LORELY BURT MP INVITES YOUNG PEOPLE FROM SOLIHULL TO 'TAKE POWER' IN POLTICS
12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 10th Jul 2006
Solihull's MP, Lorely Burt is encouraging young people from schools and colleges in the borough to get connected and have their say about politics before the conference season starts this September.
Lorely's call follows last week's launch of a major new initiative to engage supporters of all political parties - and none - in the battle to reconnect politics with young people.
Following the May local elections, Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Menzies Campbell announced his Party's intention to facilitate - but not dominate - a 'virtual conference' in the run-up to the traditional autumn Party conference season.
Sir Menzies has appointed one of the Liberal Democrats' new Peers, Lord Tyler - a former Shadow Leader of the Commons - to convene the conference which will enable all members of the public to have their say on the way the country is run. The Conference will take as its basis the recent report of the Power Inquiry, a thorough exploration and analysis of the features and failures of British democracy.
Lorely Burt MP said:
"I hope the conference will attract young people in particular - it is alarming that so few young people vote. Fewer than 2 in 5 did so at the last general election. Yet we know that this crucial age group - our future - are by no means apathetic. So this conference is about finding out how our politics needs to change to engage their interest in the democratic and parliamentary process.
"Should we, for example, enable people to vote at 16, and to stand for Parliament or their local Council as soon as they reach 18?
"Should we enable more views to be represented in Parliament with a new voting system?
"How should we make the House of Lords more democratic?
"How can our political institutions be made to listen to the people?"
Citizens of all ages are invited to listen to Lord Tyler's podcast on the Taking Power initiative and register to have their say when the conference gets underway in September at http://www.takingpower.org
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