Sunday, December 28, 2014

Are you sitting comfortably? Let's vote! New children's book primes the next generation for politics

 

'The Election' was crowdfunded through Kickstarter and received backing from representatives of the three main political parties

Widespread disillusionment with politics among young voters has triggered a rush by the main parties to consider reducing the voting age to 16. But one author has gone one further step in trying to engage the young – by writing what is thought to be the first children's book in the UK on general elections.
With 7 May just over four months away, The Election, a picture book aimed at young children, tells the story of a boy named Alex who asks his parents about politics and voting. Ellie Levenson, a journalist and author, got the idea for the book after her own daughter started asking questions when the family went to a polling station during this year's local elections.
The story follows preschooler Alex and his parents, who canvass for the stripy party, and Evie and her parents, who are supporters of the spotty party. Door-knocking, voting, television debates and results night are all explained alongside colourful illustrations by Marek Jagucki.
Ms Levenson said: "I wanted to normalise voting and participation from a young age so that children don't grow up as thinking of politics as something other people do, but as something that everyone does.
"Children are inherently interested in how their society works and ask pertinent questions all the time. When a child asks why another child doesn't have as many toys as they do, the answers are political even if you're not using terms like 'inequality' or 'public service cuts' in your answers, and this books tries to give that a bit of context. I grew up with politics being part of everyday conversation, and I've no doubt that's why I ended up working for a think tank and then as a journalist."
The book was crowdfunded through Kickstarter and received backing from representatives of the three main political parties including Labour councillors, a Tory MP and a Liberal Democrat peer. The book is the first from Fisherton Press, a new publishing company set up by Ms Levenson, who has titles by other authors lined up.
Ms Levenson added: "It was really important in The Election for the parties not to be recognisable as any real parties because it's about process rather than policy. So there's the spotty party and the stripy party.
"The main moral of the story is tolerance – only one party wins, and you'll have to read the book to find out which – but the children remain friends anyway. I'll consider the book a success if the general election in 2030 has a high turnout as a result of the young children who read the book now coming of age."
'The Election' is published on 5 January and is online from today.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/are-you-sitting-comfortably-lets-vote-new-childrens-book-primes-the-next-generation-for-politics-9946625.html 

NWN: Haven't we got enough idiots allowed to vote ?  Another thing with this age group, they all favour the Green Party !   Democracy.............don't you just love it ?

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Devils From Heaven

How religious myths prevent and pervert rational debate.


http://web.archive.org/web/20040317104844/http://www.johnkaminski.com/devilsfromheaven.htm

Anonymous said...

Why You Should Not Vote

Rigged computers plus corrupt candidates equal no freedom.


http://web.archive.org/web/20051027191526/http://warfolly.vzz.net/whyyoushouldnotvote.html

Anonymous said...

From the Trojan Horse to the Golden Calf—the Power of Deceit.

When we consider what might have been, we may weep for the innocents slaughtered in the fulfillment of the Zionist dream that took America to war against Iraq, and Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and Syria, and the ultimate goal of Israel, Iran, we will understand that our youth fought to save Israel’s soldiers from facing the death that awaited them on these battlefields while we watched the people of the world turn against the American values that gave us credibility throughout the world and lashed us to the mast of Zionist madness.

http://mycatbirdseat.com/2013/06/from-the-trojan-horse-to-the-golden-calf-the-power-of-deceit/

Anonymous said...

Israel’s Samson Option: the Real Nuclear Threat.


http://ziowiki.com/israels-samson-option-the-real-nuclear-threat/

Anonymous said...

GOP JEWS DUMP THE JERSEY FATBOY.



http://tomatobubble.com/fatboy.html

Anonymous said...

Greek Prime Minister: "It's Best For The Country" To Do Away With Democracy.


http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-12-27/greek-prime-minister-its-best-country-do-away-democracy

Anonymous said...

Argentina’s president adopts Jewish godson to counteract werewolf legend.



Read more: http://www.jta.org/2014/12/25/news-opinion/world/argentinas-president-adopts-jewish-godson#ixzz3NFmPCslr

Anonymous said...

Could e-voting be on its way in the UK?



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30234304

Anonymous said...

The Establishment presents itself as moral and opposed to low things like prejudice, narrow-mindedness and bigotry. This arrogance prevents them questioning whether they have indeed created a multi-racial utopia.

http://traditionalbritain.org/blog/moral-high-ground/

Anonymous said...

