Cambridge Mayor; City Council's Electoral Services Manager; and Council CEO
Reference Code:
SOBA 5/1/1
Date:
2015-3-31 (creation)
Description:
As described by the depositor: On the March 31st 2015 Vicky and her team received the Writ from the Queen to say a General Election will be held. Cambridge Mayor, Councillor Gerri Bird, was there at the Guildhall in the Market Square to receive it as she is the Returning Officer. The City Council’s CEO, Antoinette Jackson, is the Acting Returning Officer who is responsible for running the General Election. There are 80000 voters in Cambridge, quite a task for the team. Voters have to register up to 12 days before the Election, and candidates need to put their names forward by 9th April. We began by speaking to Councillor Bird, as she signed for receipt of the Parliamentary Writ.
Collection:
Women’s Parliamentary Radio publications and podcasts, conducted by Boni Sones with contributions by Jackie Ashley, Deborah McGurran and Linda Fairbrother


Labour Campaign team workers
Reference Code:
SOBA 5/1/19
Date:
2015-5-4 (creation)
Description:
Includes interview with activist and volunteer Paul McHugh. As described by the depositor: Paul told us: “If people say in the morning of the vote they will be out and they haven’t been in the evening we will go and talk to them again. People have been phoning up for rosettes. We are concentrating on polling day on getting the vote out. Later tonight we will get Daniel to do some more phone canvassing with us, we will phone up all the Labour party members who have not offered to help us, the inactive members and remind them there is an election.”
Collection:
Women’s Parliamentary Radio publications and podcasts, conducted by Boni Sones with contributions by Jackie Ashley, Deborah McGurran and Linda Fairbrother




Hustings: part three
Reference Code:
SOBA 5/1/28
Date:
2015-4-27-2015-4-29 (creation)
Description:
Covers the Middle East and Palestinian hustings, April 27th; the Cambridge Assessment Staff hustings, April 29th; and the Churches Jubliee hustings, April 29th. As described by the depositor: Mona, The Chair and a PHD student, said: “I think it went quite well, everyone has their passions and the situation in the Middle East is difficult and that was reflected on the panel. It was a good turnout, the foreign policy issues are important. People wanted to know how will the PPCs words translate into actions in the coming parliament. UKIP did not attend but they were invited.” Simon Lebus, CEO of Cambridge Assessment said: “ We wanted to give our staff an opportunity to see what the candidates thought about education but also about Cambridge. As a big employer it is good for our staff to engage politically and find out what the candidates have to say for themselves. They were concerned about the practical issues of living and working here, the cost of housing and cycling too. “As the Chair of the event, I personally have found it very helpful, the PPCs are a thoughtful bunch. It is nicely unpredictable to be at a live hustings event, but too often questions are used as a platform for making more general political statements rather than being concise and listening to the answers of others. This was their 26th husting and it must be completely exhausting for them.” Jonathan Tame the organiser said: “We are using Twitter and a Hashtag and we have two audiences, those who are here and those not coming but who are keeping an eye on us on Twitter. We have 800 followers and it is growing fast. There are different churches here and we are trying to educate Christians about how to engage in politics, public life and the economy. Freedom of religion, freedom of expressions, poverty, food banks, we are expecting that there will be a number of hot potatoes that will come up and also immigration too probably. House prices, congestion, generation rent, these are all issues in Cambridge.”
Collection:
Women’s Parliamentary Radio publications and podcasts, conducted by Boni Sones with contributions by Jackie Ashley, Deborah McGurran and Linda Fairbrother


Green 'Big Footing' event
Reference Code:
SOBA 5/1/25
Date:
2015-4-15 (creation)
Description:
From a a special Green debate with the Guardian journalist Zoe Williams at Downing College, Cambridge. Includes interviews with Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett, Zac, her national campaign manager, and local activists in the audience. As described by the depositor: Natalie told us: “On Climate Change, we have really been left behind while the rest of the World, Countries like China, are towering ahead. That is one of the things our Manifesto focuses on not just energy conservation but renewables. The Green surge has grown more than four fold in the past year in a range of seats we are seeing growth and a whole range of possibilities.” Zac, the National campaigns assistant for the Green Party in England and Wales said: “We have just past 60,000 members in England and Wales so the Green surge is continuing. The green party isn’t really about Natalie it is about the ideas and policies we have got to create a fairer society. We are also challenging Norwich South, the second best result for us last time after Brighton. Cambridge was third for us in 2010. I think we are really moving into multiparty politics, which I think is a more mature system. “ Dennis O'Malley of the Stop the War coalition said he had attended the Hustings to find our “directly” what the Green Party had to say on a number of issues particularly foreign policy: “Yes, we can ask questions directly to the Leader of the Party and get them to talk about issues that they might otherwise avoid.”
Collection:
Women’s Parliamentary Radio publications and podcasts, conducted by Boni Sones with contributions by Jackie Ashley, Deborah McGurran and Linda Fairbrother


