We were proud to host students from The Langton, Canterbury, at our pre-Hustings General Election Schools Workshop.  Following this, we are thrilled that a number of students sent us their reflections on the key issues that have arisen during this month’s General Election.  We are privileged to publish this blog, in which a Year 12 student from The Langton reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the performance of each of the candidates.  The blog reflects that personal passion was key to persuading the author that the author cared for those they wish to serve which, for this author, is a key vote winner. 

My views on the political event that took place on the 19th of June were wrapped in an interview I did for Kent Media subsequent to the event. I kept it brief in the interview and will expand further in this blog. 

The participants of the event are as follows, Conservative Louise Harvey-Quirke, Reform UK’s Bridget Porter, Henry Stanton from the Green Party, Liberal Democrat Russ Timpson and Luke Buchanan-Hodgman from the Social Democratic Party.  A notable name missing is Labour’s Rosie Duffield, who has been Canterbury MP for the last 7 years.

The event started by all the candidates giving a brief introduction mentioning their backgrounds, giving a brief reason they should be elected, and why they stand out. Mostly mentioning that they were all local candidates born and raised in the area and still being residents of the area trying to gain a close connection to the audience.

From this initial introduction we gained an understanding of the personas of all candidates. Luke (SDP) came out first, big and bold, and was very clear in his speech, whereas Louise (Con) seemed less committed. She didn’t persuade the audience that even she believed in her party.

Russ (LD) and Henry (Green) were soft in tone, but persuasive in their beliefs and manifesto. They seemed like they wanted to lead for the genuine good rather than driven for power. Then, Reform UK’s Bridget Porter found it more difficult to connect with the audience, however it was clear she absolutely believed in her party.

The topics raised by the audience where health, immigration, housing, future employment/job security and satisfaction with the advent of AI, environment, cost of living and inequality, tuition fees and arms to Israel. One audience member asked, ‘What is a woman?’ which notably stunned the participants, with some strong responses, and others questionable to say the least.

Notably, strong candidates with the audience were Henry Stanton with the Green Party, and Russ Timpson with the Liberal Democrats receiving numerous cheers throughout the night on various different topics. However, I believe they knew what the audience wanted and played into the audience to gain traction and confidence throughout the night. This contrasts heavily with the boos received by Bridget Porter of Reform UK, highlighting her as the weakest candidate on the night.

The strongest candidate of the night, for me, was Luke Buchanan-Hogman of the Social Democratic Party. The portrayal of Luke’s messages showed clear self-belief as well as a clearly thought-out manifesto. What topped it off to crown Luke the best of the night was he was the only candidate to not be reading off a large pack of notes. Every response of Luke’s wasn’t scripted and was straight from his own personal thoughts and this showed to me more care than the other candidates and as a constituency we need a leader who cares and has genuine concern for the best of the People.