FTiL organised hustings on 17th April with the Conservative, Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates for the London Assembly (to represent the Lambeth and Southwark constituency). About 30 people attended and the candidates answered 12 questions that had been submitted in advance and a few more from the meeting.

When FTiL's management committee reviewed the event there was praise for the harmonious approach that the four candidates adopted, even though there were clearly important policy differences among them.

One of the benefits from the meeting was a chance to clarify the voting system in London elections which have only existed in their present form since 2000 and are not yet familiar to many people. The importance of taking the trouble to vote is all the greater because the 25 places on the London Assemply are determined on a proportional basis. So any vote that you fail to cast is not only a loss to the party you would like to support but also increases the proportion of the total vote gained by other parties. This increases the risk of small parties with extreme policies gaining 5% of the total and thus getting one of the 25 seats.

The elections take place this Thursday, 3rd May.