Yesterday, we held our political Q&A event with local candidates, Melanie Onn for Labour, Lia Nici for Conservatives, and Oliver Freeston for Reform UK, at Franklin College to help the general public interact with these figures, one of whom will ultimately make decisions that can either benefit or detriment the area.
Following an hour-long debate filled with flaring tensions, respectful conversations, and audience participation, we asked some of the young people from Franklin College, who watched the event live in our studio audience, what they thought.
First up was Lennon, who said that he thought that “Melanie Onn was definitely the winner” of the proceedings. He continued, “I thought she can come out with her head held the highest.”
Lennon added, “[Oliver] Freeston, it was going well for him. I thought it was going well for him, until he started mentioning ‘the gangs who couldn’t speak English’, because obviously being in a gang and speaking English is far better, and the Bradford and Rotherham stuff, I think it’s a load of nonsense, but I think the loser tonight was definitely Lia Nici. I thought she looked lost at times.
“She looked a bit down and depressed. I think she knows she’s defeated; I don’t know why she’s trying to try and recuperate anything because it’s pointless for her, and I think she had an absolute mare on a few of the questions.”
After Lennon, we spoke with James, who agreed with Lennon’s verdict of ‘winner’. He said that Melanie Onn was the “most well-spoken” and “influential speaker”, but added his views about Freeston. James said, “I felt that Oliver Freeston was so politically extreme in terms of immigration, the borders, and the European Union. I feel like, as a councillor, I feel like he was perfect. He’s relatable. He’s down to earth. You can speak to him. But at the same time, obviously, his views are, in my opinion, quite noxious.
He added, “The loser’s got to be Lia Nici. I mean, she looked miserable for half the time. She got questions stuck to her that she couldn’t answer, and she tied herself up in knots on multiple occasions.”
We also spoke with Charlie, who said that she appreciated the debate session as it gave her and other young people alike the chance to “debate and engage in democracy”. Continuing with the praise for Melanie Onn as ‘winner’, Charlie said that “Melanie was probably the strongest debater there.”
Charlie also added her thoughts about Oliver Freeston and Lia Nici too, saying that “Oliver was off to a good start, but, like the other said, when he brought up the gang problem, personally, as a woman, I found it disrespectful for him to say that feeling unsafe revolved around people not speaking English. I’ve been catcalled by plenty of English and British people, one of which was at the Armed Forces event, which he [Freeston] was praising and said was a great example of British pride. I think that sexual harassment, of any kind, is just as valid, not depending on what the person’s first language is. I think it’s an issue for all different demographics.”
Charlie concluded that, for herself, the ‘loser’ of the debate was Nici, who was “probably the weakest debater there.” Charlie explained how she thought that Nici “looked a bit beat up by the end of it” and how she skated around a variety of questions.
Hazel also appeared to be in support of the event, stating that she was not much of a politically inclined individual. She said that she previously met Melanie Onn “back in primary [school]” and thought that on the night of the debate, she “was the strongest because she brought some great examples and great policies that would help us as a community, for the youth, the elderly, for anyone who needs it.”
She added how “Lia was tiptoeing around the questions” and how Oliver was “extreme” about his ideas.
Lastly, we spoke with Charlotte, who said that “it was a very enlightening event” and that it was “good to see, especially with so many young people engaging in political events.” Although, she concluded that it was “very ironic” to see that the candidates were combatting each other despite preaching respect.
Charlotte added, “I think it’s extremely interesting to see the crowd support. Melanie Onn definitely gained the most, whereas Lia Nici was avoiding all the questions and was tiptoeing around them, giving ‘true politicians answers’, whereas Melanie Onn; she got to the point and she knew what she wanted to talk about; she knew what she was there for, whereas Lia Nici seemed like she’s already accepted defeat.
“Oliver, I think he has promise as a politician, but he’s too young at the moment to truly understand these events, and he doesn’t seem to understand people’s questions.”
If you wish to watch the event, it was broadcast live on our Facebook page, and you can watch by pressing here.
