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Who's listening?

All these decision-makers are supporting the forum and debating the issues with you. Here's a little bit about each one so you know who you're talking to....

Lord Adebowale

Lord Adebowale is a cross-bench Peer (which means he doesn't support any one political party) and he looks forward to debating with you soon. Here's what he had to say about this forum:

“At this critical time in the nation’s life we need young people to understand what democracy is and how it contributes to the creation of a strong, free and tolerant society. Democracy isn’t just about what happens in parliament and it’s not just about the act of voting. Democracy is a process not an act, and debate is critical to the process. In an age of cynicism about parliament we need to encourage democracy to take place in communities and in particular we need democracy to engage and excite young people in new ways so that the challenges of today can be addressed and we can face our collective future with confidence. I hope the Heads Up online forum can play its part in making the democracy inclusive and inspiring.”

Lord Alton of Liverpool

Lord Alton is a crossbench Peer and he has this message for you:

'When you see starving people in Africa; child recruits bearing arms in the Congo; refugees displaced by Darfur's killing; and HIV positive genocide victims in Rwanda, you might wonder whether there is anything at all that you can do to make a difference. In North Korea I have seen the suffering of people trapped by a heartless ideology; in Burma, the devastation and misery inflicted on the Karen tribes by the military junta; in India, untouchable Dalits imprisoned by the caste system; in Tibet, religious freedoms trampled upon; and in Brazil children in the favellas living amidst grinding poverty and violence. These and other evils are all the works of man - and it takes men and women to confront them. We may be tempted to shrug indifferently, blame someone, or say that the problems are simply too vast and too complex - beyond our ability to confront or to change them. Politics is an imperfect art - and politicians are fallible and all too human; but politics is one significant way in which we can make a difference.

As a 21--year-old student I first stood for election - as a City Councillor in an inner city area of Liverpool. It was a privilege to represent a neighbourhood where half the homes had no sanitation and where I was able to make positive changes in individual lives. Later, as their MP, in Parliament I was able to speak out on their behalf and challenge laws and priorities that were unjust, lacking in compassion, or discriminatory. Parliament is also the place where great ethical decisions are made and I have spoken out against laws that allow the sale of British military equipment into areas of conflict; laws that undermine free speech and basic liberties; laws that allow babies to be aborted up to birth if they are disabled; laws that permit the creation of animal-human hybrid embryos and allow millions of human embryos to be experimented on and destroyed ; and laws that deny children knowledge of the identity of their biological parents, and on many other issues that go to the very heart of what it is to be human. Parliament is the place where you can upholding human dignity, insist on the sanctity of every human life and work for the common good. Surely these should be the principles which animate involvement in political life.
Obsolete ideologies and slogans are unlikely to meet the challenges which the world now faces - climate change, conflict, terrorism, fundamentalism, misused human knowledge and harrowing poverty. In our thinking and in our domestic political arrangements we need to confront systems of government that are often disconnected from the people and lead to alienation, apathy, and disillusionment. Our political system has been over-centralised and dominated by small elites, often out of touch with the aspirations and beliefs of the people they represent; all too ready to impose political correctness or to crush dissenting beliefs. What Britain will need for the future are hope-filled men and women for others, men and women of conscience, men and women willing to be engaged in the struggle of ideas and political priorities. Albert Einstein warned of the dangers of opting out: "the world is not a dangerous place because of evil people", he said, " it is a dangerous place because of the people who don't do anything about it." While Robert Kennedy reminded us that our individual actions can make a difference: "Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope." Members of Parliament and local councillors will only be as good as the people who put them there and politics will only be as good as the people who get involved - so now it's down to you.'

Ed Balls MP

Ed is the Shadow Secretary of State for Education and is the MP for Morley and Outwood. He had this message for you:

"It's great that HeadsUp is running an online forum about what needs to change in our Politics and Politicians, and I think it's really important that young people get the chance to debate these important issues. I think it's equally important that politicians, including me, listen and respond to young people's opinions and experiences. As MPs we are there to represent you as well as everyone else in the local community. Moreover, there's a saying that if you want to know what tomorrow will be like ask a young person today. Politicians from all parties will make better decisions and will develop more effective policies - for tomorrow as well as today - if we are in touch with and informed by your views. We may not necessarily always agree with each other but everyone gains when there is a dialogue, and when young people are fully involved this also strengthens our democracy.

 As you may know, I am currently running for the leadership of the Labour Party as well as just beginning a new role as Shadow Minister for Education, so unfortunately I can't take part in the online debate on this occasion. I would like HeadsUp to send me the results of the debate though, and I also hope that HeadsUp will invite me to take part in another debate soon."

Ed Balls.

