:00:09. > :00:16.INTLRNSZ Quick sell fee with Big Ben, I'm not an idiot, I will tweet
:00:17. > :00:19.that right now we are live from Westminster. We have come right to
:00:20. > :00:24.the heart of Government on the day that mains at the has said that many
:00:25. > :00:36.young people regard the Conservative Party as aliens from another plan
:00:37. > :00:45.yet. To ask why do so few young people vote join us now live on BBC
:00:46. > :00:52.Three from parliament. I'm not Not voting out of cap -- apathy, but
:00:53. > :00:57.indifference. Young people should engage. I I think young people
:00:58. > :01:01.should vote and we need new ideas. I don't vote because there is a
:01:02. > :01:14.majority in the area I live and the vote would be lost. It's OK, I have
:01:15. > :01:20.made it, I'm here, I'm Rick Edwards and we're at Central Hall, Charles I
:01:21. > :01:22.was tried her and some what more recently Nelson Mandela and Bill
:01:23. > :01:25.Clinton have spoken here. There can't be a better place to debate
:01:26. > :01:29.the issues that matter to young people. We have 150 of them packed
:01:30. > :01:37.in here tonight for Free Speech parliament.
:01:38. > :01:43.This is the first live-ever transmission from Westminster
:01:44. > :01:45.Central Hall, it is a chance to connect with Westminster and
:01:46. > :01:51.democracy. Our audience are here to do just that, we want you to do at
:01:52. > :01:56.home the same. We are live and I want you to shape the debate. So get
:01:57. > :02:16.on-line right now with Facebook Twitter and the BBC.
:02:17. > :02:22.S The Power Bar responds immediately to what you want it to do. Use the
:02:23. > :02:26.harsh tack yes or no, followed by the first name of a panellist, each
:02:27. > :02:34.time you agree or disagree with them. And here is our panel, whose
:02:35. > :02:40.first job in just one sentence is to tell us who they are and why they
:02:41. > :02:45.are here. I'm Owen Jones and I'm a panellist and author, and I look 12
:02:46. > :02:50.years old. I'm here to talk about how young people can organise and
:02:51. > :02:58.fight for their future. I'm Deborah Meaden, business woman, and investor
:02:59. > :03:14.on Dragons' Den and older than Owen. I'm here to be a voice for -- for
:03:15. > :03:24.the people. I'm Jacob RhysMogg and a Tory and not an alien. I'm Stella
:03:25. > :03:27.Ceasy a Labour Party MP from London. I'm here because people like you are
:03:28. > :03:30.the future and we have to make sure we are working with you to make
:03:31. > :03:36.Britain a better place. That is the panel for this evening. Let's get
:03:37. > :03:41.going. It is time to start a revolution, or so says Russell Brand
:03:42. > :03:45.and singer Morrisey has stepped in to support him today. They claim
:03:46. > :03:49.that not voting is the first step. And only around half of all
:03:50. > :03:51.18-24-year-olds are registered to vote. Revolutionary or not
:03:52. > :04:06.interested. Here are some opinions. There is not much point in
:04:07. > :04:13.registering because I'm not planning on voting. No young people will do
:04:14. > :04:18.what they are saying in parliament, so we need to be letting our voice
:04:19. > :04:22.out in different ways. It is more important than ticking a box every
:04:23. > :04:26.five years. I think more young people should
:04:27. > :04:30.vote like me. When young people don't vote their voices are not
:04:31. > :04:35.heard. We need more involvement in how the political system works. If
:04:36. > :04:46.we start voting politicians will pay more attention. If you don't vote
:04:47. > :04:49.nothing will change. I believe having the right to vote is a
:04:50. > :04:54.privilege, so many people have died for our rights to vote. The problem
:04:55. > :04:58.is I don't trust the politicians and their manifestos. Next time I vote I
:04:59. > :05:09.will spoil my ballot. I'm exercising my right to vote but I'm saying
:05:10. > :05:12.nobody represents me. I didn't realise you had to register to vote,
:05:13. > :05:17.between university, work and paying the rent I didn't get round to it.
:05:18. > :05:21.Voting should be more accessible. I'm not surprised that the turnout
:05:22. > :05:25.for voting is so low amongst young people.
:05:26. > :05:32.We have a question from Rhys, what do you want to ask? I is it worth
:05:33. > :05:36.voting. Jacob is it worth voting? Yes it is, because that will Decide
:05:37. > :05:43.which Government is in power. If you look at how elections have gone, in
:05:44. > :05:46.1997, classic example, the Conservatives after 18 years in
:05:47. > :05:50.power lost to an overwhelming Labour majority because people felt it was
:05:51. > :05:54.time for a change. In 2010, not quite as big a change. But again one
:05:55. > :05:58.Government goes and another comes in. Does it make any difference? Yes
:05:59. > :06:01.it does. The things I would do and the things Stella would do are
:06:02. > :06:05.different. I believe in a whole different set of things which I hope
:06:06. > :06:08.to try to persuade you of. I'm very concerned about this level of
:06:09. > :06:13.apathy, because if people don't get involved and become disinterested
:06:14. > :06:16.then it will be very hard to change things and you will simply have a
:06:17. > :06:21.small group of politicians running the show with very little
:06:22. > :06:26.accountability. So do vote and why not stand, put your views forward
:06:27. > :06:31.rather than just taking mine or Stellas or anybody else's. Logic,
:06:32. > :06:36.what do you think about voting? Personally the one thing I did take
:06:37. > :06:40.from Jacob is I agree you should stand yourself if you think there is
:06:41. > :06:43.something wrong with the system. Ultimately myself I have never
:06:44. > :06:48.voted, I have never voted because I feel there are fundamental flaws
:06:49. > :06:54.within the system itself. The term "democracy" is used very loosely,
:06:55. > :06:58.the definition of a democracy is we're all eligible citizens,
:06:59. > :07:02.participating equally. If we are unable to get the vote from every
:07:03. > :07:08.citizen in the UK we can't claim a democracy. On top of this we also
:07:09. > :07:11.have a Royal Family who we are unable to democratically vote in or
:07:12. > :07:16.out of power, they have the most power, we all know out of everybody
:07:17. > :07:19.to get the Government, they are more powerful than the Government
:07:20. > :07:24.ultimately I don't see a democratic country so I don't see there are
:07:25. > :07:28.people there to lead us the people. So for that reason I don't vote.
:07:29. > :07:34.What is the alternative, how would you chan things? To change things I
:07:35. > :07:37.think the first step is for politicians to get the people on
:07:38. > :07:45.their side. To make the people actually like them, as people, to
:07:46. > :07:51.take a liking to them. To agree with their policies. So when things like
:07:52. > :07:55.Mark Duggan gets killed, these injustices that affect the people
:07:56. > :08:00.directly and the people are affected by this, because it is the police
:08:01. > :08:04.that are carrying out the injustices. When these things
:08:05. > :08:08.happen, this is the point when politicians need to make their
:08:09. > :08:24.voices very, very heard and make sure justice is passed out. That way
:08:25. > :08:28.I would vote for you. Do you believe in revolution like Russell Brand?
