WORLDbytes Programme 3: Will youth engagement save democracy?
Uploaded on Nov 25, 2008 / 118 views / 347 impressions / 4 comments
Description
Watch the lively debate at the Battle of Ideas Festival with the Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone telling us we are lazy and like to vote from the couch for Pop Idol instead of in a polling booth. Dr Tony Breslin, chief executive of the...
Watch the lively debate at the Battle of Ideas Festival with the Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone telling us we are lazy and like to vote from the couch for Pop Idol instead of in a polling booth. Dr Tony Breslin, chief executive of the Citizenship Foundation, argues for a citizen-rich curriculum and teacher Kevin Rooney emphasized that young people had historically led political change from the Bolshevik revolution to Tiananmen Square and en masse voting for Obama. Schools he argued are not the place for a disconnected political elite to resolve its failings.
4 comments
SarahMatelart
In my country, if you are aged 18, vote is compulsory.
I think it's good because everybody has an opinion about politics and preferences, it's worthy to express them as everybody is part of the society.
mariabernadette
How wet the liberal MP is quite surprising really she seems out of her depth is this discussion and with little to say. The teacher makes some pretty strident points but i think he is right schools are getting dumped on for all social ills and wether its young people or adults not taking an interest in politics or voting - don't blame the public or schools- we need some politics with vision to inspire us off the couch.
pauleen
I agree with the last speaker, the problem is not a disengagement. I think it is the political campains. Politicians and media force us to discuss on the subjects that they have chosen. Their debats are always the same
muchi
Most of the political leaders are old, dusty and old-fashioned, they fail to catch young's attention