Hustings are supposed to be opportunities for politicians to explain their policies to voters and be questioned on them. A hustings event was held in Lincoln recently and I went along to cover it for Central Bylines.
Based on my previous experiences of such events, I was looking forward to seeing how engaged the Lincoln electorate was with the issues and the candidates’ responses. I expected there to be opportunities for the public to challenge candidates on their records and on what they said and for there to be a lively debate. It could not have been more depressing.
Lincoln hustings: on arrival
When I arrived, I was greeted by a small, noisy demonstration in support of Palestine. The demonstrators were there to lobby the candidates. Inside, people were waiting to go up to the hall. I estimated there were around 70-80. Seven of the nine candidates standing – two didn’t show up – were arranged on a dais and the event had a moderator. So far, so good.
Then it began to unravel. The moderator explained the procedure. The seven candidates would each be given a minute to make an opening statement. Each candidate would then be allowed in turn to answer the questions that had been submitted by the audience in advance.
People were asked not to boo or heckle, in the interests of “respectful debate”. This seemed a deliberate attempt to stifle any form of interaction. It also seemed there would be no opportunities for candidates to challenge each other or to take comments from the floor. Maybe that would change once the questions began.
Question time
The first question killed that hope stone dead. It was asked – eventually – by a young woman with Palestinian connections, but not before she made a speech denouncing what many would describe as the ‘genocide’ in Gaza. By the time she asked it, the audience had tuned out, so a highly important question – would the candidates commit to stopping UK arms sales to Israel and denounce companies that continued to do so – had lost its power and made the answers largely irrelevant.
The Labour candidate – former diplomat Hamish Falconer mentioned the need for a two-state solution while the Conservative candidate Karl McCartney said hostages needed releasing before anything could happen. The most interesting answer was from Linda Richardson, the Workers’ Party of Britain candidate, who said that those responsible for the slaughter should be locked up and prosecuted. But in truth, the audience had switched off.
Local things for local people
The next few questions were all about local matters: Lincoln’s transport infrastructure, the cost of living and retaining young talent in the city. These might have been important issues, but with the morgue-like atmosphere that now existed in the room, they were never going to get the audience going.
In responding to the transport question Falconer spoke about the need for an ‘active travel plan’ and McCartney the need for proper park and ride services but there was no opportunity for the audience to interrogate them further on how this might be done. The rest of the candidates gave stock answers.
The cost of living question produced nothing better. Retaining local talent ought to have stimulated the younger members of the audience -–there were a few – but again, none of them were invited to comment by the moderator or addressed directly by the candidates.
There were two final questions. One was about social care and the other was about trust in politicians. The first gave the candidates a chance to talk about the NHS but it was the second that provoked the only genuine interaction of the evening. The majority of the candidates waffled a lot about delivery and were challenged by the questioner, but the only candidate to speak about the need to behave honestly and deliver on promises was the Reform candidate Jamie Lee-McMillan. Oh, the irony of that.
What wasn’t said
A striking feature of the evening was the complete lack of reference to Brexit which, arguably, lies at heart of the UK’s current malaise. Given Reform and the Conservatives have made it their signature policies and Labour doesn’t want to discuss it, it was surprising none of the candidates were challenged. The opportunities were there. The questions about the cost of living and social care cried out for someone to tackle the candidates about the economic cost and the impact on immigration numbers that Brexit has had. That it didn’t happen perhaps says as much about the audience as it does about the candidates. Maybe they consider it a closed issue but, in truth, the fact that no one asked about it really let the candidates off the hook.
Lincoln hustings: summing up
What conclusions can be drawn from this event? First, the format was a shambles. The idea that all seven candidates should take it in turns to make statements and give answers, without any sort of audience involvement or challenge, was never going to work. Imagine how grim it would have been had all nine candidates been there. The fact two of them never showed brought minor relief to a sterile exercise that shamed all involved in its organisation.
Second, the selection of the questions and the audience left a lot of things unanswered. Applicants had to provide details of their political involvement as well as the question they wished to ask. While that may have been to ensure a balanced sample of attendees, the anodyne nature of most questions left an uneasy sense that they and the audience had been picked to avoid any form of controversy.
Thirdly, the standard of public speaking was appalling. It’s hardly possible to imagine any of these candidates actually debating in Parliament with genuine conviction and passion. Falconer did at least appear vaguely interested but McCartney looked and sounded bored to death. Given he was there to defend his party’s indefensible record, he can hardly have had an easier ride.
Winston Churchill once said that: “democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others that have been tried.” Anyone wanting to judge the quality of democracy and political engagement in Lincoln, on the strength of these hustings, would have been better off watching a plank warp.
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