:08:29. > :08:32.Not an aggressive and physical revolution, I think the mind set of
:08:33. > :08:36.the UK population needs to change. That will be of great benefit to us
:08:37. > :08:41.all. Remember we are live if you want to get in touch you can on
:08:42. > :08:52.Twitter and on Facebook. Who here is very much in favour of voting? It is
:08:53. > :08:56.important for the young people to realise they have to exercise their
:08:57. > :09:00.right, even spoiling your ballot is better than not saying. Both sides
:09:01. > :09:04.of Government you need to say your want your opinion and to be heard.
:09:05. > :09:09.Whether or not you agree with any party is a different thing. Like
:09:10. > :09:13.Logic and Jacob said if you really disagree that strongly get out Stan
:09:14. > :09:24.yourself. But by not voting and sitting at home you are not sending
:09:25. > :09:29.out a positive message in my way. Who is not for voting? I I have
:09:30. > :09:40.voted once, the only reason I voted was a negative reason, I was a
:09:41. > :09:46.single person who was benefitting from the current party in post. And
:09:47. > :09:50.the changes the other party would put me in a financial burden,
:09:51. > :09:53.because of my children I voted. It didn't go my way so I kind of
:09:54. > :09:58.thought no-one else represents what I believe in at the moment so I take
:09:59. > :10:01.it upon myself in my job and in my life to get my point across and my
:10:02. > :10:06.voice heard in a different way rather than actually vote. You won't
:10:07. > :10:09.vote now? Not until there is someone actually I believe represents what
:10:10. > :10:13.I'm about and understands the situations that maybe I'm coming
:10:14. > :10:17.from or other young people that I will work with. Until there is
:10:18. > :10:20.someone that really represents where they are coming from and
:10:21. > :10:22.understanding the barriers and issues they are facing I'm not
:10:23. > :10:27.willing to vote. How would you respond to that? I'm really worried
:10:28. > :10:31.by what you say, what you are talking about is exactly what
:10:32. > :10:33.politics for me is about. I got involved in politics not because I
:10:34. > :10:38.wanted to change Governments but lives. The decisions we can make
:10:39. > :10:41.sheer and at a local level change people's lives. Actually what we
:10:42. > :10:44.need is for everyone to be part of that conversation. When you say look
:10:45. > :10:47.I was part of it and then I'm going to drop out of it, we won't hear
:10:48. > :10:51.your voice. The decisions that are made are by the people in the room
:10:52. > :10:55.who do take part. It does really trouble me that people feel. I agree
:10:56. > :10:58.there are lots of problems with our political system right now, it is
:10:59. > :11:01.not a process thing but a culture thing, it is an understanding about
:11:02. > :11:05.how change happens. If we don't change that we won't hear your
:11:06. > :11:09.voice. Equally your concerns won't be represented. I'm worried by what
:11:10. > :11:13.you say, we all miss out as a result. How would you change things.
:11:14. > :11:17.How would you enfranchise this lady? Part of this is about the culture of
:11:18. > :11:25.politics. The people understanding how they can make change happen.
:11:26. > :11:29.What role like myself and Jacob. We have different opinions and contrast
:11:30. > :11:32.in what we want to do. But the idea that 650 people alone in Westminster
:11:33. > :11:36.have all the ideas and energy to change the country, doesn't accord
:11:37. > :11:43.with reality. We need to get you more involved. That is about the
:11:44. > :11:45.process we use. I call this place Hogwarts gone wrong, because the way
:11:46. > :11:50.in which it is structured doesn't meet with the way you want us to be
:11:51. > :11:53.involved in your lives. We want to change the culture that says just
:11:54. > :11:57.because you want to compromise or more people wanted a different
:11:58. > :12:01.position it didn't make a difference. I wish there was a
:12:02. > :12:04.different way of doing this. I maybe when I was in difficult situations
:12:05. > :12:08.at the time, I thought I would go and see my local MP and maybe talk
:12:09. > :12:12.to them. I I felt I had strength to do so, they didn't want to listen. I
:12:13. > :12:16.was someone that wanted to help myself and wanted to go to work and
:12:17. > :12:20.didn't rely on benefits, within I asked for the meeting and
:12:21. > :12:25.appointment, I gave them the chance to open their ears but didn't. Why
:12:26. > :12:31.would I rely on the system again. If you agree or disagree with anything
:12:32. > :12:35.being said or have any solutions let Tina know? Please do, this one from
:12:36. > :12:41.Steve who agrees with your point made in the audience. This has come
:12:42. > :12:44.in from Luke: What is the point of voting no, matter who is in charge
:12:45. > :12:49.people always disagree with the Government. And this one to Stella
:12:50. > :12:53.and Jacob from Alex who says: The current make up of MPs is nowhere
:12:54. > :12:58.near representative of the people, privileged and out-of-touch, what do
:12:59. > :13:02.you think? Deborah, are MPs privileged and out-of-touch?
:13:03. > :13:05.Out-of-touch, yes. I think actually I have spent very little time in
:13:06. > :13:08.these walls, but whenever I do I think have you actually stepped
:13:09. > :13:13.outside of this and talked to people. And the lives that they are
:13:14. > :13:16.living beyond these walls. I have heard people convince themselves
:13:17. > :13:20.that they know an awful lot about how people feel and I think well I
:13:21. > :13:23.walk around my every day life and they are not reflecting what you are
:13:24. > :13:27.saying. I think they are definitely out-of-touch. But the whole thing
:13:28. > :13:31.about voting for me is that voting is the end product of the thing that
:13:32. > :13:34.you need to do first and the thing you need to do first is engage with
:13:35. > :13:40.people. This is what we are talking about. Engaging with people so they
:13:41. > :13:43.actually get what matters. Now, not voting is a problem for me, because
:13:44. > :13:47.it is like having that silent argument where you don't tell your
:13:48. > :13:54.partner why you're not speaking to them any more, you just go quiet.
