The chance to question and challenge leading political figures is an opportunity most citizens rarely have, however, 16 lucky Xaverian students were invited to attend the Manchester Mayoral Hustings, hosted by the Manchester Evening News at a packed Stoller Hall in the centre of Manchester.
The event saw all six candidates, representing the main UK parties, take questions on a range of subjects from gender identity to housing issues.
One of the Xaverian students at the hustings was Toby Payne, who was previously a pupil of Philips High School and is currently studying A Levels in Ancient History, Politics and Philosophy Ethics & Theology at Xaverian. Toby has recently completed Year 13 at Xavierian and used their experience, gained from being an active member of the EU youth Parliament and being a part of a recent BBC televised debate on social media, to ask what the candidates plans were to revitalise areas in the north of Manchester so they get a fair and equal share of development funding being made available for the wider region. Toby said: “The quality of responses I received varied by person. Three of the candidates answered very well with direct plans and ideas that would be truly beneficial, however I thought the others lacked clarity and did not understand the importance of the development needs in the North of Manchester.
“One candidate didn’t seem to have any ideas about what they would do and seemed to misunderstand the powers the mayor has. Some comments focussed too much on businesses and profit, without considering the needs of residents, but other candidates spoke with authority and from a position of knowledge with ideas that would really make a difference if they were to be implemented.
“It was incredible being part of this experience, opportunities such as this improve democratic participation of youth and allow a forum for true concerns to be raised, both of which are super important to the political system and legitimacy of the result. Being part of this is an unmatched feeling and it has given me a great experience. Going forward in life, I know better how to be democratically involved with future elections and understand what’s behind the rhetoric of candidates.”
Neil Mountjoy, Lead Teacher of Politics at Xaverian, accompanied the students at the event and commented on their participation by saying: “As ever, the Xaverian students excelled with their thoughtful questions, reasoned applause or disapproval and represented the college with distinction. As students of A Level Politics at Xaverian, they were able to experience first-hand a traditional political event as part of the process to elect a new Mayor. It is experiences such as these that bring to life what the students learn in the classroom to give them a deeper understanding of the topic.
“Following the debate, the students were able to grab a group selfie with one of the candidates. Our students now wait with anticipation to see the outcome of the election and the resulting impact the new mayor has on the city of Manchester!”
The Manchester Mayoral hustings event can be viewed here.