Young People

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This part of the site is dedicated to young people and information for them on Parliament and Politics.
I frequently get visits from Schools or groups of young people to the House of Commons to see where a Member of Parliament works and to ask all the questions about the work of an MP, Parliament or politics generally.

Before we begin - lets test your knowledge on a few political questions: Answers come later!

1. Who is the Prime Minister?
2. Name three political parties in the UK.
3. Who is our Head of State?
4. How old do you have to be to vote in the UK?
5. How old do you have to be to be an MP?

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I was elected on 5th May 2005 and represent all of the people in Swansea East in Parliament. Swansea East is known as a 'Constituency'. A constituency is a certain area which an MP represents the people who live in that area, it is also known as a seat. The Swansea East constituency, they are Bonymaen, Cwmbwrla, Landore, Llansamlet, Morriston, Mynydd Bach, Penderry, and St. Thomas. There are 58,000 electors in the Swansea East constituency.

The United Kingdom is a monarchy. The Queen as Head of State is the person who actually appoints the Government. She does this by calling on the Leader of the largest party to form a government. In turn, the Prime Minister appoints his Ministers.

People who live in constituencies (known as the electorate) vote for Members of Parliament (MPs) in House of Commons about every four years. The Prime Minister has to ask the Queen to 'dissolve' (or close) parliament within 5 years of every General Election. It's always a difficult decision for a Prime Minister because he or she tries to choose the best time for his own party.

Here are some good links to other websites with more information on the Prime Minister, the Government and Parliament.
The Prime Minister: http://www.number-10.gov.uk/
The Government: http://www.ukonline.gov.uk/
Parliament: http://www.parliament.uk

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Why are there Political Parties?

You may hear people say from time to time, in the UK 'politicians do nothing but argue with one another about different issue which are important to the country.' MP's occasionally debate or argue with one another because they are from different political parties, who usually have different views on different subjects. I joined the Labour Party because I believed their values were closest to mine; and whatever your beliefs you have to work with others who share your outlook in order to get things done.

There are several political parties in the UK. The main political parties are; Labour, Conservative and the Liberal Democrats. There are also Nationalist and other parties representing Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Smaller parties also exist in the United Kingdom, although they are not currently in the House of Commons.

Other elections also exist in the UK, such as Welsh Assembly elections (May 1 2003), and Local Government Elections in Wales (June 2004).

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Visits to the House of Commons by School Parties

I very much welcome the opportunity to meet school parties who visit the Houses of Parliament from the Swansea East Constituency. Click here to contact us for further details.