St Andrews Hustings Review

With just five hours to go until registration for voting closed, St Andrews residents crowded into The Byre to listen to what our six candidates had to say. The debate was opened by one of the newly appointed Vice Principles for Equality and Diversity, Verity Brown. She encouraged us all to be brave in voicing political opinions and handed over to the Chair, who did an admirable job in keeping the candidates to the point, but a poor one of quietening the heated crowd. Our six candidates are: Huw Bell (Scottish Conservatives), Tim Brett (Scottish Liberal Democrats), Andy Collins, (Scottish Greens), Stephen Gethins (SNP), Mike Scott-Hayward (Independent), and Brian Thomson (Scottish Labour).

The debate ran on questions from the audience, ranging from education to their election promises, and independence to the economy. Candidates answered in rotation and animosity emerged from their answers, more quickly than alliances.

I sat down to face the panel of white, middle aged men, all in clean cut blue suits. Despite the similarity in appearance, feeling in the room was clearly mixed, but given that we are marked as a ‘very safe Liberal Democratic seat’ by the UK Polling Report, the Liberal Democrats were not as safe as you might expect. They opened by reminding people that they have safely held the seat for the last 28 years; perhaps less wisely they also drew attention to their partnership in the coalition.

The SNP used the opposite case to their advantage by saying they were the only party with experience dealing with minority administration. There was clear support for them in the room, especially their continued support for free education. Stephen Gethins stated that education should be based on a student’s ‘ability to earn, not ability to pay’.

The two parties traditionally perceived as our ‘main parties’ both got off to a controversial start. The Conservative candidate was laughed at for his attempts to present himself as a ‘man of the people’ and how he had paid his way through uni, having worked for the army and gained sponsorship for his education. The Labour candidate created a stir by saying he didn’t support free school meals, but explained that he felt those who could afford to pay should make a contribution and the money saved should support other projects.

The major candidates generally toed their party lines, while the Independent candidate came across as angry with them all, and further right than the Conservatives. He was the only candidate who refused to sign a pledge of support for the new school in St Andrews, stating that it shouldn’t be turned into a political issue. The contrast seemed greatest between him and the Green candidate, who could hardly get through his speech for interruptions of applause but ending Trident seemed to be his only solution for the problems thrown at him.