Monday, 17 June 2013
Calder Valley Labour Party: Questions for the candidates
We have now received the reponses to the seven questions posed by the HebWeb from each of the four short-listed candidates. Click on their names to read their responses.
The HebWeb would like to thank each of these candidates for taking the trouble to reply. Their replies make fascinating reading.
Updated Monday, 10 June 2013
Calder Valley Labour Party: Questions for the candidates
Later this month, Calder Valley Labour Party are going to select the Labour Party Parliamentary candidate for the next general election.
The 4 candidates shortlisted are:
- Simon Young
- Jenny Lynn
- Josh Fenton-Glynn
- Andy Hull
Labour won the Calder Valley seat in 1997, 2001 and 2005 with Christine McCafferty.
In 2010, they got it badly wrong. The candidate they chose divided party activitists and supporters, and led to extensive debate on the HebWeb. Steph Booth was not elected. She lost to Conservative Craig Whittaker who is our currrent MP.
Next time, if Labour are going to stand a chance of winning they need to make sure their candidate is widely supported by party members, supporters and voters.
The HebWeb thinks voters should know something about the candidates before one is selected.
We have invited all candidates to answer a few questions, the kind of questions which they may well be asked on the doorstep. The HebWeb has now learned that all candidates will be responding.
- What steps would you encourage the Labour Party to take to revitalise the economy and urgently bring down unemployment?
- Climate change is extremely important to voters in Hebden Bridge. What would you do to urge a future Labour Government to take?
- The Tories seem to be following the UKIP agenda over Europe. How should the Labour Party respond?
- Estimates of the cost to replace Trident vary but it is thought to be in excess of £100 billion. Could this money be better spent?
- Britain is now an ethnically diverse nation. How should a future Labour government approach the issue of immigration?
- To what extent should Britain become involved in the Syrian conflict?
- If selected as candidate, and if elected as MP, would you be prepared to engage with your voters on the HebWeb Forum?
We will publish the candidates' responses here, once we have received all four.