Joyce Watson, Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales, believes that the election of a young Town Councillor is symptomatic of a trend showing that young people are becoming increasingly interested in politics. Ms Watson highlighted that Labour candidate Ryan Thomas, 22, recently won the Kidwelly Town Council by-election, demonstrating that young people have a big part to play in representing their communities.
Ms Watson claims that political engagement amongst young people has been on the rise in recent times, and that comments made on the doorstep during the general election campaign have proven this. There were fears prior to the general election that young people had become disinterested in politics as the convergence in policies between the main political parties and the lack of ‘plain English’ spoken by politicians failed to ignite the curiosity of voters under 25. However, the regional Assembly Member claims that this is a false picture of young people’s relationship with politics.
‘When I was campaigning, I was asked a number of very informed and challenging questions on a vast range of political issues by young people. The same is true when I visit schools across the region I represent; there is a good knowledge of devolution and of UK-wide issues. It simply is not true to say that young people feel disaffected and detached from politics. It is great that young people are commenting on and questioning political decisions and policies as engagement between electors and their representatives is a cornerstone of democracy. This link can only be strengthened with a politically active electorate.
‘Congratulations to Ryan on being elected, I am sure he will do a good job in representing the people of Kidwelly. I thoroughly enjoyed campaigning alongside somebody who can bring the views of a new generation to the table and the fact that Ryan topped the poll shows that the people of Kidwelly are willing to support young people. I am delighted that someone of Ryan’s age has the self believe and initiative to stand for election and I hope more young people see his election as an opportunity to make their opinion count.’
On being elected to the Town Council, Mr Thomas said, ‘I would like to thank everyone who helped me during the campaign. I will do my best to represent the people of Kidwelly with enthusiasm and am determined to help the community in any way I can. I would urge other young people to become involved in politics as it is the best way to stand up for what you believe in and make your voiced heard.’
