It was all very civil

Very little political point scoring and a lot of staying on message. That’s what the audience in St Mary’s heard during the Rye Hustings which took place on Saturday evening June 29. It was all very civil, with the candidates perhaps mindful of the location and the chairman of the discussion, Revd Paul White.

Seven out of the eight candidates for the Hastings and Rye Constituency took part, each speaking for three minutes before taking questions from the hundred strong audience. There was passion, and on occasion carefully chosen words to disguise fury, but mostly it was an even-tempered debate with the minor parties acknowledging a Labour victory and appealing for votes to “send a message from Rye to Sir Kier Starmer”.

The most interesting question came from Darryl Telles. Noting that Rye had a history of electing independent MPs, Daryl asked for an “issue the candidates disagreed with their party leader on”.

The first two candidates both gave substantial issues, for Phil Colley from the Workers Party it was more support for the Uyghur people and differences with the party leader over China and Taiwan. For Communist Nicholas Davies it was rejoining the European Union.

For everyone else there was less disagreement and more consensus. Helena Dollimore for Labour: “We have a fantastic manifesto based on making a difference. We should go further on women’s health and birth trauma.” Lucian Fernando from Reform highlighted support for people in employment noting his party valued independent thought. Lib Dem Guy Harris said he disagreed with his leader’s “moments of madness to get publicity. I winced to start with but now I get it.” Sally-Ann Hart for the Conservatives talked about social care and unfulfilled promises from the 2019 manifesto. More was needed to help she said, including the much discussed cap on paying for care. Becca Horn from the Green Party explained how her party’s manifesto was put together. “I genuinely struggle to find something I disagree with, but I think we should go further on abolishing the House of Lords.”

What did Daryll Telles think of the answers? “It was a mix wasn’t it? Some clearly found it difficult not to stay on message and say what they really felt. I wanted to hear them put Rye first and know they would stand up against their leader if they thought he was wrong about something.”

The Rye Hustings began with an introduction from Revd Paul White. He encouraged “mutual respect and civility” from both those taking part and the audience. “Politics can sometimes be bad tempered. We may disagree but there will be no personal attacks.” In the order they appear on the ballot, the candidates spoke for three minutes.

Phil Colley – Worker’s Party – talked about the situation in Gaza. “A man-made atrocity being ignored by the main parties.”

Nick Davies – Communist Party – described how his party would “transform people’s lives through taking industry back into public ownership”.

Helena Dollimore – Labour – explained how 14 years of the conservative government was holding Rye back. “People here are crying out for change. People have had the hope beaten out of them.”

Lucian Fernando – Reform – highlighted his background in the armed forces and his “patriotism, duty and Christian Catholic faith”.

Guy Harris – LibDem – talked about his passion for the local area, comparing the current conditions in the UK to scenes he witnessed working in Baghdad in 2010. “Like post-conflict Iraq, politics here is broken.”

Sally-Ann Hart – Conservative – described the successes she had achieved as MP since 2019. “I haven’t finished yet. For me it’s personal. I’ve worked my socks off over the past four and a half years. I want the best for Rye.”

Becca Horn – Green – described her love for the history and heritage of Rye talking about holidaying in Pontins too. But, she said: “There’s an unavoidable layer of deprivation and struggle for too many here.”

Questions from the audience included Brexit. To loud applause Chris Hoggart wanted to know which party would rejoin the European Union. Hilary Morfitt, to more applause, asked when we might see the much-promised benefits of Brexit.

“We’ve yet to see the £350 million  for the NHS we were promised on that bus” started Helena Dollimore. “We left. We are not rejoining. But there were so many holes in the deal that need re-negotiating.” Sally-Ann Hart told the audience it was not surprising it was taking longer than three-and-a-half years to put right something that lasted fifty years. “We are charging ahead. Our economy is growing. We are doing really well.” Guy Harris noted the referendum but wanted the UK to rejoin the EU. “We need to repair relations with Europe and reverse the damage.”

Lucian Fernando wanted Reform to sort Brexit and complete what hasn’t been achieved. “It’s a great opportunity,” he said. Becca Horn and Nick Davies both wanted a return to the customs union. Phil Colley noted how the 2016 referendum had devastated the lives of young people, but said the EU had issues with its response to Ukraine and Gaza.

Following more questions on road speeds in Winchelsea, supporting young people, academy trusts and advice for getting more joy out of life, the two -and-a-half hour Rye Hustings finished. Revd White thanked the candidates and the audience. “It was a good exercise in democracy. We could have gone on for hours as there were many more questions. No fights. All very civil.”

Reaction from the audience was good. One commented on the atmosphere. “The debate was very well controlled with candidates sticking to the party line. The audience was polite and rather subdued.” Another welcomed the contrast with the sometimes tetchy and negative national election debates. “It was much easier to follow the points without constant interruptions like we have seen with some of the televised debates.”

The eighth candidate – who was invited – but was unable to attend is Paul Crosland, Independent.

The General Election is on Thursday July 4. Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm. Don’t forget to bring some form of photo ID.

Image Credits: Natasha Robinson .