Looking back (2011) - "Raucous Riverton"

I've been trawling, while my family sleeps. I found, to my surprise, this article by Alex Fensome, regarding the now-infamous Riverton political meeting where the tables turned on the usual suspects, and the greenies gave voice to their concerns - to the horror of the blue brigade.
Here's Alex's take on the night's merriment:

Raucous Riverton

ALEX FENSOME

Last updated 22:44 11/11/2011

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Most of the time a candidate meeting is a dull affair. At The Times we obviously go to a lot of them in election season.
Not much tends to happen. Sometimes there will be a flashpoint but most of the time they just repeat party policies they have learned by rote, using the same anecdotes and stats.
However, on Tuesday, Green activist Robert Guyton and his family turned what would have been a pretty standard affair into something worth reporting on.
The meeting made Riverton look like a hippie commune.
The Times got there half an hour early and set ourselves up in the front row. Then we had a game of darts to pass the time.
Just before the candidates trooped in, Guyton showed up, trailing a group of schoolgirls.
He had his fake lump of lignite and lots of cardboard placards and put them right behind where we were sitting.
This made the meeting an interesting experience.
The heckling started as soon as Act candidate Ian Carline took the stage and only got louder.
You couldn't call the atmosphere hostile or hateful but it certainly was lively
One man, wearing a neck brace, asked Eric Roy a question about lignite and then interrupted his answer with more heckling.
Eric shouted at him to be quiet.
"If you want to turn this into a shouting contest I'm going to win!'' the MP bawled, veins starting to pop.
You don't mess with Eric when he's angry.
Most of the time, as many of you will know, he's a jovial and friendly sort of person.
That's one reason why he's successful in politics.
When roused, though, he can turn into The Incredible Hulk.
That's another reason why he's successful.
Lesley Soper is in the ice maiden mold. She just ignored the heckling - although the Greenies did like what she was saying more than Mr Roy.
Dave Kennedy had it easy. The schoolteacher, the model of a modern Green, must have felt like the adored leader of a totalitarian state when he was speaking.
They loved him. They were cheering, clapping, shouting out in support.
It was only later on the other parties rose to Guyton's antics. One man at the back of the crowd was particularly vociferous.
The reaction to what Guyton did has varied. Some have condemned, some have supported. I'm not offering an opinion either way. It just made good copy.