Anne Begg MP

Anne is the MP for Aberdeen South and she had this message for HeadsUp users about politics:

“Young people, despite the fact they do not have the ability to vote at a General Election are, nonetheless, often the people most affected by decisions taken by Government.
 
Decisions about education, crime, the NHS and work and benefits will always directly affect the lives of young people and members of their families. On top of this, issues such as defence, foreign policy and international development are often issue that young people have a keen interest in as well.
 
For this reason I believe that it is vital for Members of Parliament and the Government to listen to, and take account of, the views of young people on a variety of issues that affect them.
 
However, while young people are often interested in political issues they are often apathetic about politics more generally. That is why it is important that initiatives such as HeadsUp help raise the political awareness of young people.”

Luciana Berger MP

Luciana is the new MP for Liverpool Wavertree and she's looking forward to starting the debate on HeadsUp. She is 29 years old. This is her message to you:

"Across the UK at the General Election people used their vote to decide who should represent them in Parliament, and I was proud to receive the support of voters in my constituency of Liverpool Wavertree. But involvement in politics can too often begin and end at the ballot box. If 'New Politics' is to mean anything, it should mean MPs embracing better interaction and engagement with the people they represent. One of the ways to do this is by effectively using electronic communication: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Forums - and whatever inevitably replaces these in the coming years. For this to be meaningful, people of all ages need to take part in the debate. People under the age of 18 are not yet eligible to vote - but by engaging with their elected representatives the power they have to change their local area knows no limits. That's why I encourage young people from Liverpool Wavertree to contact me and why I hope you'll join me on the HeadsUp online forum.

I look forward to taking part."

Philip Davies MP

Philip is the MP for Shipley and he wants to know what you think of MPs and the new coalition government. Here's his message:

"I am delighted to be participating in the HeadsUp online forum.  This initiative is a great opportunity for young people to voice their political views amongst key players and parliamentarians. 

The dust is finally settling over this huge era of change in British politics.  There are many new faces in Parliament who will each bring a wealth of knowledge, expertise, experience and opinion to the job.  I am interested to hear what you think makes a successful MP.  Have you met your local MP, how do you keep up to date with politics and what do you think of the coalition Government?

Is it a marriage made in heaven, a disaster waiting to happen or a new era of British politics?"

Lord Faulkner of Worcester

Lord Faulkner is a Labour Peer and is currently the Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords. He had this message for you about the next HeadsUp forum:

"Congratulations to HeadsUp for launching the forum.  I want to know what young people feel about the great issues facing us - not just domestic issues, like the public spending cuts, university fees, law and order, and immigration - very important though they are - but also the threats facing our planet, such as the effects of climate change, over-reliance on oil, and the widening gap between rich and poor nations.  And how do you feel about Britain's place in Europe?  Should we do more to work with our friends on the Continent?  Can we do more to appreciate their point of view?  How about learning some European languages, adapting our school examination system so that there is a common approach across the EU, and making it easier for our students to attend European universities and theirs to come to ours?
 
I also welcome the debate about the future of our democracy.  I've been a member of the House of Lords for 11 years now, and I never cease to be impressed by the quality of debate and the impressive credentials of my fellow members.  I would like to hear from those who favour changing our house into an elected chamber.  I don't believe that would improve the job we do or enhance our effectiveness as a revising chamber holding the Government to account.  But I am happy to listen to other points of view."

Sheila Gilmore MP

Sheila is the new MP for Edinburgh East and she's really interested in hearing about politics from your perspective. This is here message for you about the forum:

"During my campaign I wrote letters to many young people in my constituency. I admitted that I couldn’t claim to know all the issues that mattered to them (I was born in the late 1940s!)  but I said I would always make the effort to listen and learn from their views. And that is why I’m keen to take part in this forum.

The general election resulted in a large number of new MPs, and many of these were young. While I can’t include myself in this bracket, I hope and expect they will bring fresh energy and ideas to parliament. My own focus will be on putting my experience both as a family lawyer and a councillor to good use.

My main interests include how to ensure people have access to decent quality affordable housing, what we can do to further improve equality between men and women, and the action we need to take to combat climate change. I’d be keen to hear what people think about these important issues."

Lord Goodhart

Lord Goodhart is a Liberal Democrat Peer and is looking forward to debating the suggestions for a new House of Lords with you. Here is his message:

'As you know, there are two Houses of Parliament.  The more important one, of course, is the House of Commons. That is where the big decisions are taken.  But the House of Lords is important too – more so than many people realise.  Our main job is to study in detail the legislation which the Government has introduced into Parliament and try to correct or improve it.  The House of Commons does not have the time to do this properly.

Some people think that the House of Lords consists mainly of aristocrats.  This is far from the truth.  Most of us are here because, like me, we have been appointed by our party leaders.  Most of the others have been appointed by an independent Commission because of their expertise in many different fields.  But the time has now come to decide about reform of the House of Lords.

