Name: Alexander Berry

Position: MYP

Constituency: Leeds

--------------------------------------------------------

Which political issues are you most passionate about?

My personal focuses have to revolve around political education and youth involvement in decision making processes. I strongly believe that political education is needed and I firmly think it can be achieved through non-classroom methods. Young people are affected by large amounts of local and national decisions, most of which are absent of young person involvement. Young people should not just be consulted; they should be a part of the idea, development and deliverance stages, not just drafted in for an opinion which has little impact on the overall scheme.

What do you feel is the biggest issue for young people in your constituency?

I personally have concluded from people I have spoken to, that some of the main issues affecting young people’s lives sprout from their school. The magnitude of these problems vary, problems such as social division, bullying and work overload can have dramatic consequences for health, both mentally and physically. By focusing on these problems at the source you can avoid later complications. It does seem like a general problem but the roots spread deep into other areas of a young person’s life and by tackling schools you can tackle all these problems too.

What do you hope to achieve during your term of office?

I would like to gain a variety of experience and skills whilst also bettering political education and young person development. I would also like to be involved in all other things UKYP. I don’t have any clear objectives but I do have some identified areas to work upon, by doing that I’m keeping myself open to other things.

What is your future career ambition?

I would like to eventually run my own successful business or go into politics.

Which public figure do you most admire and why?

I admire Nick Clegg, partly because of his performance on the first election debate but also because of his work ethic that comes across through the Liberal Democrats. They may not have won a recent general election but they still work mightily hard towards their policies. This reinforces a belief that I agree with in certain situations: ‘Process over Product’, it doesn’t matter what the outcome is, as long as you better yourself and enjoy yourself in the process.

If there was one message you could send to the government, what would it be?

It would really be for them to remember why they are in government. They are there to represent the public; this doesn’t give them special rights and exemption from law, this line of thinking was clearly shown during the expenses fiasco. I would also like to tell them that young people should be given a real part to play in the running of the country and as I said earlier, involved in all stages of decision making, from idea to development to deliverance.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

East Midlands | East of England | London | North East | North West | Scotland | South East | South West | Wales | West Midlands | Yorkshire & Humberside