:13:55. > :13:57.Nothing happens. What I think is the utopia is telling, it is not waiting
:13:58. > :14:00.for the Government to tell us what they are going to do, it is not
:14:01. > :14:04.hearing what they are going to do and saying no I don't like it, it is
:14:05. > :14:08.sending loud and clear messages, saying this is what is important to
:14:09. > :14:14.us and you need to reflect it, because if you don't somebody else
:14:15. > :14:17.gets my vote. And do you know, these guys, MPs spend their life trying to
:14:18. > :14:21.find out what it is that matters to you, trying to win your votes. And I
:14:22. > :14:24.think there is this disconnect between people trying to get their
:14:25. > :14:28.message across and the people who believe that they are hearing a
:14:29. > :14:33.message. But it is not necessarily your message. What's the root cause
:14:34. > :14:36.of this disconnect if one does exist, Owen? The point about the
:14:37. > :14:39.make-up of parliament is really important. We need a parliament that
:14:40. > :14:43.looks like the people it represents, that means more women, more people
:14:44. > :14:46.from ethnic minority backgrounds, it means more people who worked in
:14:47. > :14:49.supermarket, call centres, who know what it is like to struct well a
:14:50. > :14:52.bill, and understand what it is like to be stuck on a social housing
:14:53. > :14:56.waiting list. It is more profound than that. This is plea, I won't get
:14:57. > :15:01.on my knees but I will being people watching to think this through. We
:15:02. > :15:04.live in the 7th richest country on the face of the earth and half a
:15:05. > :15:08.million people are now dependant on food banks even as the wealth of the
:15:09. > :15:14.top 1,000 people booms like it has never boomed before. The people in
:15:15. > :15:21.this audience and the people watching face this future, go to
:15:22. > :15:26.university and they will be saddled with decades of debt. Even if they
:15:27. > :15:28.graduate they will face a job they would have gotten without
:15:29. > :15:32.university. They will struggle to get an affordable home, where half a
:15:33. > :15:36.million people are stuck on social housing waiting lists. They will end
:15:37. > :15:43.up with many jobs where they will slog their guts out and come home
:15:44. > :15:46.with a pay pack et that doesn't let them -- packet that doesn't allow
:15:47. > :15:50.them to support their families. And this is my plea, the way we get
:15:51. > :15:54.change in this country isn't by waiting for the people at the top to
:15:55. > :15:58.give things to us out of the goodwill and generosity of their
:15:59. > :16:00.hearts, if you like, but by people organising from below. All the
:16:01. > :16:04.things we have in this country, everything we take for granted was
:16:05. > :16:09.given to us because people got out there and organised and struggled.
:16:10. > :16:13.That included the vote. We say as a cliche people died for the vote,
:16:14. > :16:16.they died for it because people with power tried to stop them getting the
:16:17. > :16:20.vote because they knew how powerful it was. Not just voting it means
:16:21. > :16:26.organising, protesting, it means like the likes of UK Uncut, who
:16:27. > :16:29.occupy businesses and shops of owners who weren't paying tax, the
:16:30. > :16:32.?25 billion we lose because people won't pay taxes. My plea is this,
:16:33. > :16:36.whatever you do, whatever it is, even if you don't think voting is
:16:37. > :16:41.the way forward, don't leave politics to politician, organise,
:16:42. > :16:45.stand in the best traditions of this country, ancestors who got all the
:16:46. > :16:48.things we take for granted, and don't let your future be taken away
:16:49. > :16:52.from you by people who are making you pay for a crisis at the moment
:16:53. > :16:57.you didn't actually have anything to do with. LINEBREAK APPLAUSE
:16:58. > :17:05.Beautifully impassioned, I wish you had done it on your knees! Time to
:17:06. > :17:10.look at the panel. Instant judgment, are you ready to find out what the
:17:11. > :17:13.audience thought so far. Let's power up the Power Bar tonight. And
:17:14. > :17:17.Deborah, you are connecting with the audience at home the most at the
:17:18. > :17:21.moment, Stella you are a close second and Jane could be you have
:17:22. > :17:26.got a bit of catching -- Jacob you have a bit of catching up to do. P
:17:27. > :17:32.Here in the blue jumper? You can stand up if you like, you don't have
:17:33. > :17:38.to. It is weird claim I I just wanted to ask, considering in
:17:39. > :17:41.Scotland next year there will be the independence referendum and
:17:42. > :17:45.16-year-olds are allowed to vote, do you think by lowering the voting age
:17:46. > :17:50.to 16 more young people will be empowered to vote. Jacob do you
:17:51. > :17:55.think it will engage young people more if the voting age was lowered?
:17:56. > :17:58.If I was 16 I would have voted because I'm interested in politics
:17:59. > :18:01.all my life. I don't think that is the real problem, I don't think it
:18:02. > :18:04.is the voting age, it is failure to persuade people that voting will
:18:05. > :18:08.really change things. That is what has come up in this discussion. But
:18:09. > :18:13.I would just like to add, here in this room we have talked about
:18:14. > :18:19.people dying for the vote. Emily Davidson the sufficient fret get hid
:18:20. > :18:22.in a cupboard yards from here and died under the king's horse getting
:18:23. > :18:28.votes for women. People were tried for their life in this room to get
:18:29. > :18:32.freedoms for British society. It is not just talk to say people died for
:18:33. > :18:38.the right to vote, it is real and immediate in this room. Gentleman
:18:39. > :18:44.here with the white shirt and blue jumper, only blue jumpers tonight.
:18:45. > :18:46.Up you get! I I was going to say in terms of the question about getting
:18:47. > :18:54.young people at 16 to vote, I was going to ask are you not accepting
:18:55. > :18:57.that because of the involving 1. 5 young people in our democracy. We
:18:58. > :19:02.are spending too much time on voting, voting is one aspect of
:19:03. > :19:05.being a citizen which you should do, democracy doesn't stop at the ballot
:19:06. > :19:08.box, there is many other things we should get involved in. I don't know
:19:09. > :19:11.if you said it earlier about young people being interested in politics,
:19:12. > :19:14.of course they are interested in politics because they are interested
:19:15. > :19:19.in issues that affect them. That doesn't make sense. I know young
:19:20. > :19:21.people aren't interested in politics in the broader sense, not
:19:22. > :19:26.necessarily becoming a politician, but through social media campaigns,
:19:27. > :19:30.on-line and social action, they are interested in politics and the
:19:31. > :19:32.problem is more of them need to stand up and politicians to come to
:19:33. > :19:36.young people. You only see politicians when it is time for
:19:37. > :19:39.votes. So 2015 is when I start seeing people knocking on my door,
:19:40. > :19:46.until then nobody comes again. The disconnect is massive. I agree with
:19:47. > :19:49.you, I have been a passionate campaigner of votes at 16, not
:19:50. > :19:53.because it will get more young people to vote, because I think it
:19:54. > :19:57.is the right thing to do. I he a social action background. What I
:19:58. > :20:00.take issue with, when we talk about out-of-touch, what is out-of-touch
:20:01. > :20:06.is the way we make decisions in this country. This is not a customer
:20:07. > :20:09.complaints desk. It is where we all come together to decide the world we
:20:10. > :20:12.want to create. That is not just going to start with voting, it is
:20:13. > :20:17.about participation and what all of us can do to support each other to
:20:18. > :20:20.achieve our potential. So the only thing we are doing is voting every
:20:21. > :20:23.four years, we are missing a trick, you have so much to give to Britain
:20:24. > :20:26.if we don't find ways of working with you in your communities to
:20:27. > :20:30.support each other. 16 is just the start of the conversation, a broader
:20:31. > :20:35.conversation about the role all of us can play. I resent the idea if we
:20:36. > :20:38.could find 650 perfect people that would be job done. It is much harder
:20:39. > :20:41.than that, it doesn't mean we shouldn't try to get there. We have
:20:42. > :20:45.to find answers as well as actions. There are lots of angry
:20:46. > :20:50.anti-establishment messages coming in. This is one we can bring out.
