Year 12 and 13 Sixth Formers were invited to Westminster on Wednesday evening to take part in a conference with their local MP, Mike Freer.
Mr Freer has been hosting the annual event for sixth form pupils studying at schools in his constituency for a number of years.
Each school was asked to suggest a list of topics they wanted to raise, but there was no doubt that the topical subject of IS, and the UK’s response, invoked the most impassioned reaction. In the end, the sixth formers discussed this topic with Mr Freer for over an hour.
Several contributors suggested a military response to the recent attacks in Paris would simply provoke future attacks. Others said that doing nothing might do the same. Mr Freer tried to emphasise how deciding which way to vote on issues of conscience, such as UK military involvement in Syria, were incredibly complex.
Following the discussion on Syria, the Finchley and Golders Green MP held an open questions session. Issues raised ranged from the recent vote on the so-called ‘Tampon Tax’, tackling stigma associated with mental illness and solving the housing crisis.
Before the Conference began, students had the opportunity to get tickets to watch a debate in the House of Commons.
Mr Freer commented: “I really enjoy hosting the annual sixth form conference. It is an opportunity for students to gain an insight into the life of an MP and the difficult decisions we as parliamentarians have to make.
He continued, “I was incredibly impressed with the contributions made by those who attended. I hope they found it to be a worthwhile and informative experience.”