Should we be elected?   All of us?  or perhaps 80 per cent, leaving the rest to be appointed because of their expertise?  By what system should we be elected?  For how long a term of office should we be elected or appointed?  Should all the present members be chucked out at once, or over a period of time, or left until we die?  Let’s have your views.'

Andy Hamflett

Andy runs the UK Youth Parliament so he has contact with lots of young people that are interested in politics and have got involved in representing other young people. Here's what he thinks about how politicians can reach out to more:

"We are being told that there is a huge and real appetite for political reform with Government and Parliament, but nobody should underestimate the challenge facing party politics in reconnecting with young people.

Following one of the closest and most exciting general elections in years (many marginal seats fiercely contested, televised leaders’ debates, greater scrutiny on social networking sites), Ipsos MORI estimate that still only 44% of 18 to 24-year-olds voted. Why is this?

Focus groups with young people currently being run across the country by UKYP suggest that:

- Young people want the truth, and feel they do not get it from politicians. Many young people are telling us that party politics = propaganda = lies

- Young people feel alienated from the political process: the language, focus and channels of communication need to change if young people are to feel as if politicians really care about engaging them

- Those young people who do want proper, consistent and non-biased political education definitely want it in schools, so it is not distorted by party political factors or the bias of specific media channels

Are politicians really up to this challenge? Do they see it as a priority? How can they bring politics to life where young people live, rather than in the Westminster village? And what do they plan to do to increase interest, engagement and voter turnout among the younger age range by the time of the next General Election?"

Baroness Hamwee

Baroness Hamwee is a Liberal Democrat Peer and is currently the spokesperson for the Home Office in the House of Lords. She had this message for you about politics:

"One of the most encouraging things about the recent General Election was how politics seemed - at last - to spark an interest among younger voters.  We politicians fail if we don't get over the message that politics is relevant, always.  It can take many forms, and there are many ways to get involved.  And when you're involved you have a chance to change things - including politics itself."
 

Charles Hendry MP

Charles is the Minister of State at the Department for Energy and Climate Change and he's looking forward to discussing these important issues with you on HeadsUp. Here's what he had to say:

"This is a great initiative to encourage young people to engage in the political process.

Sadly too often young people are seen as apathetic and generally being disinterested in politics. I know from my own contacts that they are very interested in issues even if not in party politics.

HeadsUp provides the opportunity for you to engage in the political process and show policy makers and the wider public that your views should be listened too in any decision the government makes”

Julie Hilling MP

Julie is the new MP for Bolton West. She is looking forward to debating with you on this forum. Here's what she thinks on the issues up for discussion:

“I’ve spent nearly all of my working life as a youth worker and so I know how important it is that young peoples’ voices are heard by politicians and decision-makers.  I know that young people are passionate about so many things – like the environment and poverty and war – so it’s really worrying that so many of you do not vote or get engaged in the political process.  This is especially true for working class young people.  If we don’t hear your voices, how will things change?

I look forward to hearing what you’ve got to say and joining in the debate with you.”

Margaret Hodge MP

Margaret is the MP for Barking and the Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport. She's interested in hearing about what's important to you. Here's what she thinks about this forum:

"When I was fighting the BNP at the last election young people from across London gave up their Saturdays week after week to come and join our campaign, bringing with them huge energy and enthusiasm. I know it simply isn’t true that young people are apathetic.

We need to make it easier for young people who are under 18 to make their voices heard, and the HeadsUp project is a fantastic way for politicians and decision-makers to find out more about what matters to you.

We politicians need to do our politics in a new way. We’ve got to stop talking to people about things that matter to us whether it’s current concerns in Westminster or the Town Hall. And we’ve got to start talking to people about the things that matter to them. If we listen, really listen and respond then we start to make people believe that politics matters, that it can affect them and that they can have a say in decisions that impact on their daily lives.  Then hopefully we can inspire more of you to become more active politically and get involved with the causes you care about.

I’ve taken part in a number of focus groups with Year 10 students in my own constituency. It is no surprise to any of us that they raised very similar concerns to older people; for example young people fear crime in the same way as older people and of course we know that young people are more likely to be victims of crime.

The under 18s also have their own priorities to which we must pay attention,  whether it’s more places to go and things to do locally, or issues that affect their future like apprenticeships and higher education.

Politics should be representative of the country we live in, and that means we need much more involvement from young people – including those who are not yet old enough to vote."

John Howell MP

John has been MP for the Henley Constituency since June 2008.  Here's why he's interested in the ‘Politics and Politicians – what needs to change?’ Headups discussion:

"I became an MP in 2008 when I was elected to succeed Boris Johnson when he became Mayor of London so I had a couple of years experience before the General Election. One of the important things to me was, and still is, to make myself available to people within my constituency and that includes young people.

