and more - Viva Lewes

Polling day 1880, see page 114
they wish to protest against the current system by
not voting for any candidate should remember that
spoilt votes are registered.
One of the hot debating points in the most interesting
election campaign we can remember are the voting
regulations in our country, a ‘first past the post’
system which has for years given an advantage to
the larger parties, at the expense of the other groups
which have a much greater voice in other countries
where proportional representation is the rule. One
advantage to this system, whatever its deficiencies,
is that we are allowed to vote for a named candidate
who we know will, if elected, represent our interests
in Westminster. We are allowed to judge the character
and personal viewpoints of the candidates who
are running, and make our conclusions an important
part of the decision as to whether to vote for them
or not. We are also able to analyse what they will do
for us, as citizens of this constituency, and what they
propose to do to make life better within the constituency.
For that reason we have given weight to local
issues in our questions. Matters of foreign policy,
national and international economic affairs, and law
and order are well covered in the national newspapers.
We want to know what the prospective MPs
will do for us, the people of Lewes, and its surrounding
villages. How much time do they believe they
should dedicate to local affairs? What laws should
be changed to benefit their potential constituents?
T H E B I G I S S U E
Should they live in the constituency they represent?
Is the extension of the supermarket giant Tesco a
threat to the High Street as we know it?
We are living in difficult times, with climate change
high up on the agenda of every government in the
world: we have also enquired about how ‘green’ the
candidates are, by asking them about their carbon
footprint. Their generally candid replies have been
very refreshing.
Every politician has a political hero, and it’s interesting
to read which former politician the candidates
most admire. Even more interesting, we’ve found,
are their answers to the final ‘wildcard’ question we
posed: which single book would they choose to take
on a desert island?
The Lewes constituency is bigger than the area
Viva Lewes covers: it also includes Seaford, Newhaven
and, strangely, Polegate, as well as villages as
far afield as ???. Traditionally the turnout at polling
stations has been lower than the national average in
our seaside neighbours, and higher than average in
Lewes. We sincerely hope that Lewesians will ensure
that the latter part of this trend continues in 2010.
And we hope that the candidates’ largely frank and
often revealing answers to our questions will help
you to decide against whose name to put that all important
‘x’. Enjoy the election campaign, and enjoy
the month…
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