So what do we think will happen?
I'd love to see him come a cropper based on his total lack of commitment as MP.
Will Rupert Lowe's people put up a candidate?
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>> So what do we think will happen?
>>
>> I'd love to see him come a cropper based on his total lack of commitment
>> as MP.
His lack of attention to Clacton has not gone unnoticed by the locals, but they are a fickle bunch, and the appeal of a government by a leftie from up north will not appeal.
Last edited by: Zero on Tue 7 Jul 26 at 15:00
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Can I suggest to a Mod that they split the thread starting with the first Clacton post?
Ta for drawing attention, good move. smokie
Last edited by: smokie on Tue 7 Jul 26 at 16:24
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I suspect that the Labour and Conservative parties will not field candidates leaving the opposition to a myriad of fringe parties.
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Yep, I was right. All three major parties have announced not fielding candidates.
Only Count Binface taking part.
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What a farce, what does he hope to achieve? the turnout will be miniscule
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Should be Count Binface's best ever result though. Might even get elected.
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There has to be a good chance he will be re-elected. The appeal he will put before the voters is "are you going to let the establishment question your choice of MP?"
Clarkson could probably beat him, I don't think Labour or the Conservatives can. But I don't think being MP for Clacton will be on Jeremy's bucket list.
Last edited by: Manatee on Tue 7 Jul 26 at 17:43
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Maybe Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor would like to test his popularity.
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>> Maybe Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor would like to test his popularity.
Could campaign as "the artist formally known as prince"
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Maybe Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor would like to test his popularity.
Unfortunately NO. Reply from our friend Google...
No, a royal prince cannot stand in a UK by-election. By strict constitutional convention and official Royal Family guidelines, the Head of State and their close family must remain strictly neutral in political matters. This means they are unable to stand as candidates or vote in any election.
Furthermore, any prince who holds a peerage (such as a Royal Duke) is a member of the House of Lords. Under UK electoral law, members of the House of Lords are legally disqualified from being elected to the House of Commons
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“members of the House of Lords are legally disqualified from being elected to the House of Commons“
What about Count Binface?
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Is there any serious behind the scenes contemplation of a unity candidate, a political 'clean skin' like Martin Bell in 1997 against Neil Hamilton, to stand against Farage?
Somebody suggested Martin Lewis but he's said he'd rather have a month long root canal treatment without pain relief.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Wed 8 Jul 26 at 10:32
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Ignoring him and leaving him to stand against a procession of cranks and comedians seems like a a very sound strategy me.
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>> Maybe Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor would like to test his popularity.>>
>> No, a royal prince cannot stand in a UK by-election. By strict constitutional convention and
>> official Royal Family guidelines, the Head of State and their close family must remain strictly
>> neutral in political matters. This means they are unable to stand as candidates or vote
>> in any election.
If there is no written Constitution and merely 'guidelines', surely one could renounce one's prince-ship?
>> Furthermore, any prince who holds a peerage (such as a Royal Duke) is a member
>> of the House of Lords. Under UK electoral law, members of the House of Lords
>> are legally disqualified from being elected to the House of Commons
There is precedent. 'Viscount Stansgate' disclaimed his peerage and became the simple trisyballic 'Tony Benn'. As Andrew is no longer a 'Duke', could he not become the less of a mouthful 'Andy Mow', thus reviving a rare Scottish surname?
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Farage must have thought he would do a Burnham - stand in a by-election and win convincingly, thus demonstrating both his and the partys popularity.
Makerfield was little about Burnham or Labour - more get rid of Starmer. Reform had to enter the contest having dominated the local elections.
In Clacton none of the major parties have any real prospect over Farage - so why give him the publicity of a victory. Count Binface may garner enough votes to make Farage look daft - possibly (although unlikely) even win.
Whether the money and other goodies he has received should have been reported is a matter for the Standards Committee to judge.
Irrespective of what one may think of Farage and Reform, that so experienced and able a politician had no regard for pulic opinion should the £5m and other support been made public is bizarre.
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Aren't your last two sentences a bit at odds with each other? :-)
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>> Aren't your last two sentences a bit at odds with each other? :-)
>>
No.
I make no personal judgement as to whether the "gifts" should or should not have been reported - it is for the lawyers and standards committee to decide. Whether they should have been reported is almost academic. Farage made a major error of judgement.
Assuming Farage is being honest in his assertion he was firmly of the opinion he had no obligation to report the "gifts", it still seems odd that so able and experienced a politician would fail to realise the media and public reaction should knowledge of the "gifts" enter the public domain.
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seems to be more stuff coming out bit by bit of financial irregularities and as almost always the case with these things, everything is so intertwined that it would be tough for poor Nigel to keep trace of all the donations never mind know what rules they fall under.
A true man of the people, Clacton are so lucky to have him.
If you are in any doubt, you report it. Now I know he says he wasnt in any doubt thats why he never reported it but sorry, that doesnt stick with me. If he was in no doubt, he could have reported it and shown how squeaky clean he was.