I have young adult children of my own so I know that young people have specific concerns and issues and want their voice to be heard. I hold regular surgeries for people to come and raise their concerns with me but I appreciate that this is not the sort of forum that young people tend to use. So I set up an advisory group of young people in the area which includes the Youth Parliament representatives. This gives me direct contact with young people to whom I can go when there is a particular issue that I need to know their views on and they know that they can raise issues with me.

I’m interested to hear your views in this forum on what you think are the priorities for the government and also on how we can make sure we hear from young people generally."

Julian Huppert MP

Julian is the new MP for Cambridge and he is looking forward to debating with you in the forum. He has this message for you:

'There's a saying that I really like: 'Decisions are made by those who show up'. This is all about the importance of finding out what's happening, understanding it, and then getting involved. I'm really delighted both that you've all decided to join in this discussion and learn more about what is happening. The decisions we take will affect you for many years to come, and it's important you have your say now and later.'

David Mowat MP

David is the new MP for Warrington South. He's looking forward to debating with you on HeadsUp and here's his message:

"I would like to thank HeadsUp for inviting me to participate in your discussions about politics. I am in full support of this initiative as I believe it will benefit both young people and MPs themselves. I really hope it will help increase my awareness of the key issues that matter to the young people of today. This is an extremely exciting time to engage in British politics and I believe this kind of event can only be a positive step forward. 
 
Many young people will have voted for the first time earlier this year. Even if you weren't old enough to do so this time around, it is really important to be aware that politics affects us all. As a director of a charity that works with young people from deprived communities, I know that young people today are suffering as much from poverty of aspiration as poverty of income.  The part of politics I would most like to change is the negative stuff: the lies, the smears and the spin. There is no place for it in politics and you, the voters in years to come, should have the right to kick out MPs guilty of wrongdoing."

Anas Sawar MP

Anas is the new Labour MP for Glasgow Central. He studied at Glasgow University and worked as an NHS dentist before he was elected to Parliament on 6 May 2010. Anas lives in Glasgow with his wife and young son. He is 27.

"I’m very pleased to have been invited to take part in the HeadsUp online forum. I’m proud to be one of the youngest MPs in Parliament and I hope to be a strong advocate for young people. I think it’s crucial that young people engage with the political process, that’s why I founded Y-Vote, a political platform which uses music and political education to encourage young people to think about the impact that politics has on their lives. I hope that you will use HeadsUp to debate the issues that matter to you.

Of course, some politicians have let us all down by abusing the expenses system in the previous Parliament. I was disgusted by this and I can assure you that I share your anger. I’m pleased that the previous Labour Government set up the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority so that this shameful episode can never be repeated. In fact, it was the introduction of the Freedom of Information Act by the previous Labour Government that led to the small minority of MPs that abused the system to be brought to book.

But political reform mustn’t stop there. What’s clear is that we must strengthen our democracy further. Many people don’t like the voting system that we use to elect MPs; others say the House of Lords should be a fully elected chamber; some think that fixed term Parliaments are a good idea. I’m keen to hear your views on these things and much more besides. I look forward to our debate."

Jo Swinson MP

Jo is interested in hearing your views on how politicians can better engage with young people here's what she has said:
"It has become increasingly important for young people’s views to be heard. The recent election has brought an interesting change in the world of Politics and I am pleasantly surprised to find that young people’s curiosity in the political process has continued to thrive after the election. It is important to nurture and build on this new enthusiasm. One of the most exciting and easiest ways to do this is for young people to engage in Politics, through discussion and debate.
 
Having once been the youngest MP in the House of Commons, I recognise the need to make politics more accessible to young people. The last election opened up numerous public debates from ID cards to the importance of the media’s influence on public opinion. What is encouraging is that many young people took a stand and voiced their opinions.  HeadsUp forums are brilliant places to express your ideas to the people that will take them to parliament. So get involved and let me know what you think needs to change?"

Karl Turner MP

Karl is the new MP for Hull East and is looking forward to debating with you in the forum. This is what he has to say about the forum topic:

“I am delighted to have been asked by ‘Heads-up’ to participate in discussions with young people.  As a newly elected Labour Member of Parliament I feel that it is crucial that I engage with younger people so that I keep an eye on what is happening in the country.  Politically we are experiencing strange times.  The new coalition government will need an effective opposition to ensure that they make cuts fairly without putting the economic recovery, which we are now experiencing, at real risk.  I hope this forum will help me to understand your consensus with a view to me challenging the coalition where necessary.  Politics effects everything we do so I look forward to engaging with you.”