US Campus Protests and UK Local Elections: For How Long Can We Ignore The Young?

Wright on the Nail

In this week’s News Roundtable episode, Chris Wright is joined by political commentator, Marina Purkiss, Managing Editor of Local Government Studies and Co-Convenor of the UK Political Studies Association's Specialist Group on Local Politics, Dr Peter Eckersley, Communications Officer at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Reem Ibrahim, and Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration at the National University of Ireland Maynooth, John O’Brennan.
Chris introduces with a scintillating monologue reflecting on the student protests in the US in the late 1960s, which he was a part of. He asks the panel whether today's re-engagement of the young through protest will translate into the polling booth across the Atlantic in the UK in the upcoming local elections and onwards.

The conversation centres on the UK local elections and how much they will indicate the general election result. They discuss Sunak’s evermore controversial Rwanda rabbit hole (lately causing the migrants to escape the UK into Ireland); the practicality and the politics of the scheme.

They dig back into the pro-Palestinian campus riots across the US that began at Columbia State University. Whether or not their branding by the media as anti-semitic is representative of the majority of anti-Israel protesters, and the UK’s diplomatic tone compared to the US’s towards Israel.

They circle back to the local elections this Thursday 2nd May and whether the Tories would dare oust Rishi Sunak after what may be a disastrous result for his party.

Many thanks,

WOTN Team

'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner.

© Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.

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