THE election hustings in Ardrossan Academy were almost finished before they started after an angry tirade from a supporter of left wing alliance RISE.

As Canon Matt McManus started to introduce the constituency candidates for Cunninghame North, David Rodger, a supporter of RISE who recently protested with other members of the left wing alliance outside North Ayrshire Council’s headquarters, began to shout.

He asked why RISE had not been invited as well as other Independence supporting parties who are standing on the regional list.

Canon McManus tried to explain that it was a constituency only hustings but the shouting continued.

Mr Rodger, who claims he was unfairly ejected, then sat back down in his front row seat before rising back up from his seat and shouting again about the non-invitation of the list parties to which Canon McManus replied: ‘Shut up’.

That was met with a huge round of applause from the audience.

Mr Rodger then called the chair an ‘ignorant person’ before saying ‘R I S E, you will remember the name.’

At this point, members of the audience and organisers moved in an started to escort Mr Rodger from the hall in a move which he described as being ‘handled most roughly.’

The Herald spoke to David Rodger and he said the decision not to invite the other parties was a ‘negation of democracy’.

He said: “I was upset that the local Churches Group, under whose auspices the hustings took place, did not see fit to include Colin Turbett, the lead RISE List candidate for Holyrood.

“It is a negation of democracy.”

RISE was recently represented at two hustings events in Irvine and has had a party political broadcast.

“Your excellent newspaper has been good enough to give RISE some coverage, including a letter from me.

“But no tolerance or coverage at all from the local Churches Group, which one suspects has its own agenda.

“Why is Canon Matt McManus so scared of socialism being discussed? I am disappointed, as a churchgoer. Where was the Christianity here? There is a very good case for seeing Jesus himself as a radical left winger.

“I was manhandled out of the hall without any warning at all, at the start, after only a few words.

“After a sign from the Canon, two burly guys came and lifted me a foot off the ground and carried me to the door. I would have gone quietly if I had been asked.

“Once outside I was handled most roughly.

“For the record I am an old age pensioner, only recently recovered from cancer.

“On Monday, the day before the meeting I was diagnosed by Opticare optometrists in Hamilton Street as having a partial detached retina in my left eye. I have to go to the Ayr Hospital soon for emergency treatment.

“As a result of Canon McManus’s bully boys there has been a further deterioration in my eyesight, no doubt brought on by a knock.”

Canon McManus said: “The hustings was for the four constituency candidates listed on the ballot paper by name.

“We would have had no way of controlling it if list candidates were involved.

“We couldn’t continue with him (David Rodger) continually shouting.

“I got a call from RISE the next day apologising for his actions. It was advertised as a constituency hustings, we couldn’t invite everyone.”

Colin Turbett, the lead candidate on the regional list for RISE said: “The person who disrupted the Hustings in Ardrossan who associated themselves with RISE was not acting on behalf of RISE and had no authority from our campaign.

“Whilst we do think list candidates should have been invited we respect the decision of the organisers on that matter.

“As a responsible alliance RISE cannot associate itself with rudeness to hustings organisers or the audiences they invite.”