I was there (and so was Jim Lawes).I thought he came across better in the flesh than he does on screen.Format was hands in the sir, DC picks a person to ask a question. He answers it. More hands in the air. He brought it to an end after 60 minutes. There was little scope to pick on an answer and develop it (along the lines of TV Question Time) - no chairman.Most interesting question was something like which Labour front bencher does he ?most admire/?see most positive qualities in. Answer David Milliband, improving as Foreign Sec; Tony Benn (whose book inspired DC to go into politics - though Benn did not appreciate it when DC told him) and after a lot of thought, Hillary Benn (DC talked about v. hard work, attention to detail and unfailing politeness, I think).A lot of education questions (teachers at school ?). DC advocating anyone should be able to set up their own school and get state funding for the kids it taught with provisos that it has to be inspected / teach national curriculum etc etc.Has apparently worked well in Sweden. Adds real competition for schools in areas that have failed kids. DC in favour of national testing.Repeat of his statements on knife-crime (made in Glasgow earlier in the day). Wants to unlock voluntary sector to assist more in social problems.Unable to intervene in energy costs - but wants more freedom for people to get a proper price forfeeding their own generated power back to the grid. Talked about one town in Germany, Freiburg, having many times the amount of solar electricity than the whole of the UK - and it can't be that much sunnier !Questions about MPs expenses got him to reveal that he had asked Shadow Cabinet to vote for proper scrutiny/auditing but many government front benchers had chosen to absent themselves and Govt whips had directed their MP's to vote against. His plan was for Tory MP's to provide details of their expenses and who was employed in their office and publish it to provide transparency.Mentioned that Simon Weston and Frederick Forsyth were working on proposals to support the armed forces. Why should leave for UK troops start when they leave Camp Bastian (and then take 4 days to get home) while the clock for US troops starts when they go through their front door ? Schools in his constituency serve Brize Norton and it is not impossiblefor a school to lose half its kids after a year to be replaced by another half of different kids. Yet the school gets no more support than a school with a stable catchment........... and lots more !
Tim Henderson ● 6554d