Sir – Along with 300 other carefully pre-screened members of a largely Christian public, I attended Witney hustings at St Mary’s church last Friday evening. What a deeply disappointing event.
The organisers confined each candidate to one minute when answering some pretty parochial questions. The result was a series of soundbites. Several candidates were cut off mid-sentence – including the Prime Minister.
The point of hustings is to encourage political deliberation and debate, to inform public choice when casting a ballot. The 2010 event at the Methodist church was altogether superior in this regard and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who were there.
Evidently time was limited, but fewer questions on wider issues with longer answers would have been so much better.
Churches Together in Witney (CTIW) did sterling work in organising the event, but can we beg for a more open and inclusive approach? We are all heartily sick of soundbite politics, rattled off statistics and political posturing. In Charlbury last Wednesday, the Green Party initiated hustings that stimulated a livelier and much better informed discussion. CTIW are holding another such event in Woodstock town hall on Thursday, April 30, again at 7.30pm. No PM, but all other candidates will be there and hopefully these will be real debates.
Brigitte Hickman
Witney
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article