'Young people need political education, not National Service' | Sioned Williams

The general election has laid out in stark terms how social media can target people with unverified information.

With turnout always disproportionately low among young people, Plaid Cymru Senedd Member Sioned Williams writes about the need for young people to be better engaged with the democratic process:

If you don’t understand politics, why would you turn out to vote?This simple question lies at the heart of a problem we have in Wales – and that’s low turnout at elections.

When I submitted my proposal to the Senedd for a Political Education Bill, I had no idea the general election was going to be called the very same afternoon we were debating the need to get young people better engaged with the democratic process.

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In what seems like a lifetime ago, when a bedraggled Rishi Sunak stood in the pouring rain announcing “now is the moment for Britain to choose its future”. The reality was, he was only pitching to two thirds of the electorate.

You see, in the last four general elections, the UK voter turnout has never exceeded 68.8%. That’s one in three people not using their voice on matters such as foreign policy (Brexit, anyone?), domestic law (including your right to protest) and economic prosperity (heard of the cost of living crisis?).

For the last Senedd election less than half (47%) turned up to vote, and for the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) election this year it was less than one in five (under 17%).

As the prime minister stood under a deluge of water, whilst nearly being literally drowned out by Labour’s 1997 election campaign anthem ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ (making it ‘Drowning Street’ in more ways than one), I was inside the warm, Welsh oak-clad Senedd chamber, pitching for how to really get the Welsh public engaged in the democratic process.

Because the issue isn’t new. In fact, it’s cropped up every time we’ve debated electoral reform in the Senedd. And one call is made time and time again – the need for better political education.

Whether it’s been through petitions, reports or concerns raised by young people themselves – including the last Youth Parliament – the message comes through loud and clear: There is a lack of awareness of politics and the democratic process, and this is impacting voter turnout and civic life.

This is particularly relevant when you look at age, because the younger you are, the less likely you are to vote. This is a particularly frustrating fact in Wales because a new curriculum was brought in just after 16 and 17-year-olds were given the vote in Welsh elections and I think this is a missed opportunity to really address this gap.

While the new curriculum includes learning about citizenship and governance systems as part of the humanities area of learning, I don’t believe it’s enough to ensure a consistent and comprehensive approach across the whole of Wales. For young people to feel more confident and knowledgeable about elections and the purpose and process of casting their vote, then they need specific education, and schools and colleges need to be properly supported to deliver this.

This is why I proposed a few ways in which the new Curriculum for Wales could be amended so that it provides specifically for political education. Clarity on the current areas of learning and experience outlined in the Act could be provided by amending the ‘What Matters’ statements or the statutory guidance, through regulation, as happened in June of last year in the case of the history of Wales and its place in the world. The aim of a Political Education Bill would therefore be to ensure that Welsh Ministers took such steps.

The “why” was demonstrated over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, when the Conservative Party pitched a new policy idea that would require every young person to undertake National Service. What young people say they want is investment in their schools and colleges, support to study at university, better job opportunities and affordable housing. What they might instead get is being forced to receive military training.

In some respects the answer is simple: If young people don’t like this idea then they can vote for a party that promises not to do this. But the key point is – have sufficient young people even heard about this policy idea, and if so, have they drawn a line between the policy and the vote they could cast on July 4?

And do they understand that just because they might choose not to use their voice, there is a generation that is expected to turn out in force – pensioners. Because of this expectation, political parties often tailor their policies to pensioners rather than young people.

Yes, young people can be inspired in all kinds of ways to take an interest in political ideas and campaigns. They can be informed by media of all kinds - books, television, films, social media – and they can get involved in protests, and sign petitions. But it is in school that we can best ensure that our young people are given a rounded, balanced and comprehensive knowledge of how ideas influence society and generate change. Outside of the classroom, there are limited places where young people can learn about how policy ideas, ideology and governance systems create the society and the world of which they are part. The Politics Project runs excellent sessions and workshops for young people, but while it’s great that it hopes to engage with 4,000 young people, we must remember that there are almost 470,000 learners in our schools and colleges. This is why I have specifically pitched for the education to happen mainly through our new curriculum.

Happily, more Members of Senedd agreed with me than not, although I was disappointed that the Welsh Government abstained on voting. Wales has shown that it can lead the way in terms of democracy - it will soon be the first UK nation to move entirely to using a proportional method to elect members to its Parliament, and as I’ve already pointed out, we have already secured votes for young people aged sixteen and seventeen in Welsh elections.

It’s now timely, essential and long overdue for Welsh Government to listen and act on the calls for better political education. If we want the best democracy possible for Wales, it's got to be the most inclusive, the most reflective of, the most responsive to the most people, and this happens by involving the most people in our political and electoral system. We must ensure that our future generations can fully participate in the future of Wales.