By Mrs Cruse (History Teacher)
To enhance the study of A Level Politics we have a programme in place inviting guest speakers in so the students can speak to people involved in day-to-day political life.
Our second speaker this term was Richard Fuller MP for North East Bedfordshire, who delivered an engaging session. Mr Fuller explained why he had gone into Politics, how long he had been an MP and what his role is in Parliament. He took questions which varied from asking his opinion on MP Matt Hancock’s controversial jungle stay to former Prime Minister Liz Truss to current legislation going through Parliament.
Reflections from the Sixth Form politics students:
Sughra Bibi: “It was very interesting to hear what an MP from the Conservative Party thought about different topic areas and different stigmas about the party as a whole. I asked Richard Fuller a question about if he thought that there should be more POCs in parliament because many minority groups aren’t well represented. It was interesting to hear that he felt that despite there not being enough it shouldn’t be something monitored because it is more about the qualifications of the person who is in parliament. He was aware that not everyone would support his parties’ views and was willing to challenge our own views to see what us, as a younger generation, would think about these topical issues.”
Alice Hartshorn: “It was really interesting to hear from Richard Fuller, and gain some knowledge about his experience as an MP. Having asked a question relating to whether the current government is doing enough to prevent climate change, I found that his answer highlighted some areas in which improvements could be made, such as the way in which the country is heating its homes.”
Amy Kneller: “Listening to Richard Fuller was a great way to get a better insight into the inner workings of politics, although he answered questions in a typical politician style sometimes avoiding the actual meaning of the question, I liked how he asked questions back and therefore you could have a sort of debate with him.”
Grace Maguire: “I found talking to MP Richard Fuller enlightening. I specifically asked about why he aligned with the Conservative Party, to which he talked about his fascination for numbers as a young child and later interest in freedom of the individual. I enjoyed the fact that he engaged in a conversation with me, asking me questions about my own political inclinations. Overall, I feel his answers and discussions with myself and others greatly expanded my knowledge and thoughts regarding politics.”
Olivia Murray: “As an Upper Sixth student, hoping to study politics at university, it was both fascinating and inspiring hearing from Richard Fuller. As A Level politics is a ‘live’ course, hearing first hand from sitting MPs proved invaluable as we had the opportunity to ask Richard Fuller questions on his journey into politics and current legislation. For me, I enjoyed asking him about the Elections Act 2022, his opinions and response has aided my knowledge and thoughts on the act.”
Vittoria Sepede: “Engaging with a local politician was really beneficial to our understanding of politics as we could ask questions and gain more depth of knowledge regarding the work of an MP. Richard Fuller made the experience enjoyable by engaging not only with our questions, but also by asking us what improvements we would like to see and how we would achieve that ourselves.”
