The Hastings & Rye Constituency

OK, a warning, I am not going to follow the campaigns of the various parties on this blog, so relax if politics isn't your favourite area of life. Indeed, I shall not be saying who I will be voting for myself, although I have the honour of a young student nurse once asking me "Why do you bring politics into everything, Steve?" 

Frankly, politics is involved in everything, from transport to housing policy, to health to defence, etc etc, so no case to answer, and I believe everyone should turn up to the polling station, even if only to spoil the paper... But that will not influence my decision to not overtly make this a political blog, but, as I said, politics is involved in everything, though, as much as possible, not in my blog! 

So, why have I brought it up, and I'm aiming to hardly talk about the coming general election at all, or at least as little as possible, excepting this specific blog, which was stimulated because I just read the latest copy of the Hastings Independent, picked up in Morrisons this morning. 

Now, I don't write for the Independent these days, but feel some credit should be given to how they are tackling the election, importantly, they are posing the same question to the candidate from each of the 5 parties with the most electoral support, ie the 3 older established parties, the Conservative & Unionist Party, Liberal Democrats, and the Labour Party, plus the United Kingdom Independence Party and the Green Party. 

In the most recent paper, only the sitting MP, Amber Rudd (Conservative), Nick Perry of their coalition partner, the Liberal Democrats, and Sarah Owen of the opposition Labour Party, responded in time for their replies to be printed, but excellent that they are giving the opportunity to each party to share their policies and personal opinions/party lines. They are also providing a vox pop, with 3 contributors this issue, but presumably contributors should increase in number over the next few months. 

Strangely, about a third of the centre page 'General Election' coverage was given over to George Galloway and the Respect Party candidate, David Lofts, but that can be understood, as the paper obviously tries to present an alternative analysis, challenging the previous "state of local journalism."

A maverick approach, maybe, and not a surprise to me, knowing the individuals involved, but they are allowing the candidates of the 5 parties, that may not lose their deposits, the opportunity to regularly participate. Anyway, if you want to see what they think, pick up a copy before they run out, see their website for where to find a copy.