Selected members of the public from across the UK will be taking part in a debate in the chamber of the House of Lords on 4 December, with the theme being on how to increase diversity in Parliament. The debate, which will only be the ninth time ever that non-peers will be permitted to sit on the red benches, sees the Lords partnering with the British Humanist Association (BHA), Humanist Society Scotland (HSS), Girlguiding UK, 3FF and a number of schools to identify participants for the event.
Lead-in ‘talking day’ events to the chamber debate are occurring in London, Belfast, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Cardiff, with five BHA/HSS participants taking part in each. The first talking day, which was the first of two occurring in London, happened on 22 October. After asking participants to discuss the topic in groups and a workshop on how to debate in the Lords, participants were then split into three groups, rehearsing the three different sides of the motion that will be debated in the Lords on the 4th.
Would you like to take part in the debate?
The BHA is looking for five participants to take part in each of the talking days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (for 25 participants across all five), with every talking day participant also taking part in the Lords debate itself. You’ll need to be available for both a talking day (taking place in the afternoon) and the Lords debate (taking place from 11.00 to 18.00) – the schedule of the talking days can be seen below, and more details can be seen on the Parliament website. All participants must be aged 15-25.
The House of Lords can cover a percentage of reasonable travel costs for attending the chamber event proper (but not for attending the talking days). These are 25% for people who had attended the London talking day, 75% for the Belfast day and 50% for all other dates. It might also be able to cover accommodation.
If you’d like to be one of the participants, please email Richy Thompson at campaigns@humanists.uk, stating which talking day(s) you want to take part in and providing 200 words explaining about yourself and why you think we should select you for this debate. Please do so by 9 am on Friday 30 October if you want to take part in the Belfast or London dates, or 9 am on Wednesday 4 November for the Manchester date.
If you’re interested in the Edinburgh talking day, then please visit Humanist Society Scotland’s website for how to apply.
Upcoming talking days
| Location | Venue | Date |
| Belfast | St Dominic’s Grammar School for Girls | 4 November |
| London | Dartmouth House | 6 November |
| Edinburgh | Boroughmuir High School | 10 November |
| Manchester | Altrincham School for Girls | 11 November |
| Cardiff | tbc | tbc |
Notes
For further comment or information contact BHA Campaigns Manager Richy Thompson on 020 7324 3072 or at richy@humanists.uk.
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.