:20:51. > :20:57.They are saying there is a problem with the panel we have here tonight.
:20:58. > :21:02.Do we not fitter those ones out. This gentleman here? I personally I
:21:03. > :21:09.think we should be looking at electoral reform once again, I don't
:21:10. > :21:12.think "first past the post" don't do justice, we should look at
:21:13. > :21:15.proportional voting systems, more people and more significant parts of
:21:16. > :21:22.society are represented when we do go to vote. You look angry, Sir? I
:21:23. > :21:29.I'm happy i think it is interesting, no offence but... Here we go. But we
:21:30. > :21:32.have a panel of two professional career politician, a celebrity, a
:21:33. > :21:36.multi-millionaire business leader and someone from the mainstream
:21:37. > :21:42.media, no offence Owen you are the exception that proves the rule. I
:21:43. > :21:46.think, you know where is the UK Uncut, the occupied movement where
:21:47. > :21:49.are the communities mobilising against fracking at the moment.
:21:50. > :21:52.There is a danger we present politics as something that happens
:21:53. > :21:56.with experts in a far away place. Politics has always been about the
:21:57. > :22:00.little people we are not, can I finish, I'm sorry I am going to
:22:01. > :22:04.finish what I'm saying, because there is a danger that we go to the
:22:05. > :22:07.same people who cause the ecological, social and economic
:22:08. > :22:11.collapse to find the solutions and that's not going to work. In the
:22:12. > :22:17.three decades that I have been on this planet no party in this
:22:18. > :22:22.building has presented a serious challenge to neo-liberalism, cuts,
:22:23. > :22:25.the widening gap between rich and poor, and unjust foreign policy.
:22:26. > :22:32.What can people here do about it, they have to get creative. They can
:22:33. > :22:35.vote every four years, Jacob you said maybe stand for parliament,
:22:36. > :22:44.maybe you have a few million quid you can lend me to do that. Plaits.
:22:45. > :22:48.-- LINEBREAK APPLAUSE LINEBREAK -- LINEBREAKAPPLAUSE LINEBREAK
:22:49. > :22:51.APPLAUSE. I find that really difficult,
:22:52. > :22:54.because I hate being put in a box where they say I have millions of
:22:55. > :22:58.pounds. I didn't always have millions of pounds. Putting me or
:22:59. > :23:01.anybody into that box doesn't mean they care or worry about the same
:23:02. > :23:04.things. If I didn't care I wouldn't be sitting here, I would be sitting
:23:05. > :23:13.in a nice warm place at home. It is a very dangerous thing. I'm not
:23:14. > :23:17.talking about me or dangerous place. It is not fair to put people in
:23:18. > :23:20.boxes because there are many different people here from different
:23:21. > :23:23.backgrounds and everybody can have their own particular things they
:23:24. > :23:28.really worry about, that is dangerous thing you said. I I'm
:23:29. > :23:31.sorry you are upset I'm more worried about the people in this audience
:23:32. > :23:38.who can't afford to access the decision makers in both of your
:23:39. > :23:44.parties. Because they didn't afford millions of pounds to get democracy,
:23:45. > :23:49.democracy is a sick animal. Like yourself I'm sure we have been on
:23:50. > :23:54.many demonstrations, I was taken by my parents on the march against the
:23:55. > :23:57.poll tax when I was five-year-olds I started chant, it was my proudest
:23:58. > :24:00.political moment probably. The point about that march against the poll
:24:01. > :24:03.tax, that demonstration, if you like and the movement against the poll
:24:04. > :24:08.tax, people didn't wait to vote, they got out there and protested.
:24:09. > :24:12.Millions of people refused to pay the poll tax, including my own
:24:13. > :24:15.parents. Because of that it got rid of the poll tax and got rid of
:24:16. > :24:18.Margaret Thatcher and kick her out of Number Ten. The point there is
:24:19. > :24:21.don't just leave it to the professional politicians if you
:24:22. > :24:24.like, don't just leave it to the political elite, protest and
:24:25. > :24:27.politics is something you can all get involved in. I think you have a
:24:28. > :24:31.responsibility to do that. Whatever your political views are, actually,
:24:32. > :24:35.because I can't emphasise how difficult your futures are going to
:24:36. > :24:38.be unless you get out there and start organising and protesting and
:24:39. > :29:14.forcing the people at the top, forcing them to hear you. That is
:29:15. > :29:18.the only way we ever get change Should sex at 15 be legal? The
:29:19. > :29:23.politicians have said no, but an expert in public health said it is
:29:24. > :29:29.time to lower the age of consent to make it eatsier to get sexual health
:29:30. > :29:34.advice on the NHS. The professor says we have to accept that one
:29:35. > :29:40.third of young people had sex at 15. Did you? It is OK, you can admit it.
:29:41. > :29:45.Any of you, come on? A few of you. I was expecting a third, obviously.
:29:46. > :29:50.Abbey, where is Abbey? You have got a question. Was David Cameron right
:29:51. > :29:55.to reject calls to lower the age of consent to 15. Was he right to
:29:56. > :30:00.reject those calls? I have a young daughter, who if I can't persuade
:30:01. > :30:05.her to go to a convant the age of consent for her should go up to
:30:06. > :30:10.about 50! But I appreciate that can't be public policy. I think it
:30:11. > :30:15.is very difficult, the issue about the age of consent is that sexual
:30:16. > :30:19.intercourse may lead to a baby. What you have to ask yourself is will the
:30:20. > :30:24.parent be able to look after a child? And if you feel comfortable
:30:25. > :30:28.with that, then at 15, then you could say that would be a reasonable
:30:29. > :30:32.able of consent, if you think 15 is too young, then I think you should
:30:33. > :30:37.say that the age of consent should remain higher. Although I quite
:30:38. > :30:40.accept that very often babies don't result, they sometimes do. And you
:30:41. > :30:44.have got to think of that life that may be created and the
:30:45. > :30:50.responsibility that the parents would then have to that child.
