Young people to quiz Scotland’s politicians in election debate

SCOTLAND’S political leaders will be quizzed by young people in an election hustings organised by student and apprentice unions today.

NUS Scotland and the National Society of Apprentices Scotland will host an election debate chaired by polling expert Professor John Curtice at Strathclyde University.

It will see students and young people put their questions to SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie, Green co-convener Patrick Harvie, and Conservative candidate Adam Tomkins, as part of NUS Scotland’s Shaping Scotland’s Future campaign.

Vonnie Sandlan, NUS Scotland president, said: “It’s really exciting that party leaders and leading politicians will hear directly from students and young people, and debate the issues that matter to them.

“Students and young people can have an incredibly powerful voice in these elections, and deserve the chance to put their questions to the people vying to lead Scotland.

“Through the next Parliament, students need to see an improvement in the support on offer. This debate is a chance to make that case to politicians, and hear how each party is going to deliver fairer support.”

Ms Dugdale will also meet students on the campaign trail earlier in the day, and plans to have a game of pool and host a discussion in the bar of the Queen Margaret Union at Glasgow University.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson is also playing games as she campaigns in Dundee on a visit to computer games developer Tag Games, as well as outlining her plans to offer tax breaks for the town’s computer games industry.

In advance of her visit, she said: “Our games industry is one of Scotland’s great success stories, and is exactly the kind of growth industry we need.”

Meanwhile, Ms Sturgeon is setting out her party’s commitments to older people on the campaign trail in her home town of Irvine.

She will say that if re-elected as First Minister she will ensure the needs of older people “are at the forefront of the next Scottish Parliament so that we deliver an even better, fairer deal for all our older people”.

Mr Harvie will help launch a mini manifesto by Scottish Greens LGBTI+ group Rainbow Greens as he campaigns in Glasgow.

Rainbow Greens’ Co-Convenor, Elaine Gallagher said LGBTI+ people are “disadvantaged out of proportion with the rest of Scotland” by government cuts and added that strong Green representation in Holyrood would “improve the lives and wellbeing of LGBTI+ people”.

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