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>> There is precedent. 'Viscount Stansgate' disclaimed his peerage and became the simple trisyballic 'Tony Benn'. As Andrew is no longer a 'Duke', could he not become the less of a mouthful 'Andy Mow', thus reviving a rare Scottish surname? <<
While it is possible to renounce a peerage (Douglas-Home did something similar, didn't he?) I don't know if that can be done with a royal duchy/dukedom ? That could only be withdrawn by royal sanction ?
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>> There is precedent. 'Viscount Stansgate' disclaimed his peerage and became the simple trisyballic 'Tony Benn'.
>> As Andrew is no longer a 'Duke', could he not become the less of a
>> mouthful 'Andy Mow', thus reviving a rare Scottish surname?
Benn led the campaign to provide for peerages to be renounced having been an MP from 1950 until he took the Stansgate title when his father died in 1960.
He was the first peer to renounce doing so within minutes of the law coming into force. He returned to the Commons in a byelection a month or so later.
It was another decade plus before the media accepted his preference for being known as Tony Benn and stopped referring to him as Anthony Wedgwood Benn.
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Binface versus Nige at
clactongames.co.uk
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It would be rather fun if the other parties threw their support behind Binface including leafleting, doorstepping, challenge Farage to a debate, get the vote out support on the day etc. He is the protest (only) vote for those who don't want a Reform victory.
Even better if Binface won. On which side of the Commons would he sit if he gets there.
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>> Even better if Binface won. On which side of the Commons would he sit if
>> he gets there.
With the other clowns, so presumably anywhere.
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Quite a bit of coverage as to how the Refuk sympathetic correspondents like Dan Wooton are covering bin face's background.
He seems to have a portfolio career mixing stand up with script writing and being a stand in presenter on Times Radio.
Now transformed into a woke leftie/pillar of the establishment whose source of funding needs to be chased down.
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Amusing how a bloke with a bin on his head is now some sort of political threat and needs investigating.
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Wooton is a fine upstanding chap isn't he?
I think we had lunch in one of your local pubs today Bromptonaut. My son took his 'filled roll' back for a refund on the grounds the roll was stale. To their credit they didn't argue. The pensioners' fish and chips, and the pie of the day, were fine.
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>> I think we had lunch in one of your local pubs today Bromptonaut. My son
>> took his 'filled roll' back for a refund on the grounds the roll was stale.
5 Bells or The Wharf?
Been to the Bells three or four times since it reopened late last year and been very pleased with it.
Yet to try The Wharf in its current iteration.
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>>5 Bells or The Wharf?
The latter. Son and his gf live on a narrowboat which has been moored nearby for 2 weeks, so they are moving north today I think. We get all their post, and I was glad of 2 hours in an air conditioned car to take it up there for them yesterday, the house being so hot.
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Somebody on the wireless noted that Ukraine's comedian turned politician has been quite effective. Worth a try. I understand the Count is quite a bright bloke, which I concede might be necessary but not sufficient.
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>> Somebody on the wireless noted that Ukraine's comedian turned politician has been quite effective. Worth
>> a try. I understand the Count is quite a bright bloke, which I concede might
>> be necessary but not sufficient.
Probably a mistake to regard Binface as a serious political force and worry about funding sources, polices, intellect.
He was only ever a candidate for a bit of fun whose opportunity for lots of fun has now arrived.
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>> He was only ever a candidate for a bit of fun whose opportunity for lots
>> of fun has now arrived.
It's entirely possible he could catch the wind and give Farage a serious fright.
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>> It's entirely possible he could catch the wind and give Farage a serious fright.
>>
In 2024 Farage got 46% of the Clacton vote.
I would imagine the current "gifts" crisis may have caused some/many in the Reform camp to question their 2024 choice. I doubt support will have increased!
So it's entirely possible that if anti/non Reform voters are so motivated Binface could end up with a majority.
Some voters may not wish to engage in what is a stunt. For others the attraction of seriously denting Reform by leaving them bereft of Farage will overcome any concerns about trivialising politics.
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>>For others the attraction of seriously denting Reform by leaving them bereft of Farage will overcome any concerns about trivialising politics.
I wouldn't be able to resist, would you? Even if Binface is useless we'd all be better off - so there's your rationale if you need one.
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>> I wouldn't be able to resist, would you?
NO, not a chance I'd be there putting my X against count binface.
>>Even if Binface is useless we'd all
>> be better off - so there's your rationale if you need one.
You don't need one. by any measure, Farage has completely cocked this, regardless of the majority he might get, its meaningless, its obvious he has lashed out in a fit of pique, thrown his toys out the pram. Its very Trumpesque.
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So much of what Farage does is straight out the Trump playbook.
I put in the family WhatsApp chat during the week that I fully expected an equivalent “Trump shooting stunt” for him to go on the front foot about his security costs.
Unfortunately Widdicombes murder has allowed him to use this for the same reason.
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Clacton By Election - Zero
