This morning, Michelle Ballantyne MSP visited pupils at Longniddry Primary School in East Lothian.

During her trip, the South Scotland MSP sat down for a Q&A session with Primary 7 pupils from the Longniddry so they could ask her questions about what it’s like to be a politician, her views and engaged in a discussion with the pupils about electoral systems.

She said that she “thoroughly enjoyed” speaking to the pupils.

Mrs. Ballantyne added: “Since becoming a MSP, I’ve had the privilege of speaking to a number of school students about my role as member of the Scottish Parliament. Yet, every time I visit a school, the pupils always have new and thought provoking questions for me.

“It’s incredibly encouraging to see students as young as 12 years old engaging so intelligently about the issues of the day and about wider politics.

“As a politician, the best thing I can do is to encourage young people to continue to take an interest in current affairs and politics. With information so readily available, it’s clear that many pupils are using technology to help them stay informed and I hope that this continues.

“The P7 students at Longniddry spoke exceptionally well about the different electoral systems. Scottish people currently have to use four different electoral systems depending on which election they’re voting in.

“Each has its pros and cons, and it’s clear that the pupils I spoke to understood this and had well informed opinions over which systems they favour.”