Stewart Jackson, Darren Bisby-Boyd and Chris Ash at Thomas Deacon Academy parliamentary hustings 15th April 2015. This hustings was held in a large auditorium filled with Kings School and TDA sixth formers, but was also livecast internally to several hundred students. I don’t know if the video was recorded as well.
Peterborough’s best hustings are often held in churches or schools. These can be public or closed events. Hustings they can be held anywhere and by any organisation. A school event is particularly interesting: because children often see politics as something which only happens on the television or on the radio. You are never too young to vote. You are never too young to debate a issue.
The person hosting the hustings will probably need a candidate to apply for one of these venues. The legislation (statute) governing this provision is the Representation of the People Act.
This hustings will happen later this week and there are rules (below the picture) about how to ask a question. The organisation of the hustings is up to the host.
Peterborough Parish Church hustings to take place on Friday 24th April at 7:30
Click here for further details about the St Johns hustings
Haddon Hustings 18 April 2015 Nick Thulbourn, Nicola Day, George Martin (chairing) & Nick Sandford
I have never attended a hustings which got out of hand (close, but the well behaved sixth formers and their teachers worked hard to persuade candidates perhaps not to resort to fisticuffs). A calm, friendly and firm person in the chair will help ensure a hustings keeps its hair on. However the history of violence and intimidation within and working against the British democratic process is substantial and centuries old. This is well understood by parliament itself. So to help keep things peaceful and calm, legislation makes a police presence available to hustings organisers if they feel they need one. A very important, but perhaps not well understood statutory duty of the police is to uphold the democratic process, of which the hustings form a very important important part.
Peterborough Pensioners Hustings 2014