In the lead up to the 1983 General Election, the second of three special edition of Tyne Tees Television current affairs programme ‘Briefing’ in which votes in three key northern constituencies get to quiz their parliamentary candidate on subjects of relevance to them. In this episode the votes of Skipton and Ripon in North Yorkshire get to get to put questions to their candidates on subject such as youth unemployment, pensioner concessions and defence and nuclear disarmament. Title: Tyne...

In the lead up to the 1983 General Election, the second of three special edition of Tyne Tees Television current affairs programme ‘Briefing’ in which votes in three key northern constituencies get to quiz their parliamentary candidate on subjects of relevance to them. In this episode the votes of Skipton and Ripon in North Yorkshire get to get to put questions to their candidates on subject such as youth unemployment, pensioner concessions and defence and nuclear disarmament. Title: Tyne Tees Title: Briefing In the Tyne Tees Television studio in Newcastle presenter Ian Breach introduces this special edition in which voters from Skipton and Ripon put their questions to the three main parliamentary candidates running in the general election on June the 9th. The Town Hall on Ripon Marketplace with reporter Kevin Rountree providing details on this newly formed parliamentary constituency. Nearby a crowd gathers around Kevin who reads out the results of a recent canvas of voters asking them what they think are the most important issues. At the top unemployment especially for the young, defence and nuclear disarmament comes second with the big local issue being the siting of a new road through the middle of Ripon. Back in Newcastle Ian Breach provides details on the three candidates standing in this year’s election, John Watson the current incumbent Conservative MP, Claire Brooks for the SDP-Liberal Alliance and Mrs Margaret Billing standing for the Labour Party. Back on Ripon Marketplace Kevin Rountree takes the first question put to all three candidates by a middle-aged man who wants to know what they would do about youth unemployment in this rural area. A second question is put by an unemployed graduate who asks the candidates if they see a return to full employment, and if not, what would they do to improve the situation for the unemployed? Back in the studio the questions are put to the three candidates beginning with Claire Brooks for the SDP-Liberal Alliance. Following their responses Kevin Rountree asked the two men if they are happy with the candidates’ responses, happy but predictable says the younger man. A second question is put by an older woman who is concerned about the lack of concessions for pensioners in the Ripon area. She asked the candidates if their party was elected would they centralise these concessions to help pensioners in need or leave them as they are to the local authority? Back in the studio John Watson responds first by providing details on the Conservatives record on pensioners. Again, the other candidates speak of their parties’ policies towards helping pensioners. Back in Ripon the woman who posed the question on concessions isn’t happy with the response, but Kevin moves onto another question from a young man who asks Margaret Billing about Labour’s policy on nuclear disarmament and would this make Britain a ‘naive people’ following comments made by the then General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov. In the studio the question is posed to Margret Billing who talks about the issues of nuclear proliferation and Labours moral stand on the issue to establishing a non-nuclear defence policy. Again, the other candidates put their parties’ policies on this subject. Returning to Ripon the young man who is a supporter of the ‘nuclear deterrent’ is indignant at the responses of both the Claire Brooks and Margaret Billing. As Margaret Billing attempts to respond to the young man’s comments Ian Breach stops her bringing the discussion and programme to and end. Over the closing credits Ripon Town Hall and a decorative flowerbed in front of it. Credit: Presenter Ian Breach Reporter Kevin Rowntree Research Mike Jordan Associate Producer Bob Duncan Political Editor John Sleight Director Paul Dickin Producer Bob Farnworth End title: Tyne Tees Colour. © Tyne Tees Television Ltd. MCMLXXXIII