Did anyone watch that Ghosthunting with Girls Aloud thing on ITV2 earlier in the week? I channel-hopped to it a couple of times but the bits I caught were so cringe-inducing I had to hop away again pronto. And it went on for two hours!
I thought it was hysterically funny. The psychologist bits talking about "group dynamics" were highly unnecessary though - cut them out and the show would have been down to a more sensible hour.
That's a really good interview, although I can't help feeling that actually, none of the Girls really have a clue what they're talking about. Cheryl votes Labour because her Mum does, and her Mum does because she's from Newcastle and is distinctly working class. Nicola's description of Question Time, Newsnight and such shows is "I know there are programmes on late at night, aren't there, when they have like debates and stuff." And their comments on the NHS, taxation and education, whilst relatively sensible, don't exactly display a deep understanding of the issues.
It's admirable that the Girls feel they need to become more involved in keeping young people interested in politics, but I don't think that an interview in the New Statesman is the way to go about it. But then, I am an eternal cynic!
I think their position is more "the young people need to be kept interested & informed in politics because at the moment they are neither, and this includes us".
My rant which gets trotted out from time to time is why on EARTH politics is not mandatory in schools? I mean surely of all the things which it should be compulsory for everyone to know, how one's country is governed (and by extension how decisions about how one's life can be led) is surely QUITE HIGH UP THE LIST, and yet nothing about even the basic structure of British politics is taught AT ANY POINT.
It does wind me up sometimes when the media assumes that kids hate politics and find it boring. Politics for the most part IS boring! What do you expect? Yet there is still a stream of politicians that doesn't appear to be running dry just yet. Once the kids start having to pay taxes and water bills and tv licenses & suddenly realise they'll never be able to afford a house, THEN they'll know who Gordon Brown is all right. Until then I think we can give the Youth Of Today a break. Girls Aloud really don't have any excuse though, except that they can probably afford an accountant to sort their council tax out.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2006-12-14 12:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-14 12:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-14 12:37 pm (UTC)It's admirable that the Girls feel they need to become more involved in keeping young people interested in politics, but I don't think that an interview in the New Statesman is the way to go about it. But then, I am an eternal cynic!
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Date: 2006-12-14 02:20 pm (UTC)My rant which gets trotted out from time to time is why on EARTH politics is not mandatory in schools? I mean surely of all the things which it should be compulsory for everyone to know, how one's country is governed (and by extension how decisions about how one's life can be led) is surely QUITE HIGH UP THE LIST, and yet nothing about even the basic structure of British politics is taught AT ANY POINT.
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Date: 2006-12-14 02:05 pm (UTC)GPB - "Erm, because you don't know who Gordon Brown is?"
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Date: 2006-12-14 02:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-14 02:15 pm (UTC)