Vox Pops: The Politics Of Poverty @ Houses of Parliament

On the evening of Tuesday, November 9, 25 young volunteers from the ‘Platform2 [1]’ international volunteering scheme descended upon the Houses of Parliament to debate issues of global climate change and the progress of the Millennium Development Goals with a panel of experts. 10:10 Campaign Manager Daniel Vockins, World Development Movement director Deborah Doane, and Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz were all on hand to answer questions. The event was chaired by no-nonsense Channel 4 news presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy.

We grilled some of the young attendees about their motivations for coming along and how they really felt about the progress being made towards achieving the MDG and carbon emission- reducing targets.

Sharon Natt, 22

I came today because it looked like a great opportunity to grill the people who make all the decisions at the top. I am hoping to go into international development and Krishnan Guru-Murthy is one of my icons! I think it’s so important for young people to engage in global issues because we have a democratic government which means you need to listen to everyone across the board. It may sound cheesy but we are tomorrow’s future, the ones who will be voting in tomorrow’s elections, so its important that we put forward the issues that we think are important to make sure they’re put on the main agenda. I’d like to hope that poverty will be eradicated by 2015, but it’s how we measure poverty that needs to be looked at. With the current economic situation it seems like global poverty has been put on the back burner a bit… but I still think there’s hope!

Jamie Munk, 24

My experiences in rural India motivated me to attend today. I’ve seen the affects of climate change which resulted in droughts in India over the summer first hand. Climate change is not only something that’s going to be happening in the future, it’s happening right now! In this country there’s not really the sense of urgency because we’re not feeling the effects in the same way as those in the developing world. I wanted to make sure that politicians realise that it’s not an issue for tomorrow, it’s an issue for now. We’re going to be inheriting the world that the people in power have created. Young people are going to be the ones facing the reality of climate change, so it’s our problem and we need to engage with that. I agree with the panellists in that when you’re setting goals you need to aim high, even if you don’t reach them. There’s never any point setting mediocre goals!

Jade Ibegbuna, 24

I think its so important that young people are given a voice and are able to get involved in politics. To have our opinions heard and also listened to is something that doesn’t necessarily happen a lot today. This kind of event is a great opportunity for young people to put theory into practice! It’s important for young people to travel abroad but also to get involved in their local communities, and it’s essential that these sort of things are funded. We also need to change the image of politics so that young people aren’t put off by it. I don’t think the MDGs will be achieved by 2015. I think we need to get young people involved so that we can offer ideas that might help see them achieved at some point. I think the main focus should be on sustainability and maintaining changes instead of ticking boxes.

Thomas Carter, 21

I spent three years studying International Development and I’d like to end up working in the sector. Events like this are practical experience along the way. There’s so much more to life than Cheryl Cole’s latest confection. Climate change and eradicating world poverty are important issues that affect everybody. But ignorance is bliss. Because these things aren’t in the news each week the importance of them can be sidelined. But issues such as these need to be stressed so that young people begin to realise that the decisions they make, even the decision of what to buy at the supermarket, have implications elsewhere. People need that enlightenment. Some countries are on track to meet MDG targets and reductions in emissions, but it’s a complicated issue. Corruption, unfair trade and gender inequality, amongst other things, need to be stamped out.

Carina Mcurdy, 19

I came today to increase my sphere of political awareness and to see what it was all about! It’s a cliché, but young people are the future, and we are the people that are going to have to sort out the problems that are developing now. Politics is power and status, which is what young people are often quite attracted to, and it can be equated to many other things in life. I think that some of the MDGs will be achieved by 2015 but not the majority. That said any improvement is an achievement, but I think its going to be an ongoing effort.

Kweku Amoa, 20

‘Politics of Poverty’ has been a great opportunity to put our questions to a panel of people and put our mark on this world as young people looking for answers and solutions. It’s important that we pave the way for future generations. If you don’t think politics is for you, I would argue that there are elements of politics that are for everyone, such as education and health issues. I hope our targets for the MDGs and reduced emissions will be met… but we will have to wait and see.

Words and photos: Nayo Hunt