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Clacton by-election

(438 Posts)
MawsRosie Tue 07-Jul-26 23:14:25

In the immortal words of Brenda from Bristol, «Not another one!»

This is a wheeze, a dodge, a distraction, an expensive waste of time and an attempt to wriggle out of the morass he has got himself into,

Oreo Fri 10-Jul-26 21:43:26

Be an interesting political day on the 6th August🤔 I have back to back work that day and the next and the next, so will look on here sometime on the Sunday to see what posters made of it all.

Cossy Fri 10-Jul-26 21:52:21

This thread is getting weirder and weirder!

I look forward to returning to some form of normality tomorrow.

Good night all and I hope you all have a good weekend.

thanks

Graphite Fri 10-Jul-26 21:59:18

all Farage knows what to do is campaign. But once he wins what he campaigns for he has no idea what to do with it.

You are right, Maybee. He’s a circus showman going from place to place with the same routine, the same patter. He’s been doing it for years. It’s all hokum.

It’s why he can’t function in Parliament because he isn’t the star of the show. He’s just a backbencher in a small party and one of 643 other MPs. Nobody takes much notice of him. He has nothing interesting or original to say.

I think he knows he’s fast running out of road as the investigations into his and Reform’s funding gathers pace with new revelations every day and police closing in on the Cottrell family.

The by-election charade is just a diversion for a few weeks.

David Bull was right when he said he should take a break. I’m not convinced he would mind very much if he did lose in Clacton. It gives him an excuse to run away - which we know he has form for.

The new YouGov polling shows 73% of people think he’s sleazy. 40% of Reform voters think he’s sleazy.

The by-election is set for the 13th August not the 6th.

Maremia Fri 10-Jul-26 22:10:31

Perhaps sunshine's use of the word 'nonsense' in her description of some of the points could be considered to be rude?

nanna8 Sat 11-Jul-26 01:46:24

Heat is getting to some. I say this with envy because it is very cold here. I disagree with ‘tin man’. More wooden I think. 🤔

MawsRosie Sat 11-Jul-26 09:24:36

graciemabel

Farage is our only saviour and that's a fact!

No, it’s your opinion which of course you are entitled to.
I am equally entitled to disagree with and even dismiss it.
A fact, it ain’t.

J52 Sat 11-Jul-26 09:30:54

graciemabel

Farage is our only saviour and that's a fact!

🤣🤣🤣 ( my opinion)

foxie48 Sat 11-Jul-26 12:10:49

Not my opinion. IMO Farage is a snake oil salesman with his hand in the pockets of foreign malign actors and his head.....I won't be crude but he's very keen to be Trumps BFF. He's surrounded himself with self serving grifters and rich people with suspicious links to Russia. He is in politics to make money, just like Trump and he won't make money by improving the lives of the disadvantaged, disappointed and disillusioned voter but he be well rewarded by causing chaos and division in our society by people who want to see the UK weakened.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Sat 11-Jul-26 18:44:47

There is a line in Count Binface’s manifesto that encapsulates why Britain is in such a mess. “I’ll cut your taxes,” pledges the Clacton by-election candidate, “and raise everyone else’s.”

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Sat 11-Jul-26 18:52:37

The bin man is like a personification of Have I Got News For You
Smug, elitist, boring and unfunny.

IMO 😁

Cossy Sat 11-Jul-26 19:01:13

nanna8

Heat is getting to some. I say this with envy because it is very cold here. I disagree with ‘tin man’. More wooden I think. 🤔

How I wish it was cooler here! Jealous of you flowers

Call Starmer anything you like, he didn’t take us into a pointless war and he’s made strides towards trying to make the UK a better place for all of us.

He’s not a great speaker, doesn’t set the world on fire, but I still believe him to be a calm, safe pair of hands and a man of integrity.

He can use these skills now for the good of his one constituency and his family.

Cossy Sat 11-Jul-26 19:01:33

FriedGreenTomatoes2

The bin man is like a personification of Have I Got News For You
Smug, elitist, boring and unfunny.

IMO 😁

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Cossy Sat 11-Jul-26 19:02:17

foxie48

Not my opinion. IMO Farage is a snake oil salesman with his hand in the pockets of foreign malign actors and his head.....I won't be crude but he's very keen to be Trumps BFF. He's surrounded himself with self serving grifters and rich people with suspicious links to Russia. He is in politics to make money, just like Trump and he won't make money by improving the lives of the disadvantaged, disappointed and disillusioned voter but he be well rewarded by causing chaos and division in our society by people who want to see the UK weakened.

1 100% agree with your opinion! thanks

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Sat 11-Jul-26 19:03:22

He’s been useless
But we can agree to disagree Cossy on the why’s and wherefores 😊

Cossy Sat 11-Jul-26 19:07:11

I quite like HIGNFY and Mock The Week.

I clearly enjoy satirical humour, don’t find it boring, Paul Merton couldn’t be less elitist and Ian Hislop is very smug and has a smuggy face but is educated and highly amusing!

