"Quiz the Candidates" Reading West

Candidates for the 2010 general election were put to the test on their green credentials by the voters in Reading West last Thursday 11 March. 

Although the election everbody knows is coming had still not been called, there was a good turn out of voters for GREN's Quiz the Candidates event, which was chaired by Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Reading. 

Alok Sharma (Conservative), Naz Sarkar, (Labour), Adrian Windisch (Greens) and Ricky Duveen (standing in for Daisy Benson, Lib Dems) faced up to public questionning on how their parties would combat dangerous Climate Change and help build a more Sustainable Reading.

However, despite the admirable efforts of the chairperson, many attending felt that they had not had clear and unambiguous answers on the issues raised. Naz Sarkar said that Britain led the field on Wind Farms, but Adrian Windisch pointed out that we were actually bottom of the European league on this.

Alok Sharma repeated his commitment that if elected then the rejected development at Pincents Hill would not get approval whilst he remained an MP, something that local campaigners and GREN members will no doubt want to keep him to!

Overall, the main candidates' emphasis seemed to be on following public opinion and providing incentives to act, rather than providing political leadership to shape the future.