OVER 200 voters packed into The Courier hustings at Dundee’s Apex Hotel last night to grill prospective candidates for the east and west of the city on hot topics such as public spending cuts, soaring fuel prices and MPs’ expenses.
The crowd did not hold back when politicians gave unsatisfactory answers to their questions and made their anger over key topics very clear.
The event was chaired by The Courier’s political editor, Steve Bargeton, who had invited members of the public to come up with questions during a hustings roadshow in the city centre.
One of the biggest clashes of the night came when Dundee taxi driver Tony Waters asked what could be done to stop the “fuel rip-off.”
The question was put first to Dundee West Labour candidate Jim McGovern, who hopes to be returned to the seat he held in the previous Parliament at Westminster.
When Mr McGovern replied saying he did not hold the belief there was a fuel rip-off, one audience member said, “I didn’t come here for a laugh.”
Mr McGovern added, “What I would do is try and get people to use public transport.”
He went on to make the point that it was the introduction of congestion charges in London that encouraged people to start using more public transport—and said he would be prepared to consider introducing a congestion charge in every city.
This view was met with loud barracking from the audience.
Dundee East SNP candidate Stewart Hosie agreed with the questioner that there was a fuel rip-off.
“Six fuel duty rises in two years and a 17% hike is the wrong thing to do—it takes money out of people’s pockets and the pockets of businesses and puts up the cost of everything we buy in every single shop,” he said.
“When the price at the pump goes up, they (the government) get more VAT—there’s a tax windfall (that) we can use to introduce a fuel duty regulator to smooth things out—and by goodness we need to.”
Dundee West Liberal Democrat candidate John Barnett said, “I’m sure Mr McGovern is aware that it is cheaper to buy an Oyster card in London and travel round the city than it is to go round Angus or Fife.”
As Steve Bargeton went on to ask members of the audience about their views on fuel prices, one woman, who runs a project that helps people deal with financial problems, said unemployed and disabled people were shelling out a considerable amount of money on public transport and taxis, while fuel prices were seriously eating into the disposable income of workers with cars.
http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2010 ... 1932t0.asp
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