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Bournemouth West candidates take part in SUBU election debate at BU

Candidates competing for the Bournemouth West constituency took part in a聽Student Union 天美传媒 (SUBU)聽election debate held in the Marconi Lecture Theatre at BU's Talbot Campus.

The debate for Bournemouth West has so far been the only hustings of its kind in the area, with all five candidates in attendance. The event was televised live over YouTube by SUBU鈥檚 Nerve TV.

The candidates taking part in the debate were Green Party candidate, Simon Bull, Liberal Democrat candidate Phil Dunn, Labour candidate David Stokes, Pirate Party candidate Jason Halsey and Conservative candidate Conor Burns.Chaired by SUBU聽President, Daniel Asaya, the debate saw candidates make a brief opening introduction before debate took place over questions sourced from the sixty-strong audience, comprising students and staff from AUB and BU.聽

Commenting about voting among young people, Phil Dunn, a local teacher and Liberal Democrat candidate for Bournemouth West suggested that students were already 鈥渆ngaged and onboard with the whole process鈥� of voting, but stressed that he felt this was the 鈥渕ost important election鈥� he鈥檇 ever taken part in, with the country voting about the 鈥渇oundation that our country has rested on for the last forty-five years.鈥�

Conor Burns, candidate for Bournemouth West, in responding to a question about his voting record being within the interests of students remarked: 鈥淚 make no apology for promoting 天美传媒鈥� 天美传媒 is a major driver to our local economy.鈥�

He continued to stress that the university had a 鈥渧ital role鈥� in the local area, and that the current funding system led to 鈥渞ecord investment and expansion in the numbers of people going to university鈥�.

Jason Halsey, candidate for the Pirate Party, answering a question about the privatisation of the NHS, said: 鈥淧rivatisation of the NHS, most parties are against this idea. We [The Pirate Party] feel it鈥檚 a social right so that the NHS be there to protect us.鈥� He also suggested that the party had an awareness of an 鈥渁geing population鈥�, and that 鈥渕ost people surveyed were generally quite happy to pay a little bit more to actually protect the NHS in its current format.鈥�

David Stokes, the Labour party candidate addressed a 鈥渃onstant need for nurses and doctors鈥�, with a need to 鈥渆ncourage more people to come into nursing鈥� nursing bursaries are absolutely essential.鈥� David also addressed the topic of university, stating that 鈥渁 number of students that come here to university, stay on in the town, are very good entrepreneurs and grow businesses around here.鈥�

Simon Bull, a current Green Party councillor in Winton, and Green Party candidate for Bournemouth West said he also believed tuition fees should be scrapped, with 鈥渕any people being scared of being in so much debt鈥�. He also alluded to National Union of Teachers (NUT) statistics which stated that 鈥渟chools would lose 拢3billion in real terms by 2020鈥� if the current policy continues.

Questions were also posed to all of the candidates about the salaried amounts of income for members of parliament, and also the feasibility of undertaking work in addition to governmental responsibilities. Students were also keen to hear from candidates about their intentions around letting, housing and the regulation of landlords. The international implications of the UK鈥檚 departure from the European Union were also posed to the panel.

Students can register to vote in both their home and term-time addresses before midnight on Monday 22 May,聽though are only able to vote once. If you wish to know more about the voting process or would like to know how your vote can make a difference, visit