History of hustings
Why are hustings called by that name?
— The word ‘hustings’ is derived from an old Norse word for ‘house of assembly’. In English it was applied to the court held by the Lord Mayor of London in Guildhall, and also to the wooden platform on which the court was held. It was later applied to the meetings at which election candidates used to be publicly nominated.
— The process involved a show of hands which gave candidates an idea of the support they might expect were a poll to be held. Candidates with little visible support would often withdraw, with the result that a candidate would be elected unopposed, rather as some Conservatives have been hoping might happen in the case of Boris Johnson. The public nomination process was abolished in 1872.
Beside the seaside
Residents of Bognor and Clacton complained after Which? magazine declared them to be Britain’s worst seaside resorts.
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