Young People Debate Equality in Britain in Latest HeadsUp Forum

The latest HeadsUp forum was the most successful yet, attracting a record 1,169 posts from young people across the UK. This time the theme was “How equal is Britain?” and this topic prompted passionate debate on a range of issues, including: the causes of the riots earlier this year; women’s representation in parliament; equality in the education system; and discrimination against women in the world of sport. 

For an in-depth look at the forum, read the full report here.

Some of the contributions are highlighted below.

On the riots: “I believe that the people who got involved in the riots had a reason. Maybe it was because the government were not really taking care of them. They have got nothing left, so they have got nothing to lose. “

On women in parliament: “I think that more women should be in the parliment because then decisions would be made from both a female and male point of view. “

On the voting age: “Let the parents decide. if they think thier child is ready to take a leap in growing up. we should have the permission to vote”

On women in sport: “I think what stops women getting involved is confidence, men are always said to be best. As a girl I think that men should step back and let women have a chance.”

Also participating were nine decision-makers, drawn from parliamentary bodies across the UK, as well as Non-Governmental Organisations, and they were highly impressed with the level of debate and the enthusiasm of the participants:

“Some really interesting discussions on this forum so far. I wish the quality of debate was always this high in Parliament!”- Caroline Lucas MP

“I’ve really enjoyed following the comments from the first week, which go to show how well-informed many of our young people are about politics and society, and how much they care, contrary to what some people might think.” – Christine Chapman AM