ENVIRONMENTAL HUSTINGS

Hustings

We wanted to make sure that all the candidates in the 2020 Election were aware of the importance of the environment, and had some understanding of the broad range of environmental issues they will need to tackle during their term in government.

To support this, we hosted an Environment Hustings on the 8th of September at Les Cotils, to which all candidates and current Deputies were invited to take part.

HOW it WENT

IIt was a great success! More info soon, but...

76 candidates (if we counted right!)
26 tables manned nearly 50 volunteers
3 minutes per table (plus travel time)
Candidates got round 10-12 tables covering a wide cross-section of environmental themes
About half of candidates recorded a 1-minute audio (and we'll offer others the chance to do it later). These will be published on this site.

Objectives

To hear the views of candidates on important environmental issues
To educate candidates about critical issues they need to address this term
To get all candidates to commit to action to address climate change and biodiversity loss

how did the hustings work?

We used a speed hustings format for the evening, as previously used in the past two elections by the Guernsey Disability Alliance.

Imagine a room full of tables. Environmental experts are paired by topic at each table, e.g. marine life, active travel, renewable energy. They will have one minute to present their key points to candidates, who are also paired. A minute will then be given to each candidate to explain their views on the topic and propose actions. A bell will ring and candidates will be asked to move onto the next table.

There were two 1hr sessions, with a short break in between. The first session ran from 6.15 to 7.15pm, the second from 7.30 to 8.30pm.

We aimed to have 80 candidates in attendance, providing each session with 20 pairs of candidates. This meant we planned to have 20 tables per session, with each table focusing on a different environmental theme. Candidates only spent a short time on each table – about 2 minutes 30 seconds (allowing for movement between tables).

Were the hustings open to the public?

No, unfortunately not. The “speed hustings” format involves candidates sitting face-to-face with volunteers, which doesn’t work for an audience.