Young PPCs, week 3: Jamie Saddler
Mon, 15 February 2010 - by Jamie Saddler
This week's guest blogger is Jamie Saddler, 23, who is standing to be a Liberal Democrat MP. Read on to find out how his campaign's been going...
Blog Archive
Chance to be a Chancellor
Sat, 13 February 2010 - by Webmaster
Catch21 is pleased to present an exciting opportunity to all of our 14-19 year old viewers, set up by our friends at the Citizenship Foundation. Make sure you don't miss out!
TV Heaven, Political Hell
Fri, 12 February 2010 - by Danielle Joseph
The first televised political debates are still in talks between broadcasters and political parties. These negotiations may prove to be detrimental to the questions allowed to be asked. There is a worry that pre approved questions will form the majority of the debate similar to PM Question time in the House of Commons. This can be a good thing due to particular issues being addressed, but it can also lead to parties sticking to issues and policies that they are comfortable with.
Westminster Skeptics asks: how influential are political blogs?
Wed, 10 February 2010 - by Conrad Quilty-Harper
Put a group of political bloggers in the same room as someone deemed to be from "the media establishment" and what can you expect? This scenario was played out at the Westminster Skeptics meeting on Monday, with the political bloggers Sunny Hundal of Liberal Conspiracy, Jonathan Isaby, co-editor of ConservativeHome, Paul Staines, aka Guido Fawkes, and Mick Fealty of Slugger O'Toole in attendance. "The establishment" was represented by Observer columnist Nick Cohen, and although he may not have agreed with this label, he certainly enjoyed it.
Young PPCs, week 2: Nick Varley
Mon, 8 February 2010 - by Nick Varley
It's Monday, which means another instalment of Catch21's young PPCs blog. This week it's the youngest Tory candidate at the election, Nick Varley...
David Cameron’s talk of “Broken Britain” is vacuous moralising
Fri, 5 February 2010 - by Hassan Abu-Bakir
Recently, the Tories have followed a new direction in campaigning: focusing on social issues. This emphasis on “Broken Britain”, and the notion that the past 13 years of Labour Government have left Britain on the edge of Social Meltdown, seems to be a key issue that the Conservatives are pursuing. This onus on engaging the electorate’s social conscience is not new. I can’t help but be reminded of the “back to basics” campaigning under John Major that all unravelled spectacularly under a cloud of scandal and sleaze.
‘Brazenly Elitist’ and Definitely Welcome
Wed, 3 February 2010 - by Tal-Anna Szlenski
A General Election is imminent, and David Cameron and the rest of the Conservative Party are eager to remind us of this. Promises of change and pledges towards a new and improved Britain is the recurring message underlying statements issued by the Tories.
Young PPCs blog, week 1: Emily Benn, Labour
Mon, 1 February 2010 - by Emily Benn
Every Monday, Catch21 will be getting an update from some of the young people campaigning to become MPs at the General Election. This week, we're kicking off with an article by Emily Benn, the 20 year old Labour candidate for East Worthing and Shoreham in Sussex...
The Main Event: Tony Blair and the Chilcot Inquiry
Fri, 29 January 2010 - by Niall Cruickshank
The negatives of positive discrimination
Mon, 30 November 2009 - by Danielle Robinson
As David Cameron has announced new measures to encourage local associates to select more female candidates and the Labour party has introduced all women shortlists in certain constituencies, it would seem clear that positive discrimination is increasingly prevalent within our political system.
Uni-Q & Youth Engagement
Mon, 19 October 2009 - by Tom Johnson
In the run up to the first episode of Uni-Q, Catch21's flagship political programme for the UK's youth, we interviewed Professor Alan Hamlin, Head of Politics at the University of Manchester. We talked about about youth engagement in politics among students and young people at the University of Manchester and across the UK, what can be done to improve it and about Uni-Q itself.
Uni-Q
Thu, 8 October 2009 - by Webmaster
Uni - Q is a a fortnightly hour long current affairs programme think ‘Question Time’ meets ‘TFI Friday’. It will provide a forum for 16-25 year olds to pose questions, about the issues that matter to them, to MPs and other high profile figures. Uni -Q is the first programme of its kind to tour universities and colleges across the UK.
Electoral Media Madness: Part 1: A few lines of thought.
Mon, 5 October 2009 - by Simon Davies
I love Catch21. I love what we try to do in breaking down political issues for, granted, a younger audience, but I hope this extends to a wider audience in the future. An audience that I hope wants to understand not only the major political issues that are coming up in the year ahead but also the politics of politics. The swerves and turns that will come with mass media opportunism in staying ‘on top’ of the election cycle.
Future Democracy '09
Mon, 5 October 2009 - by Simon Davies
Catch21 is Media Partner at UK's Leading Annual Event on the Internet and Politics, 25 November, Central London
Future Democracy '09 is the UK's leading annual conference on all aspects of e-democracy, from e-campaigning, e-petitions and e-voting to the use of the internet and new technologies in politics; democratic activity and citizen engagement. The event's supporters include The Hansard Society, MySociety and the RSA. Catch21 is a key media partner for the event, and will be filming on the day.
The Labour Conference
Thu, 1 October 2009 - by Simon Davies
In 1992, something very strange happened. I was too young to really understand what was happening at the time, I just remember scenes on my television of a man from Wales bouncing up and down excitedly. As I got older I realised that what it was I was witnessing was what ‘grown ups’ call Professional Suicide.
Carter calls Obama's opponents 'racist', but I'm not so sure
Wed, 16 September 2009 - by Tom Johnson
German Ministers call to ban “violent” video games
Wed, 29 July 2009 - by Ewan Lindley
This week has brought the news that German Ministers of the Interior from all 16 states are attempting to push legislation through the German parliament, The Bundestag, to have the production and distribution of “violent” video games banned. This is a response to several shootings in German schools, in particular the killings on March 11th by a 17 year old who supposedly learnt the skills he used from the computer game CounterStrike.
The Youth Citizenship Commission - A step in the right direction
Fri, 24 July 2009 - by Natasha Lipman
A few weeks ago the government set up the Youth Citizenship Commission, to try and actively encourage youth participation in politics and to examine our understanding of what it means to be a British citizen. There’s a lot of discussions around the perception of young people in the media. With the majority of stories we hear being about youth violence, gangs, teenage pregnancy, it seems as though we are becoming the lost generation. Fortunately, this isn’t the case, unfortunately the media doesn’t seem willing or able to portray another it as anything else.
A “21st century clip around the ear” sounds like one of those stretcher earring things.
Wed, 15 July 2009 - by Natasha Lipman
This morning I heard the latest idea to come from the Tory camp – seizing the mobile phones and bicycles of young troublemakers. Apparently this is, what the Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Grayling, the equivalent of a “21st century clip around the ear”. Of course, in the 21st century a physical clip around the ear would break several human rights and health and safety laws and would probably end up in far too many pointless court cases to count.
African Changemakers
Tue, 23 June 2009 - by Natasha Lipman
Africa. If you had asked me three weeks ago I probably couldn’t have told you much about it. HIV/Aids. Corruption. Extreme poverty. That pretty much would have been about it.
