The election hustings for the Central Devon constituency took place at Ashburton Arts Centre on Saturday 7th December ahead of this week’s general election.
The Central Devon constituency was created in 2010 and since then Mel Stride of the Conservative Party has been the MP for the constituency. Indeed, he won 31, 278 votes in the 2017 election (54.1% of total votes).
There were four candidates at the Hustings: Alison Eden of the Liberal Democrats, Lisa Robillard Webb of the Labour party, Mel Stride of the Conservative party and Andy Williamson of the Green Party.
During the Hustings, there were questions regarding the NHS, the leaders of the respective parties, the tax system, Brexit, climate change and food banks. Other questions focused on Yemen and arms sales, disinformation in election campaigns and nuclear weapons.
On the issue of Yemen and arms sales, candidates were asked to answer the following question in one word: if you were elected and if you had to decide whether or not you were going to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, what would you say? Lisa Robillard Webb, Alison Eden and Andy Williamson all stated they would say no to the sales of arms. Andy Williamson went further and explained that the Green Party would “close down the government’s arm sales activities”. Mel Stride explained that one cannot answer such a question in one word, and then explained that the conflict in Yemen is a human catastrophe. Regarding arms sales more generally, he stated: “We have very, very strict licensing arrangements around the sales of all weapons”.
Candidates were also asked for their views regarding disinformation in elections and were asked to explain how they will make sure this election, as well as future elections, are fought in a fair and legitimate manner. Mel Stride stated “I think we need to have an honest discourse in politics” and that we must “make sure that everybody is held to account for the veracity of their information”. Alison Eden mentioned that she has previously worked on a research ethics committee and feels strongly about this issue. She then said she would like to offer her remaining time to speak back to Mel Stride, suggesting he could use the extra time to answer the question differently. Mel Stride then quickly reiterated that it is wrong for a political party to provide disinformation. Andy Williamson mentioned that “what has been happening with disinformation is just appalling” and suggested that our electoral law needs to be reformed. He also criticised the advertising tactics used during the EU referendum. Lisa Robillard Webb also voiced criticism of disinformation, suggesting it is sometimes planned and can distract the electorate. She also stated that she was concerned the government had not published the report into Russian electoral interference and that she thinks we are currently naïve as a nation about how information is being controlled.
Regarding nuclear weapons, candidates were asked: Who will have their fingers on the nuclear trigger, and are they prepared to use it? Mel Stride discussed the logic behind nuclear deterrence, explaining that for a nuclear deterrent to be effective a potential aggressor must believe that if they attack a nuclear-armed state, there is a chance they will use their nuclear weapons in response. Lisa Robillard Webb questioned whether it is desirable to have someone [in power] that is willing to press the button. She then explained that nuclear weapons have been part of a process that has created peace for a long period of time, but then stated the Labour party wants to work internationally to prevent the further proliferation of nuclear weapons. Alison Eden stated that if she was the leader of her party, she could not ‘press that button’. She then later stated: “On a personal level, if you want to get a measure of me, I would rather be speaking Russian than turning the whole world into nuclear waste”. She also highlighted the need to worry about cybercrime and biological terrorism. Andy Williamson then questioned whether we, as a society, really want someone in charge who displays the sort of macho posturing commonly associated with nuclear weapons. He then stated that he fully supports the Green Party policy to cancel the Trident nuclear weapons system.
After the Hustings, Andy Williamson answered some of my questions in an interview. Asked how he thought the day went, Andy Williamson stated it was okay. He then explained his frustration that he did not get the sense that people understood how important this election is. He emphasised that this election will potentially set the path for our country for the next decade. He also explained this election was to do with Brexit but was critical of the way Brexit was initially handled and its current trajectory. Asked if a people’s vote is the solution, Andy Williamson stated: “I believe that’s the only thing that can rationally happen now. And, ideally, I would say a people’s vote that replaces the original one”. In Andy’s opinion, the original referendum was unlawful. He then explained that a future people’s vote must have a supermajority requirement, such as 60% for example. He went further, suggesting that “If it’s another equally close vote, then yes have another one as well and call it 2 out of 3. Call it the best of 3. Yeah fine, best of three.”
Moving away from Brexit, Andy was then asked how the Green Party will protect the UK’s security without a Trident System. He replied: “I think Trident is fighting last century’s battles.” He believes we can globally legislate nuclear weapons out of existence. He also stated that he thinks the whole arms industry is “just such a waste of resources that could be put to better use”. He acknowledged that we need to have a defence against any threats to us, but such threats, according to Andy, come increasingly from organised crime. He also seemed to suggest that staying in the EU was better for our security because there is a certain degree of cooperation among EU member states, which ensures they do not go to war with one another. Asked if whether he thought that the current capitalist system incentivises people to be productive and get things done, Andy responded: “Yes, I do agree with that”. He also stated: “I don’t disagree inherently with capitalism” and later said: “I am not anti-growth necessarily but what I am for is sustainable growth where it’s genuinely sustainable”. Finally, asked if he had had the vote at 16 or 17, would he have made a good, rational vote, he humorously responded: “Obviously, I would have done”. He then explained that giving the vote to 16 years old is one thing he does not wholeheartedly approve of, but can agree with many of the arguments for it. However, he also mentioned: “I think politics does require wisdom and judgement and 16 and 17-year-olds aren’t the wisest or the best at judging things if that’s the right way of saying it.” Yet, he then said, if it was democratically voted for, he would not worry too much about it.
Disclaimer: I have tried to avoid misrepresenting the views of the candidates present at the Hustings. If you feel your views have been misrepresented, please leave a comment below.
I should also state that it would have been preferable to interview all candidates after the Hustings, but this was not possible.
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