New Educational Video Discusses ‘How United is the United Kingdom’?
Shout Out UK and Sheffield University help young people decode the world of politics with new video discussing constitutional change in the UK
The idea of constitutional change has been a solid part of the political debate for the past couple of years. With the Scottish Parliamentary Elections fast approaching and the EU Referendum following suit, the public, parliament and experts are all looking at the future of the UK. To help younger people better understand the fundamental aspects that make up the debate, ShoutOut UK and the University of Sheffield have created a new animation deciphering the intricacies of constitutional change in the UK and addresses the core question, are we living in a dis-United Kingdom?
The Brexit debate has been the most revisited and prominent topic at present, although recently, the Scottish Independence Referendum and the legislation ‘English Votes for English Laws’ took centre stage. The focus on constitutional change has led to a growing and sustained public interest, parliamentary debate and academic focus.
This short, but informative video introduces how the UK is run, the roots of the arrangements and ultimately, their importance in an easy to understand, highly visual format. Providing a summary of recent academic and public debate focused on the distribution of power and national identity in the UK, it is designed to reinforce and enlighten key areas of public conversation and help young people really understand the basics when it comes to the what, why and how of this particular debate.
Recently, there has been renewed public interest in exactly how the UK is governed and this video also explains why we have different systems of governance in the UK, providing background to the recent calls for change. It even highlights how England itself has been underrepresented in governance arrangement and how this situation has begun to alter.
Produced by Dr Kate Dommett from the University’s Sir Bernard Crick Centre for the Public Understanding of Politics, who leads research on Political Institutions and Democratic Reform. Dommett additionally develops courses for academics and practitioners promoting the understanding of, and engagement with, politics.
This video is the second of three, produced by independent news network and youth politics course provider Shout Out UK. The first entitled: Why do we hate politics? – Focusing on the idea of political disengagement. The third will be launched to tackle the topical issues of Europe.
Crick Centre Director, Professor Matthew Flinders, said:
“The Crick Centre is committed to engaged citizenship and believe it is vital that academic research reaches as wide an audience as possible. Therefore, these films are designed to introduce the public to key political issues, ensuring that anyone – no matter their level of political knowledge – can understand what is happening in contemporary politics.”
Matteo Bergamini, founder of Shout Out UK said:
“The issue of political education is an integral topic that unfortunately isn’t being addressed sufficiently. There is a level of political apathy and misunderstanding of current issues at present and we aim to open people’s minds by showing them the power they, themselves hold. Only when we realise the political power we, as a collective have, will we then truly have a voice within society.”
To watch the video in full,
- ENDS –
Notes to Editors
Shout Out UK is a multi-award winning independent news network and course provider that, via journalism, film, events and education, connects one of the largest networks of intelligent, adventurous and career-driven young people with the aim of getting them more active and interested in politics.
Established in 2014, Shout Out UK has become one of the fastest growing alternative news networks in Britain, all whilst readership of mainstream newspapers declines – especially amongst young people. The company was founded by Matteo Bergamini after completing his undergraduate degree in Politics & History at the University of Brunel. His aim was to lower political apathy in young people, providing a platform where they can engage in and debate current affairs.
For press enquiries, images or interviews, please contact Toni Campbell at the Shout Out UK Press Team on 0845 094 9658 or email firstname.lastname@example.org
Thank you for your time.
Shout Out UK