Tolworth Girls Quiz Kingston & Surbiton MP

12.40.43pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 14th Feb 2007

Over 200 year 11 students from Tolworth Girls School threw questions, on a variety of topics, at MP Edward Davey during his visit to the school last week.

Since the 2005 General Election Edward Davey, Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and Surbiton has been committed to the 2009 project, which aims to get 13 million young people to vote in the next General Election. Politics and Westminster often comes across as being far removed from the concerns of young people, that is why Edward has been talking to young people across the borough explaining his role as an MP and discussing his views on the issues that matter to young people. During his visit to Tolworth Girls School, the students quizzed Edward on his role in Parliament and as their constituency MP. Edward answered the girls' questions about national issues such as Britain's continual presence in Iraq. The students where also concerned about many local issues such as the proposed Tolworth Tesco to how Kingston can become Green.

Following the visit Edward Davey MP said,

"I thoroughly enjoyed being quizzed by the students. They could certainly take over from David Dimbleby. Yet, I have to confess, what I really like about meeting young people is that I get the chance to listen to their views on the issues - they pull no punches; they tell it like it is!

"Young people really do care about the environment, education and foreign affairs - yet the media have packaged politics, in such a way that it becomes difficult for young people to identify their concerns as being political.

"Far too often politics is seen as tribal warfare which is played out in the House of Commons every Wednesday - when in reality - politics is everything that we care about from the money our schools receive to the very air we breathe!"

Notes

1. In the 2005, General Election the number of young people (18 - 24 year olds) who voted actually plummeted to 37%. http://www.ipsos-mori.com/election2005/index.shtml

2. http://www.the2009project.com/index.php