The Turnout with GK Barry

GK Barry's on a mission - to get young voters to turn out for the 2024 UK General Election...At 24, GK always votes, but some of her best friends don't, in fact only around 50% of young people bother taking part in general elections... so what needs to happen for that to change?In this podcast, GK talks to young voters, campaigners, and politicians, exploring issues like housing, childcare, and what truly motivates people to vote. Tune in for her journey leading up to the election, with episodes on KISS and her social media.

Would you rather vote in Love Island or in the General Election?  Would you prefer to talk about STIs or politics?  Would seeing a politician in a thong bikini make you vote?In this first episode of The Turnout, Grace meets comedian Nish Kumar and asks students at Westminster Kingsway College why they’re NOT planning to vote and what would get them to the polls.  Nish also talks about how politicians can appeal to Grace’s generation, the policies that might appeal and they discuss her chances of getting a date with Rishi and Keir.  Want to hear more from Nish? Check him out wherever you get your podcasts on Pod Save the UK!

Help, I’m making a political podcast! As it dawns on Grace she’s making a podcast about politics, who better to speak to than the Daddy of political podcasts and Godfather of New Labour.  Alastair Campbell joins GK Barry in the 2nd episode of The Turnout.  They agree that more young people should head to the polls on July 4th but disagree that free vodka shots are the way to get them there.   Alastair reveals he’s in favour of compulsory voting, thinks 16 year olds should be able to vote and says in some parts of the world, democracy is under threat, so we all need to wake up. Alastair Campbell is the co-host of the Rest is Politics podcast and has written a book aimed at teenagers and young adults ‘Alastair Campbell Talks Politics’. 

You can be drunk when you do it, you can’t take a selfie but you can take a dog.  In this next episode of The Turnout, Grace speaks to Dan Lawes from ‘Give an X’ and the ‘My Life my Say’ movement for all the dos and don’ts of registering and voting and the lifechanging reasons you need to register today. Dan tells us we have until midnight on June 18th to register and until 10pm on July 4th to vote. Grace says she’s planning to go to her polling station in a horse and carriage after she’s sunk a bottle of prosecco. Dan reveals the issues he knows motivate young people like the cost of living crisis, the climate and mental health.  He also tells us how Tinder and Lime Bikes are collaborating on his campaign and they both agree polling night could be date night and a chance to use your democratic right AND meet ‘the one’. Well, what are you waiting for? https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

In the Genny Lex 2024, MPs are not just knocking on our doors, they are popping up in our feeds.  But when it comes to their content, social media expert Sophia Smith Galer tells GK Barry she thinks the political parties could be doing much better.   Too many memes, too much negativity and not enough posts of Penny Mordaunt’s blow dry according to Grace.  Sophia explains why the different parties have different social media strategies and they both come up with the official Barry party post which includes twerking and Grace ‘utilising my lack of facilities’ ,  Sorry to say Matt Hancock, Angela Rayner, David Cameron and Nigel Farage in a nail bar - all feature in this episode.