Queenswood’s Sixth Formers dominated proceedings at the annual Speak Your Mind event at St Albans Abbey on Thursday 21 November.

Between them, they asked no fewer than 20 questions of the esteemed panel, on a range of urgent current issues, and articulated their own opinions with confidence and clarity.

This was compelling evidence that the current generation of students is extremely politically aware.

The event, chaired by Professor Quintin McKellar, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire, mirrored the format of the BBC’s Question Time, and the panel comprised Lord Adonis (Labour politician), Maswood Ahmed (Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain), Chris Dey (Conservative Councillor), Vicky Gosling (former RAF Group Captain and Invictus Games CEO) and James Tooley (Professor of educational entrepreneurship and education at the University of Buckingham).

Here is the full list of questions asked by our Lower and Upper Sixth Students:

• Is the development of technology fatal to our civil liberties?
• Should Britain pay reparations for slavery?
• Should Facebook and other social media suspend political ads during the general election campaign season?
• Has Britain become more or less tolerant recently?
• Regardless of the Supreme Court ruling, was the prorogation of UK Parliament in September undemocratic in your opinion?
• Do you think net zero emissions by 2050 is realistic?
• Do you think the media exaggeration surrounding politics is damaging to the public and to political participation rates?
• Is there any truth in politics at the moment or is it just a spin on marketing?
• In light of reports of human rights transgression by China, what is Britain's take on the interplay between economical benefits and its role as a signatory to the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights?
• Why is racism deemed a bigger issue in America than in Britain?
• Should western powers get involved in international conflicts, such as British involvement in the Middle East?
• How do you think the London Mayor should be tackling knife crime?
• John Lennon said women are the ‘N-word’ of the world. How far do you agree or disagree with this statement?” 
• What is the most effective way to tackle knife crime?
• To what extent does colonialism still exist in modern society? 
• To what extent does white privilege exist in today's society?
• Should the voting age be lowered?”
• How did the panel feel about Greta Thunberg at the UN Climate Summit?
• Do you think thank the Kashmiri dispute could result in nuclear war or will ever be resolved?
• Boris Johnson pledged to reintroduce stop and search as a method to tackle knife crime – is this infringing upon the right to privacy?
• Is the term ‘OK, boomer’ offensive?