:30:51. > :30:54.Stella you are grimacing. This is why I got involved in the campaign
:30:55. > :30:57.earlier this year to make sure sex and relationship education was
:30:58. > :31:01.statutory in all schools. What worries me is one in three girls say
:31:02. > :31:06.they have been sexually harassed in school. We teach young people about
:31:07. > :31:13.all sorts of issues but not about consent, equality and respect. What
:31:14. > :31:17.worried me about the health aspect saying people weren't able to access
:31:18. > :31:21.information. That is not true. You want to talk about decisions we are
:31:22. > :31:25.making as a society, the decision to make sure young people are thought
:31:26. > :31:31.about the mechanics and the principles of respect and equality,
:31:32. > :31:34.it worries me when we have these debate, teen pregnancy is an issue
:31:35. > :31:37.but making sure everybody is confident about their bodies. One of
:31:38. > :31:40.the things about the age of consent, a lot of people in the survey said
:31:41. > :31:44.it was helpful for them being able to say no, at this point I don't
:31:45. > :31:47.want to do that. When we are seeing young girls under that kind of
:31:48. > :31:51.pressure, I'm keen to give them as much power and control over their
:31:52. > :31:54.bodies as possible. LINEBREAK APPLAUSE
:31:55. > :32:27.I will come to the rest of the panel. This had a huge response.
:32:28. > :32:34.LAUSE If they are young and ready then they are more likely to go and
:32:35. > :32:39.find protection, because it could be humiliating for them otherwise. The
:32:40. > :32:43.lady below you. Sorry but your view there kind of sums up what I think,
:32:44. > :32:47.sex is such a taboo subject and everyone is so scared of it, because
:32:48. > :32:51.we are not educated about it. Saying people shouldn't have sex because
:32:52. > :32:53.you are going to have babies is so ridiculous, the amount of
:32:54. > :32:59.contraception is out there for girls, that is so absurd. We need it
:33:00. > :33:05.to be an open subject to talk about. There is so much help for girls out
:33:06. > :33:10.there, and boys too. By saying oh no hush, hush you will get pregnant.
:33:11. > :33:13.How backwards is that. Sex is a natural thing, and it is something
:33:14. > :33:20.that people should not be afraid about asking about and getting help
:33:21. > :33:24.for. The gentleman here? We spend too much money sorting out the
:33:25. > :33:27.problem of sex, such as chlamydia and all of this, we need to pump
:33:28. > :33:32.more money in to the sexual education, start at year 6, not year
:33:33. > :33:36.9. There is too much waiting until they are older, people are getting
:33:37. > :33:39.sexually active when they are 12, having it at 15, that's when they
:33:40. > :33:45.are starting to get the education. You need it before. I had when I was
:33:46. > :33:49.11. That is the age limit that you have got to go to get the prevention
:33:50. > :33:56.and to educate them at the contraceptive measures. Give them,
:33:57. > :34:02.let them be aware that condoms are available. Get them earlier. The
:34:03. > :34:05.lady with the hair? Why are we educating young girls about
:34:06. > :34:10.contraception, we should be educating them into getting a career
:34:11. > :34:16.and a future for themselves. That is absolutely ridiculous. Not mutually
:34:17. > :34:21.exclusive. It is ridiculous, girls at 15 what on earth are they doing
:34:22. > :34:25.having sex, I am 17 I haven't had sex and I'm proud to say it, do you
:34:26. > :34:29.know why, because I want to better myself. We live in a country where
:34:30. > :34:33.girls have so much opportunity they can better themselves. I came from
:34:34. > :34:37.Thailand the other day, I stopped in Saudi Arabia, women can't even
:34:38. > :34:42.drive, we are allowed to do so many things. Go out there, get an
:34:43. > :34:48.education, get a proper job and educate our own selves to do better
:34:49. > :34:53.with ourselves. No, no, no. Girls at the age of 15 they are still babies.
:34:54. > :34:57.I have quite a few friends that have had babies at the age of 14 and 15,
:34:58. > :35:11.they are babies, how can a baby educate a baby that is wrong.
:35:12. > :35:18.This lady here? I have been a peer educator in sexual health for the
:35:19. > :35:21.past two years, I think we are getting this conversation completely
:35:22. > :35:24.wrong. Within I go to schools and colleges and youth clubs and
:35:25. > :35:28.prevention clubs and I talk to young people about sex, the first thing I
:35:29. > :35:31.tell them is I'm here to give you the correct information to make your
:35:32. > :35:33.own decision. We shouldn't be talking about the decision they are
:35:34. > :35:37.making we should be talking about giving them the correct information
:35:38. > :35:40.to make those decisions. Sex education needs to be part of the
:35:41. > :35:44.curriculum. Not just education, about relationships, about emotional
:35:45. > :35:47.health and all of that, it needs to be part of the curriculum. We give
:35:48. > :35:55.people information to make their own decisions the thing about sex and
:35:56. > :36:01.the baby that is ridiculous. I like to say I think ultimately you have
:36:02. > :36:05.to ask yourself what's the aim in lowering the consent, do we want
:36:06. > :36:09.more younger people to have sex at a younger age. Because if it is it is
:36:10. > :36:14.kind of backwards logic to me, because then you end up lowering the
:36:15. > :36:17.driving limit, you end up lowering the alcohol limit just to balance
:36:18. > :36:25.things out. It doesn't make sense to me. So keep it at 18, 21! ! Owen you
:36:26. > :36:29.are a father? 21, blimey. At the end of the day people will have sex when
:36:30. > :36:33.they are ready to have sex. Whatever the law says. I think if it was a
:36:34. > :36:38.situation at the moment where 15-year-olds were being criminal --
:36:39. > :36:43.criminalised for having sex with each other I would support it, but
:36:44. > :36:49.it isn't happening. If people were prevented from getting education and
:36:50. > :36:53.condoms then would want it. I have to challenge the audience. In the
:36:54. > :36:58.United States when they have got rid of sex education in various states
:36:59. > :37:02.and promoted abstinence instead, guess what happened, teenage
:37:03. > :37:06.pregnancies and STIs went up. Because people weren't getting the
:37:07. > :37:09.education they need. You have to be pragmatic about it. You said you
:37:10. > :37:13.weren't ready, but that is your choice, if we deprive other people
:37:14. > :37:18.of the education that they need so that they can make an informed
:37:19. > :37:22.choice, people will still have sex, but they willened up maybe not
:37:23. > :37:28.having safe sex, they will maybe put their own health at risk. Maybe they
:37:29. > :37:35.will end up pregnant. You have to be pragmatic about it. If we don't
:37:36. > :37:40.promote sex education we will have more children having children and
:37:41. > :37:46.higher STIs. You can educate people about sex without lowering the age
:37:47. > :37:51.of consent. I don't support it, we have come out of these horrendous
:37:52. > :37:54.child abuse scandals recently. I'm a bit frustrated the conversation has
:37:55. > :37:58.shifted, one of the good things that came out of that horrible Jimmy
:37:59. > :38:02.Savile scandals is people were actually coming forward and sharing
:38:03. > :38:05.their experiences. One of the big problems we face, and this is a
:38:06. > :38:08.discussion we need to have is people who are abused as children often
:38:09. > :38:11.can't come forward, they are often not believed, there is a very small
:38:12. > :38:15.proportion of people who do come forward. We need to support them. I
:38:16. > :38:18.think that's where the conversation should be. Not in terms of lowering
:38:19. > :38:21.the age of consent, supporting people to come forward who have been
:38:22. > :38:28.abused as children and that's a debate we need to be talking about.
