Why get into politics
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Member of the public: The kind of people that get into politics are...on one side you've got the genuine people that care about society and want to do good, and I think on the other side, you've got people that want to look after their own interests.
Member of the public: People who are seeking personal benefits.
Member of the public: There are some people that are very ambitious, that enter politics for their own gain.
Member of the public: A bit of a narcissist.
Member of the public: Some of them, I suspect, are just for the publicity.
Member of the public: For too many, it's a question of advancing themselves.
Member of the public: All because they want to change the world.
Lord Puttnam: I think it's a slightly unfortunate word, actually, 'politics', because it's got such a lot of negative connotations still. But to be involved in the civil life of the society in which you live - be it regionally, nationally, locally - is exciting and challenging.
Lord Dholakia: Almost every thing you do in life has a political element to it. And if that affects you, then it is right and proper that you are able to contribute.
Baroness Young of Old Scone: The most successful politicians are the ones who've not actually got an ego in the way. They're the ones who are thoughtful, expert and really work hard to get the best outcomes in their field of expertise.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I think politics affects everything we do, and lots of people say they're not interested in politics; but actually, if you're not interested in politics you're probably not interested in life. Because, whether it's education, housing, employment, civil liberties, rights, all of those issues are debated in parliament.
Member of the public: I mean, I would say the biggest thing I would change, or would get my feet in, would be the environment. I think it's very poor in terms of recycling.
Member of the public: I think the transport system, particularly the rail, needs upgrading significantly.
Member of the public: The affect of family values and where we are today in terms of crime and teenage pregnancies.
Member of the public: Sustainable living definitely needs to be dealt with.
Member of the public: I would like to see the justice system work far more quickly.
Member of the public: I think university should be free.
Member of the public: Bring back fox-hunting.
Member of the public: Iraq is a big issue.
Member of the public: There's still a lot of poverty, and a lot of uneven sharing of money and wealth.
Baroness Young of Hornsey: If anybody's ever thought "this isn't right", "this doesn't feel right", "there's something wrong going on here", "this is an injustice", then really you ought to be engaging in politics.
Baroness Williams of Crosby: Go and look, if you possibly can, at what your local MP or councillor does. Just reading what the press says will give you a very, very misleading impression.
Baroness Massey of Darwen: Think hard about it, because it's very time-consuming. Take advice from people who are there, and I would also say, specialise in something that you really know about and really care about.
Baroness Hale of Richmond: It's got social issues, it's got political issues, it's got the grand ideas like justice, and truth, and fairness, and all of that.
Member of the public: I think it's massively important that kids in schools get educated on politics.
Member of the public: We've got the vote, so I think if you have the vote then you've really got to know what's going on in the country so that you're able to use that vote most effectively.
Member of the public: We have the responsibility to keep them accountable, really, for the position that they're in.
Member of the public: I think that it's finding ways of getting people to be able to make themselves feel like they can make a positive change to things.
Lord Puttnam: I'd say that if you have any interest in your own, and your children's, and your family's future, you owe it to yourself to get engaged in some way, shape or form with what's called 'politics'.
Lord Desai: I think people should get into politics because there is a great satisfaction of being part of a process whereby we want to improve our society.
Baroness Williams of Crosby: I think decisions made by people who are young now - maybe they're 15, 20 - who will be coming into politics, are going to be decisions that will actually decide whether the planet survives. And you couldn't ask for a more significant role in the world than that.
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