On Friday 20 March, Exeter University’s Debating Society and Politics Society presented one of the most exciting events in the political calendar this year (except possibily something going on around May…?): a ‘Question Time’ featuring the six Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPCs) for Exeter.
The PPCs included Ben Bradshaw, incumbent candidate of 18 years for Labour; Dom Morris for the Conservatives; Joel Mason for the Liberal Democrats; Diana Moore for Green; Keith Crawford for UKIP; and Edmund Potts for Left Unity.
The lively debate touched on many important topics, such as the future of university tuition fees, and questions from the student-only audience were encouraged through Twitter using the hashtag #ExeQT. This was so popular that the hastag became the fourth most popular in the UK that evening.
The debate was split between four topics: student focus, economic policy, foreign policy, and domestic policy. It encompassed a range of pressing issues which need to be addressed ahead of what could be one of the most important elections of our lifetime.
Student Focus: “What is your party’s approach to higher education funding?”
Ben Bradshaw kicked off the debate by oulining Labour’s position on tuition fees; plans to cut them to £6000 as funded by pension contributions, increases to grants by £400, caps on rent increases, and the abolishment of letting agent fees. Keith Crawford responded in a less comprehensive manner, promising a reveiw of fees, but reminding the audience that ‘governments are broke’. Joel Mason, a current student at the University, addressed the elephant in the room immediately; that the Lib Dems did indeed promise to not increase tuition fees back in 2010. However, he then outlined the advantages that increased fees have brought since; namely a better repayment system, and greater applications from and help for disadvantaged students.
Diana Moore stated that the Greens would abolish tuition fees and introduce a basic income to cover student living costs. Where this money was going to come from was not mentioned. Dom Morris responded by noting that tuition fees are currently at the right level with the number of University students higher than ever, and more students from disadvantaged backgrounds having access to a University education. Left Unity candidate Edmund Potts declared that everyone has a right to education and that it should be free, speculating that he was probably the only PPC present who demonstrated against the tuition fee increases in 2010.
The Economy: “Has Austerity Worked?”
Edmund Potts’ answer to this question was clear; austerity is ‘a rubbish agenda from a bankrupt political elite’. Dom Morris instead highlighted the ‘jobs miracle’ performed by the current government, which inherited a country in crisis. With 1000 jobs created per day, he argued that progress has been made, but there is a lot more to do. The Greens answered this question by arguing that the ‘rich have got richer’, and the problem of inequaity prevails, with austerity measures hurting the poor disproportionately.
Joel Mason responded by saying that in 2010, the Lib Dems went into government to tackle this issue, and now the country has one of the highest levels of economic growth. However, Keith Crawford answered that austerity has indeed worked, but only in parts as millions of 18-24 year olds are still out of work. Ben Bradshaw rounded up the answers, by noting that ‘any responsible government would have to have reduced the deficit’. However, the Labour PPC believed that most of the burden of deficit reduction has been on the poor.
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Foreign Policy: “Should the UK intervene in foreign conflicts?”
The answer from the Conservatives was ‘yes’, but how the UK intervened was more important. Coming from a military background which involved working on the front line in conflict zones such as Afghanistan, Dom Morris argued that military intervention alone was insufficient, emphasising the need for political solutions to political problems. From Edmund Potts, it was a firm ‘no’. Potts argued that recent years have shown that our military has not been able to help in such situations, and that extremist groups such as IS are monsters of our own making. For Labour there could be no blanket rule; Ben Bradshaw argued it can be necessary in efforts to prevent crimes such as genocide, but that intervention must always be undertaken legally with allied support.
Joel Mason took a similar stance, saying that military intervention was sometimes necessary but only after careful consideration as to whether our help would have a positive influence. Diana Moore suggested a more cautious approach, focusing on waging peace rather than war, emphasising the need to respect the sovereignty of other countries. In turn, a firm ‘no’ came from UKIP, who believed there was no solution to the problems in the Middle East. Keith Crawford stated that there was nothing to be gained from dealing with groups such as IS, and that it would be better to stay out of such matters. However, he believed national defence is still a vital consideration.
Domestic Policy: “Are politicians to blame for vote apathy in the UK?”
Labour spoke first, stating that politicians are partly to blame for declining participation in the political process. A lower voting age, better citizenship in schools, and proportional representation in the voting system were suggested by Ben Bradshaw to combat apathy. However, he was impressed with the turnout for this Question Time; the highest he had witnessed in years. Diana Moore added that the voter registration system was too complicated, and needed reform. Furthermore, she believed people need to vote for policies, not parties or people. Edmund Potts wanted to make clear that abstaining from voting did not equal apathy, and that there are other ways to express yourself politically other than voting. He also stated that voter apathy was understandable, given the formation of a coalition in the last election, on a platform that nobody had voted for.
A large part of Dom Morris’ platform was an emphasis of putting real people in Parliament rather than career politicians; a move he believed would solve voter apathy, as from his experience people were interested but distrustful of politicians. Joel instead recalled the previous Lib Dem initiative to implement the AV reform to voting, which he believed would help combat fears that people are ‘wasting their vote’ in the current first-past-the-post system. Finally, Keith stood firm that voter apathy is almost entirely the fault of politicians, although poor education does not help. Crawford said that all politicians were the same and had not experienced the tough realities of life; that too many people were reluctant to change their vote out of pure habit.
The Question Time provided an excellent opportunity to better understand the different positions of Exeter’s PPCs, but now the power is in our hands. If you have already registered to vote, well done you! But if not, follow this link: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote by 20 April!