Under the shadow of looming general elections we were lucky enough to invite Emily Benn, granddaughter of the renowned Anthony Benn, to speak to the Sixth Form about her experience as a 20 year old Labour candidate for the Shoreham and East Worthing constituency.

After Emily applied to be a Labour candidate in 2007, she didn't even expect to be called to the first round of the election of local candidates. Three years later she is now running as a candidate in the elections and very excited by the prospect of a future political career.

Her passion for equality and the right for education was evident as she spoke fluently for over an hour without notes. Being so young, her obvious ambitious drive was very inspirational to the Sixth Form. We discussed the use of televised debates, and came to the agreement that although they had sparked an interest in politics they had hindered the discussions of important issues.

Emily's down to earth character and young age helped to make politics more accessible to us, and prompted many students to really think about their personal views and the power of their first vote. We would like to thank Emily and wish her the best of luck with her future career.

Written by Elizabeth Lynch and Hannah Goodbourn, Lower Sixth

Emily Benn (far right) with Burgess Hill students

12/05/10