Chief Of Staff Move Against Rothschild’s Obama Who Violates International Law: Vladimir Putin Removed Rothschild From Russia In 2006!


http://politicalvelcraft.org/2012/07/15/vladimir-putin-removed-rothschild-from-russia-in-2006/

Anonymous said...

City Eye: Facts on a plate: our population is at least 77 million.



http://www.th-eu-nit.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25262:city-eye-facts-on-a-plate-our-population-is-at-least-77-million&catid=13:uk-impact&Itemid=7

Anonymous said...

Living In A Madhouse

Keeping a grip on reality.


http://livinginamadhouse.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/courage-is-the-best-defence-against-charges-of-racism/

Anonymous said...

How to respond to an anti Conspiracy Theorist.


http://www.tomatobubble.com/id196.html

Anonymous said...

Why don’t we know how many migrants are entering and leaving the UK?



https://fullfact.org/immigration/count_people_in_and_out_uk-37635

Anonymous said...

Outraged Swiss village of 1,000 residents forced to raise taxes after African refugee mother-of-seven moves there and costs them £40,000 a month in benefits

Village of Hagenbuch spends thousands every month on one refugee family
Mother and seven children arrived from Eritrea, East Africa three years ago
They were granted five year visa and told they could live totally rent free
Four children were later placed in orphanage at cost of £24,000 every month
Family also receive monthly living allowance and entertainment bills are paid
Village now forced to raises taxes as family take one third of annual budget


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2758055/Outraged-Swiss-village-1-000-residents-forced-raise-taxes-African-refugee-mother-seven-moves-costs-40-000-month-benefits.html#ixzz3NNovWPyB

Anonymous said...

Diversity Macht Frei.

Dialogues on the Death of Europe.


http://diversitymachtfrei.blogspot.co.uk/?utm_source=BP_recent

Anonymous said...

Desmond Tutu: ‘Put Tony Blair in the dock for war crimes’



http://21stcenturywire.com/2014/12/29/desmond-tutu-put-tony-blair-in-the-dock-for-war-crimes/

Anonymous said...

Israel used Gaza as testing ground for new weapons: Palestine official.


http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/12/30/392423/gaza-weapon-testing-ground-for-israel/

Anonymous said...

IMF suspends aid to Greece over political uncertainty.



http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/12/29/392345/imf-suspends-financial-aid-to-greece/

Anonymous said...

EXPOSED: The Merseyside takeaways fined £108,000 for hiring illegal immigrants.

Takeaways, off-licences and restaurants were slapped with £108,000 in fines after being found employing dozens of illegal immigrants.


http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/exposed-merseyside-takeaways-fined-108k-8236627

Anonymous said...

How did Hitler's scar-faced henchman become an Irish farmer?



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-30571335

Anonymous said...

Greek special forces to intercept migrant ship carrying 600 that issued SOS off coast of Corfu 'because of armed men on board'

Ship carrying 600 illegal immigrants' issue distress call near Corfu
Emergency call said there are 'armed people on board the ship'
Vessel is a Moldovan cargo ship which was travelling to Croatia
Ship tracking shows that ship made a sharp turn towards Italy


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2891118/Ship-coast-Corfu-carrying-700-passengers-issues-SOS-armed-men-board.html#ixzz3NQ0ws4BW

Anonymous said...

Putin Helped Thwart 1991 KGB Coup. Personally Fought for Democracy

•Enough with the lies of Putin as a "KGB thug"
•Putin was a KGB analyst - a desk jockey
•Later on he briefly headed the FSB (Russian FBI equivalent)
•Meanwhile, in the turmoil of 1991 he sided with democrats...
•...took personal risk to defy KGB, Soviet hardliners

http://russia-insider.com/en/2015/12/30/2179

Anonymous said...

Is Russia Anti-illuminati?




http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/12/30/is-russia-anti-illuminati-2/#comments

Anonymous said...

CIA torture is reason for France to exit NATO – Le Pen.



http://rt.com/news/214227-france-nato-le-pen/

Anonymous said...

28 Signs That Public Schools Are Rapidly Being Turned Into Indoctrination Centers And Prison Camps.


http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/28-signs-that-u-s-public-schools-are-rapidly-being-turned-into-indoctrination-centers-and-prison-camps