Notes from the campaign trail V11

DORCHESTER: Green Party storms European elections

MORE than 763 students from the Thomas Haryde School “went to the polls” for a student mock European Election.

Students from all years cast their votes in the first mock election, representing one of the largest electorates of teenagers in Dorset in the run up to the real election. 

During the past week students assembled campaign teams and embarked upon their election trail throughout the school representing the Conservatives, Green Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats and UKIP.  

The campaign teams produced Party Election Broadcasts that were aired across the school and exhibited election posters also. The school also played host to two election hustings, one with a panel of student representatives, and another presenting five candidates competing in this year’s actual election. 

The Thomas Hardye results were as follows: Conservatives 95 (13 per cent), Green Party 351 (47 per cent), Labour Party 86 (11 per cent), Liberal Democrats 45 (six per cent) and UKIP 172 (23 per cent).

The Mock European Election was organised by the Sixth Form Student Union whose aim was to get as many students as possible engaged in the political debate and prepare hundreds of first time voters for the real election day later this month. 

Sixth Form Enrichment Co-ordinator Anna Killick said: “This has been an excellent opportunity for the entire school to find out more about the European Elections and I commend the students for the respect they showed towards each other and the serious way they debated the issues.”

As the European Election uses a proportional voting system the school’s results, if replicated across the South West region, (made up of 

six Members of the European Parliament) would have seen the Green Party gain four MEPs, UKIP one MEP, the Conservatives one MEP and Labour and the Liberal Democrats none.