QE’s mock General Election generated enthusiastic debate and resulted in an emphatic victory for the Labour candidate – while an old boy of the School has been commissioned to write a poem for the same party in the real poll.
Mock election Labour candidate Alex Beard gained 204 votes – more than twice as many as the second-placed candidate, Sajan Suganth, who amassed 98 votes for the Conservatives.
Anthony Anaxagorou (OE 1994-1999), an award-winning poet who recently led a six-week workshop for Year 9 and 10 pupils as the School’s poet-in-residence, reported on Twitter that his new poem for Labour will be published this week.
Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Mock elections constitute an excellent means of engaging boys’ interest in politics and current affairs. They develop debating skills, while at the same time giving pupils an insight into the democratic process.”
Mr Enright thanked the six boys who stood as candidates, all from Year 10, commending them both for their research and for the passion they evinced during campaigning. He also thanked the poll clerks, who issued ballot papers and checked voters’ names against the register, and the pupils who voted, as well as Head of Politics Liam Hargadon and members of the History department, who organised the election.
The six candidates debated issues central to the real-world election at a special Question Time-style hustings, including austerity, Brexit, education funding and security. During the event, which was was chaired by Head of History Helen Macgregor, an enthusiastic audience eagerly asked the candidates questions. The six boys also cross-e xamined each other, requiring them to think on their feet and testing the depth of their research.
Voting in the mock General Election was open to boys in Years 7–10. (Boys in the older years are currently on study leave for their public examinations.)
The candidates’ campaign involved posters, canvassing and the production of manifestos.
The results were:
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- Alex Beard, Labour – 204
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- Sajan Suganth, Conservative – 98
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- Chris Hall, Independent – 48
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- Adam Gale, UKIP – 40
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- Teg Singh, Liberal Democrats – 33
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- Rivu Chowdhury, Independent – 18
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- Ballot papers not valid: 8.