:38:29. > :38:32.I just think most age conditions are arbitary, you know there is no
:38:33. > :38:37.evidence that, it is not fact should it be 16, 17, 15, I completely agree
:38:38. > :38:43.with the rest of the panel. The issue for me isn't about 16, 15 or
:38:44. > :38:48.17, it is preparing young people, young people, young men to
:38:49. > :38:52.understand or to be able to make their own choices about when they
:38:53. > :38:56.want to have sex, when they are ready to have sex. Honestly it is
:38:57. > :39:01.not my business whether it is 14 or 21, as long as those people can make
:39:02. > :39:04.those choices and they are prepared to make those choices. I do,
:39:05. > :39:08.however, if you forced me to say how did I feel about the age of 16
:39:09. > :39:12.whether it should be 16 or 15. I would say it should be 16. That is
:39:13. > :39:15.because I think there is a level of protection. I think sometimes it
:39:16. > :39:20.might help those young people to say no, no, no. It is not right yet. So
:39:21. > :39:23.if I was forced to I would say that. It is not about that, it is about
:39:24. > :39:30.education. This lady here? Hello. I just wanted
:39:31. > :39:35.to, again reinforce the education thing. And I think what you guys are
:39:36. > :39:38.all alluded to is the fact it is about education and it is not just
:39:39. > :39:43.about the sex part, it is about the relationships. I currently work
:39:44. > :39:47.with, I'm trying to work with young women my age 18, 19 who have been
:39:48. > :39:51.through domestic violence relationships and ended up with two
:39:52. > :39:54.kids. The thing is there is just not enough education about how to teach
:39:55. > :39:58.young kids how to be productive adults. It is not just about the
:39:59. > :40:02.mechanics of the contraception, and even the contraception, there isn't
:40:03. > :40:06.enough education about that in my opinion. I mean do many people know
:40:07. > :40:10.that there is a male contraceptive pill. Right now we are using
:40:11. > :40:16.bulletproof vests rather than getting rid of the gun. It is kind
:40:17. > :40:19.of ridiculous as it stands. Great analogy. It is overly focussed on
:40:20. > :40:23.young women, it is not just about the sex. That is why I'm passionate
:40:24. > :40:28.about getting sex and relationships. Right now we will teach them about
:40:29. > :40:34.compound interest and composting but the Government refuses to put
:40:35. > :40:37.consent the cirriculum for girls and boys. One in three young women
:40:38. > :40:42.saying they are sexually harassed in school, that prevents them getting
:40:43. > :40:47.an education. It is like saying that you can't access the information
:40:48. > :40:51.until you are 16. You have a legal right to advice and you should
:40:52. > :40:54.exercise that right and you can make your choices. A lot of big ideas in
:40:55. > :40:58.here, we have to move on. What are people saying at home. An emotive
:40:59. > :41:28.response. The power bar. We reset it at the
:41:29. > :41:32.end of the voting debate. Deborah you were in the lead, Stella a close
:41:33. > :41:42.second and you are still in the lead, Stella close behind. Well
:41:43. > :41:46.done. Girl power! Let's change the subject again, latest unemployment
:41:47. > :41:49.figures show the numbers of jobless 16-24-year-olds fell by 9,000 over
:41:50. > :41:53.the summer. When we asked you to post the questions you wanted to put
:41:54. > :41:56.our politicians on our social media sites, the issue of unemployment
:41:57. > :42:01.came up again and again. Here are some of Westminster and Holyrood's
:42:02. > :42:06.finest answering your questions. There is some sign of what we have
:42:07. > :42:10.done, massive expansion of youth contracts, and apprenticeship, work
:42:11. > :42:15.places, it is starting to make an impression. My own view is that one
:42:16. > :42:20.of the things that we have failed to do so far is simplify the system. I
:42:21. > :42:24.speak to so many young people where they go on to college or school or
:42:25. > :42:28.university. They have so many different choices and so many
:42:29. > :42:33.different schemes and budget lines and acronyms. It is a sort of
:42:34. > :42:37.spaghetti junction of options. Day one of me as Prime Minister, I seek
:42:38. > :42:40.to mobilise every business in this country behind getting young people
:42:41. > :42:45.back to work. We said if you were in Government now we would be taxing
:42:46. > :42:48.the bankers' bonuses and saying to every young person unemployed for
:42:49. > :42:53.more than a year we will guarantee you a job with the minimum wage with
:42:54. > :42:55.proper training. I think the first thing I would do is stop the
:42:56. > :43:00.rhetoric from this Government that makes it sound as if it is their
:43:01. > :43:04.fault as if they are sitting around want ago life on benefits. It is not
:43:05. > :43:09.just the case of not having a job and income, it is about not having
:43:10. > :43:13.hope. We would massively invest in apprenticeship, a massive investment
:43:14. > :43:16.in jobs per se, we don't agree with the austerity programme. We think at
:43:17. > :43:19.a time of economic difficulty that is the time when the Government does
:43:20. > :43:25.need to invest. We have got the only, in Scotland, youth you
:43:26. > :43:30.Employment Minister in Europe. We have the only person where it is her
:43:31. > :43:34.responsibility, youth employment. We will guarantee every 16-19-year-old
:43:35. > :43:37.if they are not in education, training or a job to be offered
:43:38. > :43:43.training place. As a result youth unemployment in Scotland has fallen
:43:44. > :43:45.25% in the last year. Since the last general election, 1. 4 million new
:43:46. > :43:49.jobs have been created in the private sector. What the Government
:43:50. > :43:52.has to do is create the tax regime to incentivise companies to invest
:43:53. > :43:55.and take people on. A vibrant economy is the cure to youth
:43:56. > :44:03.unemployment. OK we have a question from Steve. Where is Steve? What do
:44:04. > :44:08.you want to ask? With the amounts of NEETS, young people not in education
:44:09. > :44:12.or employment increasing, but think our education system is allowing
:44:13. > :44:18.young people who are lazy to stay lazy and not look for work. Are we
:44:19. > :44:26.allowing young people to stay lazy who are lazy? I don't know if you
:44:27. > :44:31.can apply that is As a general question. I spent my life living in
:44:32. > :44:35.rural areas and London. It is very hard for young people to find work.
:44:36. > :44:40.I don't divide them into whether they are on long-term been fits, it
:44:41. > :44:44.doesn't matter, we are failing to get young people into work. That
:44:45. > :44:49.starts with education. That means that people are being led to the
:44:50. > :44:53.wrong place or being offered the right opportunities in the right
:44:54. > :44:58.types of jobs, they are not ready to take up jobs. In my rural
:44:59. > :45:02.communities they are taught to do things, they are on apprenticeships
:45:03. > :45:07.with no hope of a job at the end of it. That has to be completely wrong.
