK Youth Parliament were really excited, maybe a bit nervous for their third – but for some their first – appearance in the House of Commons today. They gathered in the great hall of Westminster where it was great for friends from the Annual Sitting to briefly catch up on what they had been up to and plans for the future.

On arrival people were greeted by croisants and Pain au chocolat which created a pleasant, welcoming tone to the occasion.

Colson Smith, 13, from yorkshire and Humber said, “I felt nervous, but I was happy to meet everyone again after the Annual Sitting. I am really looking forward to watching the debates live, it’s going to be a memorable experience.”

Over 300 Members of UK Youth Parliament are going to be involved in the debates today. Led by Rt Hon. John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, this is going to be an incredible day.

By Sam Cantlon, DMYP Swindon
South West Media Rep
and
Colson Smith, DMYP Five Towns
Yorkshire and Humber Media Rep

Young people ‘have real opinions and deserve to have a say’

It has come to that time of year where we get down to business.

Young representatives from all over the United Kingdom will come together and debts on key issues, that over 65,000 Young People have voted for, in the House of Commons. This is the first quest which sets the agenda for the rest of the year. Members of Youth Parliament have been geared up & are ready to take on the challenge of expressing the views of the Young People which elected them. Sara Sayma Member of Youth Parliament for Croydon said:
“I’m so excited to be going to the House of Commons. This is a great opportunity to represent the young people of not only Croydon but the UK. We will be able to show that we are not what we are portrayed in the media. The debate will show that Young People have real opinions and deserve to have a say. I’m grateful to have this amazing chance!”

You can see the enthusiasm from Sara and the passion she has for wanting to portray Young People in a positive light. The whole event is part of participation week & we hope to get Young People more active in politics & participating from all around the country.

Lola Mustapha

Lola Mustapha, DMYP Croydon
London Media Rep