The countdown to the 2015 General Election has begun. Battle lines have been drawn. To the left, the Green Party. To the right (a little too far right for some) UKIP. And in the middle lie the usual suspects; Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
So who’s your best bet next May? Who should you be trusting with the power to run your constituency and, on a broader scale, the country as a whole? Over the next few months we at Fortitude Magazine will be telling you all you need to know about everything British politics; from the ins and outs of UKIP’s immigration policies to the successes and failures of the coalition government. From why the Greens feel the environment should be a central issue in the upcoming election, to why Labour wants to prove it is still the party of the working class.
Which brings us nicely to the issue at hand. Starting tonight and stretching over the coming weeks will be a series of live debates with each of the party leaders. Each leader will pick 3 topics to answer questions on, in addition to a mystery topic chosen by voters online, in front of a live audience of young people and countless more watching at home. The debates have been arranged by ‘Bite the Ballot’, an organisation whose mission is “To drive the biggest turn out of informed, educated and engaged young voters at the 2015 general election; calling for the next Government to make voter registration easier, more accessible and engaging for generations to come.” The debates, which start tonight (Wednesday 26th November), will be streamed live over various platforms, namely on youtube at www.youtube.com/bitenews
First up is leader of the Green party Natalie Bennett, who will be answering questions on her chosen topics (education, the environment and jobs) and a topic chosen by young people online (health). She will be followed on:
- December 2nd by UKIP leader Nigel Farage, whose topics are the EU, democracy and immigration
- December 8th by Labour leader Ed Miliband, whose topics are jobs, health and democracy
- December 16th by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, whose topics are health, education and jobs
- Date TBC by Conservative leader David Cameron, whose topics are currently being finalised by the Bite the Ballot team
In addition to the three topics above, the opportunity to vote for the fourth is YOURS. Just head over to http://bitetheballot.co.uk/leaders-live/ and cast your vote now.
The first debate, with Natalie Bennett, starts at 6 o’clock tonight. Head on over to the site to watch it unfold live. However if you find yourself busy at 6 don’t fret, as we at Fortitude Magazine will be bringing you all the highlights from the debates in the coming weeks. For now however, let’s look forward to what is sure to be a huge step forwards in encouraging youth involvement in politics.