Can we keep the election civilised?

The General Election campaigning is in full swing and close seats like Peterborough are in the national spotlight. I was asked to contribute to the Sky News ‘Path to Power’ broadcast from Cathedral Square this week. Presenter Mark Austin and the Path to Power broadcast bus set up in Cathedral Square and profiled the city and canvassed a range of opinions. As I sat in the bus and for the record the small Sky broadcast team were impressive in their efficiency and adaptability - I listentened to some of the invited Peterborians debate the election and Brexit. There were ‘ordinary people’ of a wide spectrum of political persuasions. On camera each gave their perspective. Off-camera they also discussed the issues. One Brexit suppoter was discussing Boris’s deal with a Tory and a Labour voter. It was fascinating to listen to and what struck me most was the civilised way the conversation developed and points were made. These ‘ordinary people’ listened to each other. They acknowledged each other’s points and made their own. Notable by their absence were raised voices, finger jabbing, insults and aggression. Clearly these people were far from agreement on the things they briefly found themselves discussing but their civility remained throughout. Points were made firmly but without attempting to deride others’ positions. It was refreshing. Perhaps we have all become used to the Brexit barrage. The issues are critical and there can have been few recent elections where so much is at stake. Passion and commitment is understandable but the debate is allimportant. The critical points must be delivered and considered but they don’t need to be met with derision and insults. Many of our politicians could learn something from the approach of the ‘ordinary citizens’ who discussed the issues on Tuesday evening.