IMO grin

Cossy Sat 11-Jul-26 19:08:38

FriedGreenTomatoes2

He’s been useless
But we can agree to disagree Cossy on the why’s and wherefores 😊

Of course smile How utterly mind-numbingly boring would be if everyone agreed with each other on everything.

(IMO grin)

GrannyGravy13 Sat 11-Jul-26 19:15:03

FriedGreenTomatoes2

There is a line in Count Binface’s manifesto that encapsulates why Britain is in such a mess. “I’ll cut your taxes,” pledges the Clacton by-election candidate, “and raise everyone else’s.”

Oh dear, that made me spit my wine out 😹😹😹

J52 Sat 11-Jul-26 19:16:17

May I recommend Dead Ringers on Radio 4. Hilarious satire on all comers.

foxie48 Sat 11-Jul-26 19:17:33

I love political satire, it can be funny and provocative. Unlike populists, who say what they think people want to hear, a good satirist says things that make people think and smile at the same time. I could go into my local and hear people saying what Farage says any day of the week but I can't go there to find a decent satirist...more's the pity!

AGAA4 Sat 11-Jul-26 19:20:09

foxie48

Not my opinion. IMO Farage is a snake oil salesman with his hand in the pockets of foreign malign actors and his head.....I won't be crude but he's very keen to be Trumps BFF. He's surrounded himself with self serving grifters and rich people with suspicious links to Russia. He is in politics to make money, just like Trump and he won't make money by improving the lives of the disadvantaged, disappointed and disillusioned voter but he be well rewarded by causing chaos and division in our society by people who want to see the UK weakened.

You have described Farage very well.

J52 Sat 11-Jul-26 19:35:12

Additionally, Farage throwing a hissy fit because he is being subjected to the same media scrutiny as any other MP could be is not particularly impressive.

Yes and it’s the tax payers that are paying for it.

Graphite Sat 11-Jul-26 19:46:28

The bin man is … smug, elitist, boring and unfunny.

Is he?

I’m not alone in thinking he’s making serious points with humour.

Reducing the price of a 99 Flake is commentary on the need to control the cost of living. Nor long ago there was a long thread here about the rising price of Freddos. It's a similar thing.

Saying he would make water executives swim in polluted rivers is commentary on privatisation, prioritising shareholders over customers and the need to renationalised the industry.

Saying he will build one affordable house is commentary on successive governments’ failure to build enough social housing.

You have made the point yourself that Reform said that would increase the tax personal allowance. In fact they quickly rowed back on that after the 2024 election saying it was unworkable.

He is just making the point that one sector of people do call for raising taxes on one part of population while wanting reduced taxes for themselves.

Reform has made it clear they want reduced taxes for people with higher incomes - their 2024 tax proposals would have disproportionate benefited the better off. They have made it very clear they would give generous tax cuts for crypto gamblers, in other words, their wealthy donors. How do you think that would be paid for?

If you subscribe to the notion that tax pays for public spending, then a generous tax cut for one sector would either result in tax increases elsewhere or cuts in public expenditure to pay for those cuts. Unfunded tax cuts tend to make the markets go into free fall as they did in 2022 after the disastrous Truss/Kwarteng budget, making life more expensive for ordinary people.

All Count Binface is doing is saying what I’ve just said but much more succinctly.

In any event why all the flak and unpleasantness? He didn’t ask to be put in this position. Nobody, least of all Farage, predicted that the other parties would all refuse to play his game.

Count Binface makes a point of standing in high profile elections. He has stood against Boris Johnson, Sadiq Khan, Rishi Sunak and Andy Burnham so he’s hardly partisan and, in fact, is highly critical of the current government.

Also his campaigns and merchandise raise money for charity. His T-shirt sales raise funds for Shelter. Sales of his model Count Binface kits have raised funds for Diabetes UK and the Brainstrust charity which supports people living with brain tumours.

Wyllow3 Sat 11-Jul-26 20:05:25

Mmm. A.few "new posters" have suddenly appeared who just happen to back Farage. In one liners. Not hard to check.

Graphite Sat 11-Jul-26 20:18:47

Point 17 in Count Binface’s Makerfield manifesto was for MPs to lose their subsidy for cheap food and drink in Parliament.

I suspect many would agree with that.

Just checked.

Price of a bowl of soup in the House of Commons £1.20.

Price in a suburban Caffe Nero £4.50, Marks & Spencer cafe £5.50.

GrannyGravy13 Sat 11-Jul-26 20:26:00

Graphite

Point 17 in Count Binface’s Makerfield manifesto was for MPs to lose their subsidy for cheap food and drink in Parliament.

I suspect many would agree with that.

Just checked.

Price of a bowl of soup in the House of Commons £1.20.

Price in a suburban Caffe Nero £4.50, Marks & Spencer cafe £5.50.

58% of UK employers provide subsidies for lunch/food.

Curtesy of Google