Dorking Friends host lively hustings
140 people attended a recent hustings hosted by Dorking Quakers
Dorking Quakers hosted an election hustings on 17 April, attracting 140 participants. All candidates in the Mole Valley constituency, which includes Dorking, took part, and each of the five main parties was represented.
The event was held at the Meeting house, under the auspices of Churches Together in Dorking. Quakers were well represented in the audience. The hustings was chaired by a local Friend, Richard Bass, who could be seen holding a copy of Britain Yearly Meeting’s general election guide. He explained that there would be time for six questions, with each candidate allowed three minutes per question. Almost fifty questions had been submitted.
The event had been billed as ‘a values-based hustings’ and candidates answered questions on a range of topics. These included affordable housing, the potential expansion of Gatwick Airport, climate change, the health service and immigration, Trident, and foodbanks.
The debate was lively, and occasionally heated. Members of the audience were particularly agitated by one candidate’s assertion that there had been ‘no climate warming since 1998’. Trident was another matter of contention, with several candidates adamant that the country cannot be safe without a nuclear deterrent.
