Now the polling booths are closed, we can let you have our take on the March 28th hustings
The thing about the general election hustings of March 28th held this time at Ysgol Brynhyfryd was that you learnt as much about the local electorate as you did the candidates. Like the fact that the chairman archaically referred to the place as Brynhyfryd School. What does that tell you?
And that two hectoring individuals felt that proceedings were too slow and too boring for the handful of sixth formers present (the very reason the Civic Association picked the school—in spite of its high price tag). The students were close to falling asleep, we were told. Yet, when it came to an invitation for them to ask a question, we got the best one of the evening. Far from snoozing, the questioner admitted that she was actually enjoying herself. How often do we presume to speak for younger people or older people? Or in putting forward what we think they feel, are we really offering our own views? With a question like hers, why do they need to rely on us to make assumptions?
To much applause, her question was about sustainability and climate change, something that would affect younger people the most, she said. Gellifor's Rory Jepson of the Above & Beyond Party, himself a young person of 22 and former Brynhyfryd pupil, got the biggest applause of the evening when he questioned why sustainability was nowhere near the top of the political agenda. All candidates were at pains to point out their environmental credentials and to decry windfarms, although when Cyffylliog's Warwick Nicholson (UKIP) said that "fracking may be a fact of life", there was head shaking. It was clear from the 300 present that the environment was important to them. But will people vote on such issues? They would probably like to but undoubtedly won't.
In fact, Jepson enjoyed a number of hearty rounds of applause, a trait associated with candidates who have absolutely no hope of winning. On occasion, he also freely admitted that he didn't have a clue about a particular subject. Was this an unusual or unpleasant trait or the mark of an upright and honest individual? Nicholson, in his opening speech, said he didn't particularly want to stand (though he quickly added he believed in what he was doing).
The hecklers who felt that things were moving along slowly were vindicated, though, when the Warden, the Revd Stuart Evans, asked the simple question, "In one sentence, why should we vote for your party?" It was Evans and not the candidates who got the second biggest applause of the evening. You won't be surprised to learn that very few stuck to a single sentence and Llanfwrog Rural's Gareth Thomas (Labour), now out of political retirement, admitted to three when in fact his maths were out: he'd used up four, just.
Leaving aside their polices and personal views, it was indeed Thomas and David Jones (Conservative) who both came over as the best rhetorical speakers. That wasn't surprising. They're career politicians and it also had something to do with both being lawyers. When one questioner referred to a 91-year-old woman who'd been ripped off by her energy supplier, to much laughter, Jones said, "It seems to me you will need to see a good lawyer. There will be one available after this election". No one on the panel seized the golden opportunity to say "Actually, both of you will be."
David Jones used words such as "expatriating" (not people but profits), "commensurate", "voodoo technology" (of wind turbines) and Labour resisting the "blandishments" of Nicola Sturgeon. Sarah Lesiter-Burgess (Liberal), however, used "crisises" instead of "crises". Nicholson used "premise" when he clearly meant "premises".
A number of people got a little fed up with Bob English (Socialist Labour) reading his answers rather than going off the cuff. One heckler asked him to read quicker and another to turn over the page. Perhaps we expect too much of our candidates. I found myself asking, could I do any better? It takes guts and there was no doubt the answers English gave were considered. Mind you, I do see the flaw in English’s thrice call to move freight to the railway. Not in the Vale, I'm afraid. He also said the French have a car industry so why don't we. Could that be something to do with cowardly, weak management coupled with strongly organised socialist labour?
Marc Jones (Plaid Cymru) wanted more taxmen and this would have rung true with anyone working at the under-threat Wrexham tax office. He earned himself the third biggest applause of the evening by saying that the EU had held the peace in Europe for 70 years and Wales did rather well out of them, thanks very much.
He introduced the topic of the NHS, something that would repeat itself at intervals, even though it's devolved. Indeed, a questioner wondered why we couldn't use expensive NHS equipment during the evening and at weekends, at least on 365 days a year. At least? Just how many extra days are there? Lesiter-Burgess spoke of people with economics degrees and the like rather than clinicians running the NHS. This got approval but it did rather count me out and not just because my knowledge of medicine extends no further than Savlon and paracetamol. Hats off to her for mentioning the importance of mental health issues, another matter buried within the manifestos. She claimed one in four suffered at one point or other but I think she meant one in three.
One of the two finest quotes of the evening came from Nicholson who, answering a question on coalition, said, "Politics is the art of compromise but we don't do that very well”. The very best, though, was from English, who said, "No matter who you vote for, it's always the government that gets in".
One other candidate fresh out of political retirement was the Liberal candidate from Llandyrnog standing in the Vale of Clwyd. That was Gwyn Williams who was the youngest councillor on the former Clwyd county council and who also spent some time on Denbighshire, representing Llanbedr DC. At that time, he was very much courted by the press.
