First minutes will be in the Sports Hall with TD. Please come and supervise and then back to the timetabled room to use the following resource.

Transcription

1 First minutes will be in the Sports Hall with TD. Please come and supervise and then back to the timetabled room to use the following resource.

2 Democracy! Why should you be concerned with politics?

3 Who am I?

4 Who am I? Ruth Smeeth your local MP!

5 What is a democracy?

6 What is a democracy? What is democracy? with Danny Wallace - YouTube

7 Voting You will be shown some statements on the whiteboard. If you agree move to the right side of the classroom. If you disagree move to the left side of the classroom. But be prepared to explain why you have voted yes or no!

8 The voting age should be lowered to 16 You can leave school, get married (with parental permission), join the army and pay income tax at age 16. In the United Kingdom (UK) the voting age is 18. Most democracies in the world have a voting age of 18. Countries that have a lower voting age include Iran at 15, Brazil at 16 and East Timor at 17. In 2004, The Electoral Commission recommended that the voting age should, at the moment, be retained at 18, but that it should be reviewed again in the future.

9 Voting at elections should be made compulsory Voting is compulsory in a number of countries including Australia, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Luxembourg and Italy. Voting is not compulsory in the UK. A survey in 2001 found that 49% opposed compulsory voting while 47% agreed with it. Advocates of compulsory voting argue that: it raises turnout; makes elections more representative; relieves parties of the task of getting out the vote, enabling them to concentrate on the issues; encourages a more informed debate and raises levels of political awareness. Opponents object that: it would be contrary to British political culture; it would be unpopular; is wrong in principle (the right to vote implies the right not to vote); would be difficult to enforce and would encourage ill-considered votes to be cast by reluctant or apathetic voters.

10 Young people are not interested in politics An estimated 37% of year olds voted at the 2005 UK Parliamentary general election. This makes young people among the least likely of all people to vote. Seventy-five per cent of people aged 65 or older claim to have voted at the 2005 UK Parliamentary general election. Research by The Electoral Commission shows that young people are very interested in issues-based politics but turned off by party politics in general.

11 Young people care more about what happens in Big Brother than they do in elections.

12 People should be able to vote using the internet or text message.

13 You have just... Voted based on your opinion of a statement presented to you. In a General Election you will have to vote according to the information available in the media and provided by the different political parties. How do you think the Haywood Parliament election process should work?

14 Why should you be bothered about Haywood Parliament?

15 How can we make our school more democratic? Some of the same reasons you came up with to show why so many people failed to vote in the national elections might explain why people are often unwilling to try to change the way the academy works.

16 How can we make our school more democratic? In groups think of an issue which you find annoying in school and would like to change. For example it might be the lack of a secure place to park your bike, unhealthy food, lack of computers in classrooms etc. When you have chosen your issue write it on your large piece of paper. Then you should provide answers to the following questions: What do you want to change in the school? Who do you need to get involved in order to make changes? e.g. your form tutor. Why would things like communication skills be important? Is it likely to cost money? If so, where would that money come from? By the time you have finished this exercise you should have a plan to help you to change Haywood Academy for the better.

17 Haywood Parliament should help to represent your views and make improvements to your lives as students. What could we do to make Haywood Parliament more effective?

18 What do all these people have in common?

19 What do all these people have in common? They represent YOU! Do we vote for who should lead our country? Ruth Smeeth your local MP Councillor Dave Conway Leader of Stoke Council Theressa May - PM Councillor Janine Bridges Cabinet Member for Education and Economy One off votes!

20 ?

21 Extension: Why has Haywood Parliament been set up like this? How is the UK governed? 3FFE1F0B34AA057

22 Why has Haywood Parliament been set up like this? How is the UK governed? Use the words to see whether you can fill the sheet in

23 How is the UK governed? The Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, are situated in the centre of London. The House of Commons is the lower house of Parliament, which also comprises the Head of State (the sovereign ) and the House of Lords; known as the upper house.

24 How is the UK governed? In a General Election, the British public elects 650 Members of Parliament (MPs) using the First Past the Post (FPTP) system. MPs are elected by voters in their constituency to represent their interests and concerns in the House of Commons.

25 How is the UK governed? MPs consider and propose new laws, and can scrutinise government policies by asking ministers questions about current issues either in the Commons Chamber or in Committees. The Prime Minister selects certain key MPs to form his cabinet the cabinet is effectively the countries management group.