It has been another busy and successful year for Politics students. For the first time ever there were two sets in Year 13, although admittedly Sam Infield (who deservedly won the annual Politics Prize) was the only student in one of the sets. The Year 13 students worked really hard and turned round their disappointing AS results, eight out of nine students achieving C grade or higher. The Year 12 students immersed themselves in British political life, with Caroline Culbert and Sam Furness forming a Ruth Kelly appreciation society, Vicky Robinson counting votes in the local election and all enjoying the BBC2 series The Thick of It.
In December, the students attended the annual one-day Politics Conference at Westminster Central Hall. The star turn was George Galloway, who received a fantastic reception as he launched into a tirade against Blair, the war in Iraq and all things New Labour. His later appearance in Big Brother was less impressive. Also speaking were Charles Kennedy before his resignation, Theresa May before her new leader had been elected and Geoff Hoon, who got a fierce reception as he tried to justify the Iraq campaign. We live in interesting times, and it was great to see so many students willing to express their strong views.
The Year 12 students followed the trip with a visit to both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Also in the Autumn term, we had a trip to the National Theatre to see the political play ‘Playing with Fire’ by David Edgar. I greatly enjoyed the play, but it received a less enthusiastic review from the students, who seemed to think the piece excessively long.
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