A Labour plan to pay a teenager to act as an official Government adviser has been attacked as a "lunatic stunt".

 

Communities and Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears will next month unveil plans to recruit at least one teenager – who could be as young as 16 – to advise her department and keep it in touch with young people.

 

The so-called "teen tsar", who will be paid expenses for the part-time post, will play a key role helping Ms Blears to tackle anti-social behaviour and social breakdown amid rising fears over violence from drink-fuelled teenage vandals.

 

The school-age adviser will also meet senior civil servants tackling everything from race relations and local government to building design and housing policy.

Ms Blears told The Mail on Sunday: "It's vital that young people become involved in our democracy.

 

"It is also important that politicians hear the voices of our young citizens."

But the plan was immediately condemned by Tories, with MP David Davies saying it was a politically-correct "lunatic stunt" that would simply end up costing taxpayers more money.

 

And he advised Ms Blears to go down to her "local comprehensive instead and ask sixth-formers what they want".

"Whoever gets this job will be completely unrepresentative of most young people.

"They are not interested in politicians and do not want to go to work for Hazel Blears," he said.

 

"They will end up with a Left-wing geek who wants to be a career politician and does not have the slightest clue what young people want."

 

The inspiration for the idea comes from local councils – including Lewisham, in South-East London, and Birmingham – already using teenagers to advise on policies.

Last night, there were suggestions that 15-year-old Justin Cole, currently serving as Lewisham's "young mayor", would make an ideal candidate for the new Government job.

 

Justin, who was chosen last October by local voters aged 11 to 18, is overseeing a budget of £25,000 during his year in office.

Other candidates could come from Birmingham, where the city council already has a panel of teenagers who attend the authority's scrutiny hearings to help vet councillors' decisions.

 

A source in Ms Blears' office said the adviser could be as young as 16.

 

"They may be 18, so they are of voting age, but we would prefer somebody who was not in their 20s," he said.

"It's not going to be somebody paid to do a full-time job and it could actually be a panel of advisers.

 

"It's a way of getting young people engaged in democracy and making sure that policies relate to that age group."

 

Justin Cole last night said the teen tsar plan was "a great idea".

He added: "We've seen the benefits of having young people involved and their voices heard in Lewisham.

 

"This will show that the majority of young people make a positive contribution to society."

 

Source : Mail on Sunday

 

 

A good idea or yet another gimmick by nu-Labour?

Another gimmick

 

"They will end up with a Left-wing geek who wants to be a career politician and does not have the slightest clue what young people want." - FULL TRUTH

 

eh?... 1 teenager, ONE? to reprisent all teenagers?.... another badly thought out plan.

eh?... 1 teenager, ONE? to reprisent all teenagers?.... another badly thought out plan.

 

Exactly... Like one teenager could actually speak for all.... The actual idea I suppose is okay in theory, but it would take a lot more than just one person to pull it off.. Perhaps a committee or a young person's forum...? TBH though, I think something like this would work better at a local level within individual councils or local authorities...

The first thing they should be doing if they want to get younger people interested in politics and helping to shape the future of the nation is not PR stunts like this but lowering the voting age to 16

The first thing they should be doing if they want to get younger people interested in politics and helping to shape the future of the nation is not PR stunts like this but lowering the voting age to 16

 

Actually, that's a good point... 16 year olds are considered, by law, old enough to get married, raise kids, have a full-time job, etc, but not considered old enough to vote or go to the pub... A serious anomaly that one.....

 

Well this ain't suprising really as Tories don't care about young people :rolleyes:

:mellow:

 

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

 

TIS ALL I HAVE TO SAY ON THE SUBJECT.