Liberal Democrat activist; and a door knocker
Reference Code:
SOBA 5/1/21
Date:
2015-4-12-2015-5-4 (creation)
Description:
Interviews with Liberal Democrat activist Rachel, on may 4th, and Colin, a door knocker, and the office manager Nicola Martin on April 12th at a door knocker training session. As described by the depositor: Rachel told us: “I didn’t realise how much work goes in on a local level, and how it matters. There are so many activists and councillors working locally and all you hear is what is on the national news. What Nick Clegg tweets, or what David Cameron says, and there are more people on a local level who have invested in it too.” Nicola Martin, campaign assistant for Julian Huppert said they had concentrated on putting across Julian’s positive message. “We just keep everything happy and positive about Julian, as he is the best candidate for Cambridge, so we are telling that to everyone we can.” Colin a veteran door knocker said: ”I have been door knocking since 2005, I got conned into it, but I found it was not as bad as I feared. I haven’t had any training and thought it was about time I got some. Some like it others don’t, you sometimes get nice reactions and others don’t want to be bothered, you have to be prepared for anything, wind ups, aggression, the lot.”
Collection:
Women’s Parliamentary Radio publications and podcasts, conducted by Boni Sones with contributions by Jackie Ashley, Deborah McGurran and Linda Fairbrother


Unite Against Fascism hustings
Reference Code:
SOBA 5/2/11
Date:
2015-4-20 (creation)
Description:
Includes interview with Julian Huppert, MP, and Nazarene, event organiser
Collection:
Women’s Parliamentary Radio publications and podcasts, conducted by Boni Sones with contributions by Jackie Ashley, Deborah McGurran and Linda Fairbrother


Housing hustings
Reference Code:
SOBA 5/2/14
Date:
2015-4-23 (creation)
Description:
Includes interview with Chamali Fernando, Conservative party candidate, and Duncan Stott, organiser of the event.
Collection:
Women’s Parliamentary Radio publications and podcasts, conducted by Boni Sones with contributions by Jackie Ashley, Deborah McGurran and Linda Fairbrother



Cambridge University European Society hustings
Reference Code:
SOBA 5/2/22
Date:
2015-5-2 (creation)
Description:
The final local hustings of this election. Includes interviews with the Anna, society Outreach Officer, and Matteo Mirolo, society Vice President.
Collection:
Women’s Parliamentary Radio publications and podcasts, conducted by Boni Sones with contributions by Jackie Ashley, Deborah McGurran and Linda Fairbrother












Interview with Maria Caulfield MP: helping children with Autism get better care
Reference Code:
SOBA 1/10
Date:
2018-02-22 (creation)
Description:
Caulfield is a member of the APPG on Autism which published a report calling on government to ensure teachers, schools and local authority's statement children with autism earlier. Caulfield co-chaired an enquiry on autism in schools, asking for extra funding for local authorities to recognise those with autism. She is looking for Government to realise that this is a national problem and there is the need to ensure schools have the support they need. There needs to be a focus on what resources are needed and determining how many individuals have autism spectrum disorder. Caulfield raises the importance of backbench MPs and how influential they can be.
Collection:
Women’s Parliamentary Radio publications and podcasts, conducted by Boni Sones with contributions by Jackie Ashley, Deborah McGurran and Linda Fairbrother



Interview with Catherine Smart the Cambridge Liberal Democrat Agent: Local Elections
Reference Code:
SOBA 1/24
Date:
2018-05-09 (creation)
Description:
Smart is a former LD Councillor and as agent she had to take charge of election literature of others, the expenses of her election, which are tightly regulated, and was there at the Count in Guild Hall in Cambridge on May 4th. Smart talks about her role in the mid-term local elections, the Liberal Democrats had a surprise win taking control of the neighbouring council in South Cambridgeshire although in Cambridge itself, Labour kept control. Smart requested that Antoinette Jackson, the CEO of Cambridge City council conduct a recount in Trumpington Ward which was a knife edge win for Labour by four votes, but originally two votes had been put on the wrong pile. Smart discusses the election, voting and her role. Sones was in the Guild Hall during the vote, and asks Smart to explain how the ballot papers are counted. Smart says that there are three different aspects to council work: case work, including planning issues; campaigning; committee work. Smart was Councillor for Romsey, she lost her seat and Sones asks if it was because of the national swing in politics. Smart agreed and goes onto explain why she joined the Liberal Democrats, pinning it on Thatcherism. Smart and Sones discuss Brexit and Cambridge voting to Remain. Smart clarifies that the Liberal Democrats want a public vote on the deal that has been agreed. The pair move onto discuss #Vote100, and Sones asks about all-women shortlists. Smart notes the amount of women in local politics and the importance of them, especially in Cambridge.
Collection:
Women’s Parliamentary Radio publications and podcasts, conducted by Boni Sones with contributions by Jackie Ashley, Deborah McGurran and Linda Fairbrother