Dear young people in England, Wales and Scotland – your voice is needed now more than ever.
Time is short. By lunchtime tomorrow (Tuesday), we are calling on young people from across Great Britain to step forward and be counted – to speak out in solidarity with young people in Northern Ireland who are facing an unprecedented democratic injustice.
Would you like to be quoted in Parliament tomorrow? Please email dan.boucher@parliament.uk
We need some young people from England, Wales and Scotland to speak up on behalf of young people in Northern Ireland, who are happy to be quoted.
The government loves to lecture young people on the importance of citizenship and voting but they are being unbelievably two faced about it and it needs calling out.
At the same time as doing their lecturing, they are actually disenfranchising young people (actually everyone) in Northern Ireland, not just in relation to 1 law or 300 but 300 areas of law!
A group of young people from Northern Ireland have a letter in the Daily Telegraph tomorrow (Tuesday 1st April 2025), calling this out ahead of a debate in Parliament tomorrow in the House of Lords.
It would be massively helpful if Peers could quote some young people living in GB who are also happy to call this out.
One of the things the letter says is:
‘There may be some people in Government who don’t think Northern Ireland matters but they should think about the wider messaging implications of their actions for young people across the whole UK. How can something that is vital in one part of the country be vital in that part of the country if in another part of the country it can be dispensed with? Consistency is important. ‘Do as a say not as I do’ never really works.’
Would anyone be happy to be cited in the debate so after Peers read out that part of the letter they can then say they have been contacted by young people in GB, supporting those in NI.
We are looking for quotes like the following:
“The Government must think young people are exceptionally stupid if they can get away with telling one part of the country that citizenship and voting is vital at the same time as disenfranchising young people in another part of the country. This is just wrong. It has to end.”
or
“Our peers in Northern Ireland are exactly right. The Government cannot face in two different directions at the same time. Either citizenship is important or it is dispensable. They can’t have their cake and eat it. The truth is that citizenship is important. The discrimination against Northern Ireland has to end.”
Please could you send your quote through as soon as possible and no later than lunch time tomorrow to dan.boucher@parliament.uk
If you like one of the above quotes, then feel free to claim the one of your choice.
After tomorrow’s debate there would a strong case for a letter from young people living in GB to the Telegraph, standing with fellow UK citizens in NI.
Thank you. Please share this with any young people you know.
Please email your quotes and support to dan.boucher@parliament.uk by 1pm tomorrow (Tuesday).
