Politics

The political landscape of the past two years has proven to be a fascinating, if often concerning, education for our students. Both in the UK and abroad, we have kept a close eye on how power has operated as the world was forced to band together to combat the pandemic. We have watched governments come and go, but the basic necessities and desires of all people have remained the same. Politics students at Emanuel have, as ever, discussed and debated these issues with impressive scrutiny and principles.

Mr W Davis (Head of Politics)

The Senior Politics Society has been extraordinarily well served by visiting speakers in the last two years. We believe that it is vital that our students are able to engage with those who live and work in the political sphere. Students have been fortunate to hear from several distinguished guests.

Rod Cartwright

We heard from Rod Cartwright on the rise and legacy of New Labour. Having worked closely with the party during the 1997 election campaign at Millbank Tower he was in an excellent position to detail the key elements behind Tony Blair’s astonishing success. Being a public relations specialist, it was no surprise that he stressed the simplicity of communication, the clarity of the message and the balance of style and substance portrayed by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, respectively, as keys to New Labour’s electoral success. He then put forward a convincing case for Tony Blair as one of, if not the, most successful prime ministers of the 20th Century. Rod looked at the decline of absolute poverty, the depth of constitutional change and the improvement in public services as key indicators of a successful premiership. He was put under pressure by some pupils who maintained that he could not be forgiven for the humanitarian disaster of the Iraq War, whilst Mr Jones blamed Blair for hubris after the UK’s successful intervention in Kosovo. Clearly, few prime ministers divide opinion like Blair does, but with one of his greatest achievements — the Good Friday agreement — under threat from Brexit, it was fitting that his legacy was discussed in election week.

Azmina Siddique

We were lucky enough to welcome Azmina Siddique, Policy Advisor for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. She discussed counter-extremism policy in the UK and students were challenged to think about where the line should be drawn between security and liberty. She explained the reasons for both the rise of Islamism and the growth of far-right groups, and students wrestled with difficult questions about what constitutes extremism. In light of the tragic London Bridge attack the following day, these issues feel more significant and relevant than ever.

Dr Mark Allinson

We were also visited by Dr Mark Allinson, Associate Pro ViceChancellor (Learning and Teaching) at the University of Bristol. He was invited by Friederike (L6SJC), who was inspired by reading his work over the summer. He spoke about the history and development of democracy in Germany. Students were treated to a comprehensive summary of the state of German politics from the Weimar Republic to the current day, with a particular focus on the conflict between the systems of East and West Germany and how these divisions have not been entirely healed by unification.

Jack Simson Caird

On 11th November, Dr Jack Simson Caird (OE), Deputy Counsel for the House of Commons Justice committee, returned to Emanuel to speak to Politics A Level students about the proper constitutional role of Parliament. Jack spoke about the legal implications of Brexit, the functions of the independent judiciary and led a highly relevant conversation about the standards we should expect from our politicians. We are incredibly grateful to Jack for giving up his valuable time, and he was delighted to reconnect with Mr Keddie who taught him politics all those years ago.

Iain Anderson

We were exceptionally grateful to Iain Anderson, co-founder and Executive Chairman at Cicero Group for giving up his time to speak to the students of the Senior Politics Society. He has worked for a range of politicians, including Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke MP on his leadership bids. He spoke to students about his extensive experience and made a compelling case that lobbyists aren’t always the villains they are often made out to be by the media.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP

On the 12th May 2021, Politics students were lucky enough to hear virtually from Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, the MP for Tooting and the Shadow Secretary of State for Mental Health. She gave the students a summary of her life and how she ended up in politics, with really important lessons about the impact of refusing to give up in the face of adversity and the importance of putting yourself out there to change your local community for the better. She then gave honest and comprehensive answers on topics ranging from the future of the Labour Party in light of the result of the Hartlepool by-election, the mental health crisis for young people to her role in the shadow cabinet and the efficacy of Prime Minister’s Questions in holding the government to account.We are incredibly grateful to Dr Allin-Khan for giving up her time to speak to us, and are very hopeful that we will be able to welcome her to school in person soon.

Parliament Trip

Politics pupils really enjoyed their visit to Parliament. They were amongst the first schools to be able to sit in the Commons gallery since the beginning of the pandemic and took part in a workshop looking at how laws are passed.