Political parties should aim to involve youth, says Chris

Political parties are “missing a trick” by not underestimating the level of interest there is among teenagers in politics, a student from a local school has said this week.

Fascinated by the field, Coláiste Mhuire student Chris Lynn points out that the evidence is there that he is not alone: there is an active student council in his school, and countywide, there are students involved in Comhairle na nÓg, the junior county council.

Chris is involved in both and is also on the national executive of Comhairle na nÓg.

“I’d say they’re not looking hard enough!” is Chris’s response when asked about the claims of those in political parties that is difficult to get any ‘young blood’ in.

Chris is a Leaving Certificate student. A member of the school’s student council since he was in first year, HE is now in his second year as chairperson.

“In terms of trying to find young people, I think they are not looking too hard,” he says of the political parties.

“There are people are people there who are willing to put in the work, put themselves forward but I don’t think the parties are looking hard enough.”

Adults might be surprised to find the level of interest there is in politics there is among young people, says the 18-year-old.

“Teenagers would be aware of what’s going on and they would be fairly clued in,” he says. “Even this morning I was having a conversation with my friends about what’s been going on with Boris Johnson.

“During the American presidential election. I remember that we were all very focused on what was happening. Over lunch we would be trying to find out what was the latest and if there had been any more results in.

“People might not think about it. But young people are clued in all these things, and in my experience is pretty much the same in other schools as here.”

Chris reckons parties should begin recruiting young people. He would not, however, favour a system of youth quotas in politics: “I don’t think we want to be a box to tick: we want to be properly involved. We want to be in it because we are the right people for the job, not because they’re saying: ‘Oh we’d better have a couple of them in here’.”