Teenagers show they have Commons touch

Published on Friday 30 October 2009 21:21

FILLED to the brim with the purest political motives and unsullied by the expenses scandal, 300 teenagers made history yesterday when they became the first non-MPs to sit in the House of Commons.

The sight of 300 bright-eyed aspiring politicians in the cradle of British democracy made a refreshing change from the weary cynicism that normally occupies the famous green benches.

But the first session of the UK Youth Parliament in the House of Commons was not without controversy.

Traditionalists would probably not have approved of the jeans and T-shirts sported by the young Members of the Youth Parliament (MYPs). And the lack of ties amongst the male MYPs would not have gone down well with those of a conservative (with a small c) bent.

Unparliamentary language also featured. Jason Hill, from Derbyshire, was rebuked after making the political point that "ever since the mines got closed, our area's been b******d near enough".

It was not just dress codes and parliamentary etiquette that were breached.

The new Speaker, John Bercow, broke with the convention that says the chair should remain impartial when he attacked the "evil" British National Party.

To MYPs' applause, Mr Bercow described the BNP as a "poison which we could well do without".

He acknowledged that his contribution was out of character for a Speaker.

But he insisted: "I'm under absolutely no obligation whatsoever to be impartial as between the forces of democracy on the one hand and the forces of evil on the other."

Mr Bercow added: "I do feel very, very, very strongly, as someone from a Jewish background, that the evil of the BNP is that its whole politics is based upon and driven by hate."

It is unprecedented for a Speaker to make such an attack on a political party from the chair of the House – albeit that the Commons was not in formal session and the Mace, the symbol of parliament's authority, was not placed on the table by the dispatch boxes.

About 20 members of the Scottish Youth Parliament made the trip to London for the event, and one of them David Leitch, from West Lothian, accused the Speaker of a pro-English bias.

He claimed the contributions had been skewed against the other nations in the United Kingdom and said it was "sickening" the Speaker had grouped Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland together with English regions.

Mr Bercow insisted he was "genuinely sorry" if some people felt they had been denied the chance to speak, but said he had done his best to make things as fair as possible.

Another Scot, 18-year-old Derek Couper, from Edinburgh, said the day had been a "great experience", adding that it would encourage the next generation to go into politics.

The UK Youth Parliament, which caters for those between the ages of 12 and 18, aims to interest the coming generations in politics – a theme that was developed by Mr Bercow.

He urged MYPs to think about standing for councils, the House of Commons or the European Parliament.

"If you think we are not up to much and you can do better, I don't take that as an insult – I take it as a source of encouragement to those of us who are in politics," the Speaker said.

"If that's what you want to do, I say go for it."

In March, a group of Tory back-benchers attempted unsuccessfully to keep the youth parliament out of the Commons.