Six political candidates came to HSDC Alton College last week for a hustings ahead of the General Election on Thursday.
To encourage students to get involved in politics and (if they’re eligible) to use their vote in the upcoming election – the Students’ Union at Alton arranged for candidates from six political parties to attend a Hustings to address their questions.
Students Ollie Plomer and Emily Morgan jointly chaired the event – asking the candidates questions and ensuring they stuck to the agreed timing schedule.
Ollie is studying Politics, Economics and Sociology A Levels and is the President of the Students’ Union. He said: “We really enjoyed hosting the hustings event and listening to all the candidates’ points of view. We wanted to help other students learn a bit more about the political process and encourage them to get involved and vote in the election – I think it was a success!”
Emily is studying Geography, English Literature and Maths A Levels. She said: “It was really interesting hearing all the candidates’ responses to our questions. I think there’s a lot of political noise that can be confusing – especially for young and possibly first-time voters. I think the hustings helped to clarify some of it.”
The candidates in attendance included Gaynor Austin for Labour, David Buxton for Liberal Democrats, Damian Hinds for the Conservatives, Jim Makin for UKIP, Zoe Parker for Green and Eddie Trotter for JAC.
After the candidates had a chance to speak to the audience, a mock election was held for the students to take part in. The results were:
Conservative – 29%
Lib Dems – 25%
Labour – 15%
Green Party – 11%
BREXIT – 3%
SNP – 1%
Plaid Cymru – 1%
11 spoiled papers