Mock Election Results
In this week's assembly Isabel S announced the Mock Election result to the school, with the following report.
The election was held last Friday as part of UK Parliament week, a nationally run event to spread the word about Parliament and the importance of democracy; our school’s contribution was organised by the Politics and International Relations Society, with A Level Politics pupils forming the parties.
Being able to vote is a vital aspect of democracy and one important way for all individuals over the age of 18 to exercise their political rights. The age group between 18-24 has the lowest voting turnout in the country; however, as a generation that has seen so much political change and turmoil it is important that we learn to make our voices heard to fight for our future.
There were four parties represented.
The Old Conservative Party, led by Thomas L, stood for policies such as significantly lower tax cuts, cutting welfare spending by 60% and increasing prison sentences. The Neo Thatcherites, led by Seamus M, presented policies embracing a modern take on Margaret Thatcher’s ideas such as smaller government, cutting red tape and borrowing lots of money for investment. The Centrists, represented by Leo S, promised that university students would pay no more than £5000 a year and that the national anthem would be changed to Jerusalem adhering to their anti- monarchist sentiments. Finally, The Green Party, led by Edie C, promised a greener and cleaner Britain targeting the top 1% of earners and polluters for a new tax regime alongside promoting renewable energy to make the UK energy independent.
The election on Friday was a secret ballot and used the system known as first past the post, meaning whoever received the most votes would win. Like real general elections, voters were required to put an X in the box of their choice. In total there were 178 votes including 15 staff. The girls were proven to be twice as likely to vote compared to the boys and an alarming 49 out of the 178 votes were spoiled papers with people putting ticks instead of crosses. However, decided to count these votes this time round as removing them would have made no difference to the outcome. Next time make sure to read the instructions!
Mr Barraclough, Ms Nicholls and the International Relations and Politics Society would like to thank everybody who got involved, from candidates and campaign teams to the RHS bubble writers and voters. We hope to see even more of you getting involved in next year’s election. If you are interested in current affairs or politics, then come along to H14 on a Friday lunchtime; this week we will be discussing the politics of whether we should be engaging in the world cup currently being held in Qatar.
And now what I’m sure you have all been waiting for, the results! The result has remained secret until this moment, even from me! All those who participated are winners for getting involved. But in proper, general election style, the results are as follows.
The Centrist Party - 32 votes
The Green Party - 74 votes
The Neo-Thatcherist Association - 28 votes
The Old Conservative Party - 44 votes
Therefore, the Green Party, represented by Edie C, was duly elected as the winner of the 2022 RHS election and receive a certificate from the Headmaster.