YEAR 12 students from the island’s high schools experienced an authentic slice of the Manx parliamentary process at this year’s Junior Tynwald sitting.
Seats normally reserved for MHKs and members of the Legislative Council were filled by the sixth form students in the Tynwald chamber, as they questioned members on a range of issues before debating two motions.
The sitting was overseen by President of Tynwald Clare Christian, who had taken the group on a tour of the legislative buildings that morning.
The whole process was carried out in accordance with standard Tynwald conventions, order papers were circulated, and the young would-be politicians carried themselves well while discussing real contemporary issues.
Passing notes and fierce debate made the experience all the closer to the real thing.
First up treasury representative Phil Braidwood MLC faced a grilling on the timing of the government’s multi-million investment in Pinewood Studios, in light of serious cutbacks across other departments, and ‘members’ questioned whether Pinewood was a fading force in the film industry, and how it would create jobs for people on the island.
Mr Braidwood assured members the deal ‘was not a vanity project’, and part of an investment to grow the Manx economy.
There was no respite for Mr Braidwood as he faced further scrutiny from the students, on issues ranging from financing entertainment during the TT festival, provisions for school leavers, and the moral defensibility of developing an e-gaming sector that is based around online gambling.
Government ministers also faced questions.
Minister for the Department of Community, Culture and Leisure David Cretney was pushed on his views on the island’s distinctive cultural qualities from the UK, and whether these differences warranted a push for greater political independence.
Mr Cretney also found himself discussing his department’s line on ‘digital democracy’, explaining that cost and security issues have been barriers to the island embracing online voting during elections.
As a representative of the Communications Commission, minister Phil Gawne faced questions on public service broadcasting including the BBC licence fee and the Manx Radio subvention.
Following the questions for oral answer, Castle Rushen High School’s Mairead Merritt, in the guise of MHK for Rushen, tabled a motion that the government should invest in sustainable public transport, while St Ninian’s student Tudor Baker, as a Douglas North MHK, submitted the motion that compulsory general election voting should be adopted.
Both motions sparked lively and articulate debates, though both failed after the chamber voted.