Hain to open new political exhibition

Monday, 12 July 2004 12:00 AM

The Leader of the House, Peter Hain, will today open a new exhibition entitled "House to Home: Bringing Parliament and people together."

The exhibition is being run as part of the Hansard Society's 60th anniversary celebrations.

The Hansard Society is a charity working to "promote effective parliamentary democracy" and encourage greater political engagement with the public.

Running from Monday July 12th to Friday August 20th, the display aims to be a mixture of education and entertainment with particular focus on the "concerning re-engagement of citizens in the democratic life of the country".

Interactive opportunities include a chance for visitors to debate a topical politics issue and the chance to put a written question to Tony Blair- a selection of which will be answered personally by the Prime Minister.

The political showcase is free, and is supported by the Electoral Commission and the Department for Constitutional Affairs as well as commercial organisations like BT and Accenture.

Lord Holme, chairman of the Hansard Society, said: "The Hansard Society was founded in 1944 to promote effective Parliamentary democracy. Since then, we have worked harder than any other organisation to bring Parliament to the people. 'House to Home' marks the pinnacle of the Society's 60th anniversary celebrations - our greatest contribution yet to re-engage citizens with their political institutions and vice versa, at a time when such participation is more necessary than ever."

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