Newstead Woods school ‘Question Time’ finished with six students applying to join the Socialist Party. The event, which had been put together by students in the school’s politics society, was a chance for students to ask their questions to representatives of the three main political parties, an editor of the Times and myself.
The presence of a Socialist Party member on the panel changed the dynamic of an event which would otherwise have had only panellists who agree on the fundamentals.
Instead, I was able to answer questions on topics ranging from scandal at the BBC to sexism in society and MPs on I’m a Celebrity, from the perspective of a party which stands for the interests of the 99%.
Talking to students after the event it emerged that many of the questions students had wanted to ask had failed to be ‘approved’. One student had hoped to ask ‘is socialist revolution possible?’ – It’s not hard to imagine why that one might have raised a few eyebrows!
