Sixth Form students at Oldfield School recently participated in a Q&A session with MP for Bath, Wera Hobhouse, with the aim of deepening the students’ understanding of the workings of British politics as part of their PSHE programme.
Students prepared and asked questions for Wera, with topics ranging from public transport to knife crime, along with more personal questions about her experiences in politics.
Students were keen to hear how she first entered the political sphere. Wera explained that, while always having an interest in politics, her career began almost by accident when a friend encouraged her to stand as a Conservative candidate for Rochdale Council, Greater Manchester. However, her time with the Conservatives was brief: following a disagreement over the construction of a new housing development on an asbestos-contaminated site, she defected to the Liberal Democrats.
Also of interest was her experience as a woman in politics and whether she felt she was treated differently from male colleagues in the House. She believes that there is still a long way to go to achieve gender equality and referenced the fact that she is addressed as ‘Miss’, while male MPs are ‘Sir’ – Wera now insists on ‘Madam’.
