Does he want to be an MP or the messiah?

The MP expenses scandal, Europe and bovine TB were among topics debated at a lively hustings sponsored by the Journal.

The Question Time-style event at Petroc on Monday last week drew more than 75 people of all ages, including a number of party supporters, to hear five North Devon candidates outline policies.

The BNP candidate, Gary Marshall, gave out campaign leaflets on the road outside. corr The Communist candidate, Gerrard Sables, distributed anti-BNP leaflets nearby.

Five would-be MPs took questions: L’Anne Knight (Green); Mark Cann (Lab); Nick Harvey (Lib Dem); Steve Crowther (UKIP); Philip Milton (Cons).
There was agreement among candidates that parliament needed to be “cleaned up” after the expenses scandal.

Mr Harvey said “MPs collectively for the past 40 years” were responsible for the corruption which was symptomatic of wider political problems.

Mr Crowther attacked “professional politicians” and Mrs Knight said individual MPs must shoulder the blame.

Thom Walker from Burrington asked if candidates could foresee a time when the UK was independent from the EU. Mrs Knight said the EU was a “beacon of good practice in many respects” and Mr Cann said: “I don’t think we can turn the clock back and I wouldn’t want to” and “I think we get good value for the contributions we make”.

Mr Milton did not believe in leaving the EU but he attacked EU regulations while the UKIP candidate called for withdrawal. Mr Harvey criticised the “Little Englander” mentality of those who wanted to leave the EU and drew loud applause when he said the “right-wing media” fed people a “diet of drivel” about Europe.

Mr Milton was met with groans when he said Lord Ashcroft didn’t need to put any money into the North Devon campaign because Mr Milton was “going to win anyway”.

And Mr Harvey launched a fierce attack on party funding , saying the “spectre” of what Lord Ashcroft did was “utterly repugnant”.

Speaking about local farming, Mrs Knight said food shortages could be reduced by producing more local sustainable produce.

After listening to what Mr Milton listed as the main problems facing North Devon, including education funding, Mr Harvey questioned whether the Tory candidate knew what an MP did, adding: “Does he understand it’s to be one of 651 MPs or does he think it’s to be the messiah?”

Mr Harvey said many local problems were the legacy of the neglect of the previous Conservative government.

There was concern among the candidates that people in Barnstaple and South Molton were not given control over plans for new Tesco supermarkets.

Mr Harvey said district councils were “no match” for Tesco’s teams of slick lawyers and Mr Crowther said the fact North Devon Conservative councillors claimed they had “no choice” but to approve a Tesco Extra plan was “absurd”.

Mr Milton and Mr Harvey both supported scientific research and appropriate badger culls to tackle bovine TB. Mr Milton said: “This is like the illegal immigrants really; tell me where all the badgers are, where the diseased badgers are. There are so many simple and practical problems we have to tackle.” There were also questions about climate change, immigration and the economy.