NIMBYs try to block Youth Parliament from Commons

Former Member

Youth to meet in Commons chamber

Conservative MP Christopher Chope said it would be 'patronising' to let a 'mock parliament' use the Commons. Which is something he could never be accused of, then...

Former Member

I don't particularly like Tom Harris, the Labour MP for Glasgow South. But the entry on his blog about the subject puts it better than I can.

Former Member

Harsh words from 'John' there. Is the Youth Parliament a 'joke'? Well, some of the 'grups' who run things can be as patronising as a Tory MP, particularly when they bring out the 'ice breaking' games...

Former Member

This is fierce wretched. I joined the Youth Parliament forums, more to put down a marker for if I felt the need to put a little more pressure on the social service water treaders running HearByRight and Gloucestershire Grapevine (slim chance of spurring YMPs and supporters to action, but you never know), and was surprised when I couldn't even open up a reply box, just as a test. Somehow managed to contact someone in charge, and they said people over a certain age couldn't use the forums, but they were thinking about creating a new forum where people over 25 could post.

So, come May 26th and I get an email saying the new forum has been made, and I have a chance to create the first post on http://www.ukypforums.org.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=46. I don't rush, though and the regular users have already created two threads. My three posts are on page 2 of the "veterans" thread (I thought there were two more smaller posts, but that's not important). I then didn't visit the forums for a couple of weeks because of important stuff happening in Gloucester.

When I did take another look, day before yesterday, though, the 'Oldies' section was nowhere to be seen. It's still possible to access it through the link above, the politics board anyway, but I can't post on it. All I can do is add new material by editing my existing posts. Nowhere on the rest of the forums do the admin explain why they effectively scrapped the new boards, but there is a discussion on the 'Just For Fun' board.

It's sad that the people running the forums have apparently backpeddled, because that section created the possibility of young people challenging MPs and councillors and other figures of authority, as Dennis McShane and Sarah Teather were grilled on this forum. A lot of posters on UKYP are saying MPs just don't have the time, but one look at Tom Harris' blog tells us that some of them have a lot of time on their hands. They are curiously allergic to message boards, though, where what they say is out of their control (once somebody quotes it, at least).

I'm trying to get a reply from the UKYP admin, but I'm not holding my breath. Perhaps it was mistake saying that I was instrumental in the closure of half a dozen boards (seven, I was forgetting the Great Gloucestershire Debate)...

Former Member

stargalaxy wrote: »

I don't particularly like Tom Harris, the Labour MP for Glasgow South. But the entry on his blog about the subject puts it better than I can.

I found Dan Wilson to hold pretty good views as well .