Candidates set for live election debate

Candidates set for live election debate

8 April 2015

HISTORY will be made in the 2015 Westminster election in South Down when the candidates hold their first ever public debates.

Two debates will take place — one in Downpatrick and one in Newcastle — in which the candidates will face a range of questions from members of the public.

News of the debates came as a seventh candidate declared for the poll. London-based former banker turned charity worker, Felicity Buchan, announced yesterday afternoon that she will stand for the Conservative Party in the May 8 election.

All seven politicians have confirmed they will be taking part in the debates. The other candidates seeking election are sitting MP, Margaret Ritchie (SDLP), her main challenger, Chris Hazzard (Sinn Fein), Jim Wells (DUP), Henry Reilly (UKIP) Harold McKee (UUP) and Martyn Todd (Alliance).

The debates will take place on Thursday, April 23, in the St Patrick Centre, which will be chaired by Down Recorder editor, Paul Symington, and on Thursday, April 30, in the Newcastle Centre, which will be chaired by Mourne Observer editor, Stephen Patton.

The format will be similar to the BBC Question Time panel debates in which questions are submitted in advance by members of the public who will have the opportunity to ask their questions during the debates. The panel chairmen will select the questions but none of the panelists will have prior knowledge of the questions.

The debates will be the first time that any voter in South Down has heard all the candidates in any election discussing the relevant issues of the day with each other on the same stage.

Health could face heavily among the questions given the threats posed to services in Downpatrick and Newry and that DUP candidate, Jim Wells, is the Stormont Health Minister.

The austerity programme driven by Westminster, which has brought recent news of cuts to education, the arts and environment work may also feature, as could the Irish language and Newry play park debates which have been highlighted in South Down in recent months.

Recorder editor, Paul Symington, said the debates are a unique opportunity for the South Down public to hear all politicians debate the issues of the day in the same room.

“We’re delighted to be involved in the debates which are a groundbreaking new initiative giving South Down 

voters the chance to see and hear the candidates discussing and debating with each other,” he said.

Anyone who wants to submit a question can send them via email to editor@thedownrecorder.co.uk, by our Facebook page or via our Twitter account, @DownRec. All questions must be accompanied by a contact telephone number.