The thing about the general election hustings of March 28th held this time at Ysgol Brynhyfryd was that you learnt as much about the local electorate as you did the candidates. Like the fact that the chairman archaically referred to the place as Brynhyfryd School. What does that tell you?
Gareth Thomas's wife owns and runs Montecito in town. She's not open as frequently as usual till after the election
And that two hectoring individuals felt that proceedings were too slow and too boring for the handful of sixth formers present (the very reason the Civic Association picked the school—in spite of its high price tag). The students were close to falling asleep, we were told. Yet, when it came to an invitation for them to ask a question, we got the best one of the evening. Far from snoozing, the questioner admitted that she was actually enjoying herself. How often do we presume to speak for younger people or older people? Or in putting forward what we think they feel, are we really offering our own views? With a question like hers, why do they need to rely on us to make assumptions?
To much applause, her question was about sustainability and climate change, something that would affect younger people the most, she said. Gellifor's Rory Jepson of the Above & Beyond Party, himself a young person of 22 and former Brynhyfryd pupil, got the biggest applause of the evening when he questioned why sustainability was nowhere near the top of the political agenda. All candidates were at pains to point out their environmental credentials and to decry windfarms, although when Cyffylliog's Warwick Nicholson (UKIP) said that "fracking may be a fact of life", there was head shaking. It was clear from the 300 present that the environment was important to them. But will people vote on such issues? They would probably like to but undoubtedly won't.
In fact, Jepson enjoyed a number of hearty rounds of applause, a trait associated with candidates who have absolutely no hope of winning. On occasion, he also freely admitted that he didn't have a clue about a particular subject. Was this an unusual or unpleasant trait or the mark of an upright and honest individual? Nicholson, in his opening speech, said he didn't particularly want to stand (though he quickly added he believed in what he was doing).
Flashback to 2007: Plaid Cymru flag outside Gareth Thomas's home, in May
The hecklers who felt that things were moving along slowly were vindicated, though, when the Warden, the Revd Stuart Evans, asked the simple question, "In one sentence, why should we vote for your party?" It was Evans and not the candidates who got the second biggest applause of the evening. You won't be surprised to learn that very few stuck to a single sentence and Llanfwrog Rural's Gareth Thomas (Labour), now out of political retirement, admitted to three when in fact his maths were out: he'd used up four, just.
Leaving aside their polices and personal views, it was indeed Thomas and David Jones (Conservative) who both came over as the best rhetorical speakers. That wasn't surprising. They're career politicians and it also had something to do with both being lawyers. When one questioner referred to a 91-year-old woman who'd been ripped off by her energy supplier, to much laughter, Jones said, "It seems to me you will need to see a good lawyer. There will be one available after this election". No one on the panel seized the golden opportunity to say "Actually, both of you will be."
David Jones used words such as "expatriating" (not people but profits), "commensurate", "voodoo technology" (of wind turbines) and Labour resisting the "blandishments" of Nicola Sturgeon. Sarah Lesiter-Burgess (Liberal), however, used "crisises" instead of "crises". Nicholson used "premise" when he clearly meant "premises".
A number of people got a little fed up with Bob English (Socialist Labour) reading his answers rather than going off the cuff. One heckler asked him to read quicker and another to turn over the page. Perhaps we expect too much of our candidates. I found myself asking, could I do any better? It takes guts and there was no doubt the answers English gave were considered. Mind you, I do see the flaw in English’s thrice call to move freight to the railway. Not in the Vale, I'm afraid. He also said the French have a car industry so why don't we. Could that be something to do with cowardly, weak management coupled with strongly organised socialist labour?
Marc Jones (Plaid Cymru) wanted more taxmen and this would have rung true with anyone working at the under-threat Wrexham tax office. He earned himself the third biggest applause of the evening by saying that the EU had held the peace in Europe for 70 years and Wales did rather well out of them, thanks very much.
He introduced the topic of the NHS, something that would repeat itself at intervals, even though it's devolved. Indeed, a questioner wondered why we couldn't use expensive NHS equipment during the evening and at weekends, at least on 365 days a year. At least? Just how many extra days are there? Lesiter-Burgess spoke of people with economics degrees and the like rather than clinicians running the NHS. This got approval but it did rather count me out and not just because my knowledge of medicine extends no further than Savlon and paracetamol. Hats off to her for mentioning the importance of mental health issues, another matter buried within the manifestos. She claimed one in four suffered at one point or other but I think she meant one in three.
One of the two finest quotes of the evening came from Nicholson who, answering a question on coalition, said, "Politics is the art of compromise but we don't do that very well”. The very best, though, was from English, who said, "No matter who you vote for, it's always the government that gets in".
One other candidate fresh out of political retirement was the Liberal candidate from Llandyrnog standing in the Vale of Clwyd. That was Gwyn Williams who was the youngest councillor on the former Clwyd county council and who also spent some time on Denbighshire, representing Llanbedr DC. At that time, he was very much courted by the press.
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