:45:08. > :45:11.To me, I park the benefits issue. I actually think most young people
:45:12. > :45:14.don't get up in the morning thinking, well actually maybe I got
:45:15. > :45:19.up in the morning Iing this I don't want to d -- morning thinking I
:45:20. > :45:23.don't want to do anything. Most young people want a career, they
:45:24. > :45:30.actually do want to work f they find themselves trapped in benefits that
:45:31. > :45:34.is our fault, not their fault. I think ultimately the problem with
:45:35. > :45:39.employment is that people work 9-5 all the hours God sends, and
:45:40. > :45:44.basically just making enough money to cover their bills. So it is not
:45:45. > :45:50.an incentive for people to go out searching to try to get a 9-5 job 40
:45:51. > :45:53.hours a week, when I'm only able to barely live. So there has to be some
:45:54. > :45:57.kind of adjustment on that side to where, if people do go out and spend
:45:58. > :46:03.all the hours working they actually get to live a fairly luxurious life,
:46:04. > :46:09.because they put the hours in. So whatever your trade I think. There
:46:10. > :46:14.is more to work than money. And I know, please don't criticise me for
:46:15. > :46:18.saying that. Please don't, I'm a millionaire of course I would say
:46:19. > :46:21.that. The truth is that you feel better when you are doing something,
:46:22. > :46:24.you are achieving something, and actually if you go out and start
:46:25. > :46:28.doing something where you are not earning enough money, before you
:46:29. > :46:33.know it you take your next step. I started with no money and I started
:46:34. > :46:37.earning tuppence but I went out and I did it, I felt better. That is my
:46:38. > :46:40.point. It is not just about the money. Particularly when you are
:46:41. > :46:44.young. You have got to start on a path that says I'm going to make my
:46:45. > :46:48.life for myself. And not just wait for it to happen. Of course I
:46:49. > :46:52.understand totally, a lot of people do have that principle. But if for
:46:53. > :46:57.years and years you continue to go out there and work for work's sake
:46:58. > :47:01.and there is no savings, there is no way for me to feed my children,
:47:02. > :47:07.there is no way, I can't send my children to university, there is
:47:08. > :47:12.still problems I face, it doesn't make sense. I'm talking about young
:47:13. > :47:15.people at the start of their career, if you are working you feel better.
:47:16. > :47:20.Just in terms it of the question, I'm sick to death of unemployed
:47:21. > :47:23.people generally being blamed, sorry, for a massive unemployment
:47:24. > :47:26.crisis that Government after Government are responsible for. We
:47:27. > :47:31.have got a million young people now who are out of work. We have a
:47:32. > :47:36.situation in this country where the majority of people in poverty are
:47:37. > :47:41.people in work, this idea that work is almost the route of poverty and
:47:42. > :47:46.it is not true. The reason it is a scandal, we have 66 young people
:47:47. > :47:51.chasing every single vacancy in retail and shops, where is the Sun
:47:52. > :47:55.and Daily Mail hunting down these young people sending CV after CV and
:47:56. > :47:59.no response. The reason it is a scandal is if you are young and
:48:00. > :48:04.unemployed you are more likely to be unemployed in later life and have
:48:05. > :48:07.lower wages. That is why we need for example a house building programme
:48:08. > :48:10.to sort out the housing crisis but also create lots of jobs. We need to
:48:11. > :48:13.learn from other countries like Germany, where they have taken on
:48:14. > :48:17.the environmental cries by creating hundreds of thousands of renewable
:48:18. > :48:25.energy jobs, which are jobs that people have dignity, they are
:48:26. > :48:29.skilled and paid a decent wage. The argument needs to be not just
:48:30. > :48:34.kicking young people, and the debate about how to kick young people
:48:35. > :48:39.harder and take state support away from them. The argument is how to
:48:40. > :48:44.create skills to take on the housing and environmental crisis,
:48:45. > :48:48.politicians are failing to do that. You say politicians are failing to
:48:49. > :49:03.do that the on-line community are giving a kicking
:49:04. > :49:13.A lot of hands. In the green jumper? Yes, you were saying about young
:49:14. > :49:17.people working and it makes them feel better working, that's not true
:49:18. > :49:21.not necessarily. If you are put into a job where you don't enjoy it, you
:49:22. > :49:26.are only doing it to pay for yourself to go enough to pay for
:49:27. > :49:31.your travel as a young person. We don't get much pay. Some of my
:49:32. > :49:35.friends earn ?4. 95 an hour, it is OK but it is only enough to pay for
:49:36. > :49:38.a certain amount. You want to get into, some people want to finish
:49:39. > :49:43.school and get straight into the working environment to pay, like, I
:49:44. > :49:48.wish just to go into work and get enough to pay for myself to actually
:49:49. > :49:53.get good things, be able to get a car, instead of going on Transport
:49:54. > :49:59.for London. It is a question of trying to fund that to make wages
:50:00. > :50:04.higher. I think firstly I think that, I work with a charity and we
:50:05. > :50:11.get a lot of young people who have degrees, masters degrees, who don't
:50:12. > :50:15.know how to write a decent CV. I think employment skills used to be
:50:16. > :50:19.put into a curriculum at an earlier age. To come back to Deborah's
:50:20. > :50:25.point, at the end of the day the definition of slavery is working all
:50:26. > :50:29.day and only enough to feed and clothe yourself. Why are young
:50:30. > :50:39.people being forced into slave labour jobs? I completely agree with
:50:40. > :50:43.Owen. I work for UK Youth Climate Coalition, we are looking at green
:50:44. > :50:48.jobs, there is so many brilliant opportunities. This Government
:50:49. > :50:52.incentivised solar panels and we saw a brilliant boom, we saw young
:50:53. > :50:55.people being put into apprenticeships and people getting
:50:56. > :50:59.sustainable skills, and yet that investment has been cut, green jobs
:51:00. > :51:03.are now taboo in this current Government. We're seeing an
:51:04. > :51:06.opportunity for investment and for something sustainable in a long
:51:07. > :51:17.period of growth it will be completely removed and ignored.
