One week shy of its first birthday, Speakers’ Corner Lichfield came of age last Saturday, when there were seldom fewer than 100 people gathered on the site between 12noon and 1pm last Saturday, for an open-air ‘pre-hustings’ event. 

Three prospective parliamentary candidates who were able to be present:  Stephen Hyden, the Labour candidate; Ian Jackson, the Liberal Democrat candidate; and Karen Maunder, the UKIP candidate — the fourth candidate, Michael Fabricant, Conservative, had a prior engagement and was not able to attend)

The candidates fielded questions on the environment, education, defence, health, the local economy and law and order.  

Audience participation was vigorous, but never abusive — grassroots democracy in action!