George Abbot School Students Quiz General Election Candidates

Published on: 23 Apr, 2015
Updated on: 26 Apr, 2015

Students at George Abbot School had the chance to quiz some of Guildford’s prospective parliamentary candidates as the round of hustings came to Burpham on Wednesday (April 22).

Pictured from left: Anne Milton, John Pletts, David from George Abbot School who chaired the hustings, Richard Wilson, Kelly-Arie Blundell and xxxx

Pictured from left: Anne Milton, John Pletts, David from George Abbot School who chaired the hustings, Richard Wilson, Kelly-Arie Blundell and HJarry Aldridge.

Anne Milton (Conservative), Kelly-Marie Blundell (Lib Dem), Richard Wilson (Labour), John Pletts (Green), and Harry Aldridge (UKIP) formed the panel to answer questions from predominately Year 12 students, with some from Years 10, 11 and 13, who filled the school’s Raynham Hall.

Expertly chairing the panel was Year 12 student David, who kept the debate moving smoothly.

A number of senior students had prepared questions for the candidates and these were asked in turn, with students in the audience also invited to ask questions as the debate progressed.

The topics included in the main questions were health care, the environment, defence, immigration and perhaps most important of all to the students, fees for higher education. Year 12 student Nathaniel asked the panel their views on this topic.

Kelly-Marie Blundell responded by saying that she was pleased her party introduced a cap on fees students have to pay.

The next to answer was Richard Wilson who said it was a shame that the Lib Dems had previously made a pledge to abolish tuition fees. He added that Labour’s plans are to reduce fees to £6,000 per annum, and that the last Labour government had expanded the opportunity for young people to go to university.

John Pletts added that the Green party wishes to see the abolition of all higher education tuition fees in the long term, and that his party is prepared to borrow money to pay for that.

Tuition fees have to be paid by somebody, responded Anne Milton. She said that it is an issue of fairness and she feels it is not right for someone who doesn’t go to university to pay tax to fund others who do. Anne pointed out that her Conservative government has helped create two million apprenticeships and that businesses are funding people to study. She said that change is taking place in education and that students have a greater choice now of what they can study with more demands being put on universities and the courses they offer.

Harry Aldridge summed the question up by saying it is all a question of balance. He pointed out that if the UK has well educated and skilled people, society will benefit and it will be much fairer overall. He said that UKIP has plans to abolish tuition fees for people who wish to study for key subjects such as science and medicine, and added that we should value vocational training more, as it is in Germany at present.

Students at George Abbot School listen to the panel answer the questions put to them.

Kevin O’Sullivan, director of the school’s sixth-form said: “We are grateful to the candidates who took part in today’s debate.

“It is important that young people are engaged with the political process, with many of our older students able to vote in the forthcoming election. Today has been an invaluable and exciting opportunity where students were able to ask the prospective candidates questions that were relevant to them.”