:51:18. > :51:21.Myself, I do agree what Deborah was saying about how some people enjoy
:51:22. > :51:25.the work they are doing. For myself, I have always been involved in youth
:51:26. > :51:31.work, I decided even though I'm not getting paid for it I will do it
:51:32. > :51:36.because I enjoy it. Through that, once I finish I set up my own
:51:37. > :51:40.charity, I set up a homeless shelter in Brixton. I did that myself, not
:51:41. > :51:44.getting paid, even though everyone is talking about money, money,
:51:45. > :51:48.money, I think may main thing is if it is something you enjoy you will
:51:49. > :51:53.do, and you might get rewards afterwards. Your main first protocol
:51:54. > :51:57.do what you want to do first and not always jump for money and see how
:51:58. > :52:01.you can get this and that. You should be paid for it properly. I
:52:02. > :52:05.want to commend what you have done. Take this as another counter point
:52:06. > :52:09.quickly, because we have so many people working for poverty wages, it
:52:10. > :52:15.actually costs the taxpayer, because we end up lining the bosses pockets
:52:16. > :52:18.with tax credits. Most people on benefits are people in work, we are
:52:19. > :52:22.doing that because people like yourself are slogging your guts out
:52:23. > :52:26.and not getting paid possibly. We need to address that because it
:52:27. > :52:29.costs us all. There is clearly a problem with youth unemployment in
:52:30. > :52:33.this country, as there is a problem with unemployment, and nearly 2. 5
:52:34. > :52:38.million people in Britain are out of work. I do believe that those people
:52:39. > :52:42.want to be on benefits. I think the overwhelming majority, young or old,
:52:43. > :52:47.want jobs, want to be looking after themselves, and their families. What
:52:48. > :52:55.can Government do about it? What Government can do is set out the
:52:56. > :53:01.framework for the economy. . They can can try to make sure the economy
:53:02. > :53:04.is stable and make sure businesses are there and it is easy to take
:53:05. > :53:07.people on. That is where Government policy should be directed. The other
:53:08. > :53:11.thing we have to do is recognise we are in a highly competitive world
:53:12. > :53:15.against places like India and China that weren't competing with us 20 or
:53:16. > :53:20.30 years ago, to compete with them we need a better educated work force
:53:21. > :53:24.that is able to take on high-paid, high-value jobs. I don't want to
:53:25. > :53:28.compete with India on shoe manufacturing. Because that's not
:53:29. > :53:31.going to be where the money is. That will not provide a standard of
:53:32. > :53:36.living for British people that will be acceptable. So we need knowledge
:53:37. > :53:45.jobs and those will come if the Government is successful with
:53:46. > :53:50.Michael Gov, he's reforms are put in. And we need a tax system that
:53:51. > :53:54.allows people to employ people. This is where there are strong
:53:55. > :53:57.differences between myself and Jacob about what you can do about it. I
:53:58. > :54:01.share his analysis that the future is about competing in a global
:54:02. > :54:04.economy. Owen is right there are 66 young people chasing every single
:54:05. > :54:07.job, that is really hard going. One of the things that really concerns
:54:08. > :54:10.me, we talk about a million young people being unemployed. Some of
:54:11. > :54:14.those young people have been out of work for more than two years, in
:54:15. > :54:18.fact we have seen a three-foaled increase of young people out of work
:54:19. > :54:22.for two years. It is a difference being out of work for a few weeks or
:54:23. > :54:26.months than two years. Your skills are out of date, employers ask for
:54:27. > :54:30.gaps in your CVs. There is so much more Government could do, that is
:54:31. > :54:33.the challenge. That is the potential n that global economy unless we get
:54:34. > :54:36.young people to achieve what they can achieve we won't be able to
:54:37. > :54:40.compete. It is not just about the tax and regulatory regime, it is
:54:41. > :54:43.about the things like the Future Jobs Fund, guarnteeing jobs to make
:54:44. > :54:46.sure those young people have the skills to compete. It is about
:54:47. > :54:51.quality apprenticeships, we have talked about that, over the last
:54:52. > :54:53.year the ones created are going to over-25-year-old, we are cutting off
:54:54. > :54:56.potential before it has an opportunity to achieve what it can
:54:57. > :54:59.do. Deborah I agree with you, work has to be about passion and
:55:00. > :55:03.commitment. I'm here because I'm passionate, but I also recognise
:55:04. > :55:07.that prices have risen twice as fast assuages in the last couple of
:55:08. > :55:11.years. That gap for people, that too much money at the end of the month.
:55:12. > :55:15.Deborah listen, what matters to these young people is if they can't
:55:16. > :55:17.take opportunity, in my local community we have a youth
:55:18. > :55:23.unemployment black spot. The gentleman is talking about travel,
:55:24. > :55:28.you are earn ?1 a week as an apprentice but ?35 a week for your
:55:29. > :55:32.travelcard, you can see why where the money is going. We have to help
:55:33. > :55:40.them get on the first step of the rung. And if not we will have a load
:55:41. > :55:44.generation of potential. You completely misunderstanding, my
:55:45. > :55:47.point is benefits, if it was a choice about doing nothing and
:55:48. > :55:51.staying on he benefits or going out and working, even if it is not the
:55:52. > :55:55.wage you want, I believe you have got to work. You two can talk
:55:56. > :55:57.afterwards, we have to find out what people at home are saying. Lots of
:55:58. > :56:25.comments coming in: APPLAUSE Tax cuts, tax avoidance for
:56:26. > :56:31.the rich, corporations and low wages for the rest of us. Deborah and
:56:32. > :56:38.Stella neck and neck on the debate. Overall tonight Deborah you have won
:56:39. > :56:41.the final Power of 2013, you have the final 20 seconds to have your
:56:42. > :56:47.say. I wasn't expecting to win. Can I just tell you how invigourating it
:56:48. > :56:50.is to sit here and how wonderful it is to sit here and see how engaged
:56:51. > :56:55.all of these people in this room are, because this is exactly what
:56:56. > :56:59.needs to drive politics. Coming from you, not waiting for the politicians
:57:00. > :57:04.to tell you, you to tell the politicians. It is very
:57:05. > :57:07.invigourating, thank you. That is almost it, thank you very much for
:57:08. > :57:11.our invigourating audience, our panel, to parliament, and you at
:57:12. > :57:14.home for sending in your comments. The debate continues on-line as
:57:15. > :57:19.ever. This is the last Free Speech of 2013, we will be back next year.
:57:20. > :57:23.In the meantime we will lead you with Britain's leading politicians
:57:24. > :57:27.telling us what free speech means to them. It is about the ability to
:57:28. > :57:30.change things and in a democracy. We debate about freedom of speech and
:57:31. > :57:32.whether you can say one thing or another, and whether expressing one
:57:33. > :57:36.view to the offence of another person should be allowed or not, but
:57:37. > :57:42.we just don't appreciate how amazing it is that we can express ourselves
:57:43. > :57:46.freely. Free speech means saying what you want even if it offends
:57:47. > :57:48.people. It is an opportunity, a programme like this is one of the
:57:49. > :57:51.few opportunities in the conventional media, newspapers and
:57:52. > :57:57.television where there is that opportunity. Free speech means to me
:57:58. > :58:00.that everyone can feel confident in saying what they think and believe.
:58:01. > :58:04.In particular it means when you are in a group of people who you know
:58:05. > :58:06.don't agree with you having the courage still to say what you think
:58:07. > :58:08.and what you believe.