Visit of Tom Watson MP

Tom Watson MP grilled by pupils at Glan-y-Môr and Bryngwyn schools

Tom Watson MP visited Glan-y-Môr School on Thursday 26^th February. The Labour MP from Birmingham, who is best known for his vigorous pursuit of the Murdoch press in the wake of the phone hacking scandal, described to pupils his horror at the way that journalists from Murdoch newspaper News of the World had hacked the phone of kidnapped 13-year-old Milly Dowler, even deleting voicemails, which interfered with the  police investigation and gave her family false hope that the teenager was still alive. The MP was determined to pursue Murdoch's journalists for this illegal activity, and subsequently found himself subject to intrusive retaliatory attacks as journalists went through his bins and broke into his garage in attempts to steal papers from him. 

In the ensuing discussion, Pupils in Year 10 and Year 11 at Glan-y-Môr and Bryngwyn Schools kept their guest Tom Watson MP on his toes last week, completely disproving any suggestion that young people do not have considered views on controversial topics. .... And just in case anyone thought they could switch off and daydream, Mr Watson made pupils get up and move to opposite sides of the room according to whether they were against or in favour of bringing back the death penalty, with the not-sures standing in the middle. As well as justifying their views as for, against or not sure on the death penalty and other topics, some individuals also told the Labour politician that, if they could vote, they would vote Conservative, UKIP and Green respectively. But one thing that a clear majority of pupils agreed with Tom Watson on was to lower the voting age to 16.