TOBY YOUNG and social media....

In today's lesson we discussed why the recent outrage surrounding the appointment by Jo Johnson, the Minister for Universities, of Toby Young to be part of a group looking at the regulation of Universities. There was a major movement on Twitter to discredit Young's appointment and it is reported that Young himself attempted to delete 40 000 of his own tweets. Change.org had gathered nearly 250 000 signatures demanding the government reverse their decision. This use of social media eventually inspired Young to resign this morning. This 'social media moment' could be used by students as an example of social media empowering the individual as social media was used to challenge and overturn a deeply unpopular political decision. Today Jo Johnson has been removed from his post as Minister for Universities and is now, from today, the Minister for Transport. It is perfectly possible to use this textual reference as an example of social media encouraging young people to engage with political culture as it appears that social media, in this case, was used to successfully challenge and CHANGE an unpopular political decision. OBVIOUSLY....I am aware that there is a very strong counter argument to this viewpopint...and I expect students, in the exam, to be able to offer a detailed counter argument to the idea that social media can encourage young people to become involved in political debate.

The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/09/toby-young-resigns-office-for-students
BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42617922
Change.org petition..220 000 people signed the petition.
https://www.change.org/p/theresa-may-mp-sack-toby-young-from-university-watchdog-post
The Independent:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/toby-young-twitter-delete-tweets-universities-regulator-appointment-ofs-office-for-students-a8139841.html
The Spectator...Young explains why he resigned:
https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/01/toby/
Fraser Nelson defends Toby Young:
https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/01/announcing-a-change-to-toby-youngs-spectator-column/
Chunky Mark..offers his own view..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvywgDRQsQQ
SKY NEWS...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WypBRimZI7g
James O'Brien..LBC..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eof6dG8NRZE 

This article from The Guardian captures why so many people were outraged by Young's appointment:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/03/toby-young-quotes-on-breasts-eugenics-and-working-class-people 
Evening Standard article:
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/toby-young-tweets-the-controversial-comments-that-led-to-his-resignation-a3735326.html