Teenager takes to political stage

By Giancarlo Rinaldi
South of Scotland reporter, BBC Scotland news website

Like thousands of teenagers across the country, Charlotte Cameron, from Gelston, near Castle Douglas, is preparing to vote for the first time.

Charlotte Cameron is seeking a place in the Scottish Parliament

Unlike most of them, however, she will be able to put a cross next to her own name on the ballot paper.

At just 18 her party, the Scottish Socialists, believes she is the youngest candidate in the country.

The age at which people are eligible to stand for election has been reduced from 21 and Charlotte is one of the first to take advantage of that opportunity.

It is the culmination of an interest in politics which she says goes back as much as eight years.

If you turn on a television politics show it's just a lot of men of the same age, same race, with the same accent talking about the same things Charlotte Cameron

"I have always been quite political," she said.

"When I was ten and there was the war in Kosovo I wrote a letter to Tony Blair saying we shouldn't be bombing people.

"It is very out of the ordinary to see a young person interested in politics."

Throughout her time at Castle Douglas High School she remained interested in the world of MPs and MSPs.

It took a chance encounter at the age of 15, however, to turn that interest into a real political vocation.

Took leaflet

"It was a friend's birthday and I was up in Glasgow for the day with them," said Charlotte.

"Somebody gave me a leaflet at an axe the council tax demonstration.

"I looked up the party on the internet, read a bit more about them and thought it sounded like everything I believed in."

Three years on the local branch of her party asked her if she would like to stand.

"I thought about it - because it was quite a scary prospect," she admitted.

Charlotte eventually decided that if they were happy to nominate her then she was happy to seek election.

Charlotte's political interest started at Castle Douglas High School

She is now second on the SSP's south of Scotland list.

Her family is also very supportive of her bid to get a seat in Holyrood.

"They might not share all my views but I think they are proud that I am standing up for what I believe in," she said.

Charlotte is well aware, however, of the level of public apathy towards the world she hopes to enter.

"I think a lot of people of all ages are disinterested in politics," she said.

"The turnout is very, very low.

"If you turn on a television politics show it's just a lot of men of the same age, same race, with the same accent talking about the same things."

'Cut-off area'

Charlotte hopes she might help to change that and would like to see more people become politically aware - regardless of the party.

"I think it is really important that people in the south of Scotland get involved in politics and vote for people they feel actually represent them - or get involved themselves," she said.

"It is becoming more and more of a cut-off area."

It is an area, however, that the Stewartry teenager would love to be selected to represent on 3 May.