Online Climate Hustings

A Climate Hustings for the Senedd candidates of the Mid and West Wales Regional list and the Preseli Pembrokeshire constituency is being organised. The hustings will be held on-line during the evening of Monday April 19th and will be open to all.

This next election is vital as it will determine which policies Wales will use to deal with the Climate and Environmental Crisis we are facing. The Climate Hustings is an opportunity to learn the climate and environmental policies of the attending parties through this question and answer session. All parties standing have been invited.

The event is being organised by Extinction Rebellion Cardigan and already has widespread backing, including from the Diocese of St.Davids, Egni Co-op, Transition Bro Gwaun, Divest Dyfed, Carmarthenshire Energy, Eco Dewi, Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth and the Welsh Centre for International Affairs.

This hustings is different. After a brief introduction, people will be allocated into small groups to work out which questions they wish to ask the candidates. The groups will then return to the main room and the hustings will proceed in the usual manner except that candidates are allocated only 1 minute to answer each question. This ensures that the candidates remain very focused on the question. This method of deliberation and consultation to select the questions is known as a People’s Assembly.

“This process proved to be really popular with both candidates and the public when we used it at a hustings for the Ceredigion candidates before the General Election in December 2019,” said Jim Bowen. Jim, manager of Clynfyw Care Farm, chaired the 2019 hustings and will also chair this online version.

“The general election hustings was very refreshing; everyone listened respectfully,” said Vicky Moller from Newport, who has attended many other hustings.

This climate hustings is likely to be of interest to a large number of people as the Mid and West Wales Regional List covers eight constituencies from relatively industrial Llanelli in the south to rural Dwyfor Meirionnyd covering the Llyn Peninsula in the North with Brecon and Radnorshire and Montgomeryshire in the East. 4 additional Senedd members will be selected from the Regional List. Unlike the constituency elections where the candidate with the most votes will become the Senedd member, the Regional list relies on proportional representation, so minor parties can have a bigger chance of success.

“We hope that the public will embrace this opportunity to get familiar with the candidates and the climate and environmental policies that they and their parties are proposing,“ said Philippa Gibson, spokesperson for Cardigan XR. Early signs are that this has struck a chord as the tickets, which are free, are going well.

This will be the first election in Wales in which 16 and 17 year old will be able to vote. The organisers wish to reassure anyone who is thinking about coming who has never been to such an event before that EVERYONE is welcome no matter what their political persuasion…or none.

The last date to register to vote if you have not already done so, is 11.59pm on Monday the 19th April.

Cardigan XR have previously held a large on-line People’s Assembly on Food and Farming during lockdown last year which attracted 150 people! Elin Jones MS co-hosted the Food and Farming event.

For more information or questions about the Climate Hustings, including the link to register please go to

https://www.facebook.com/events/2881703292156319/

The direct booking link;

http://tinyurl.com/climatehustingsbooking