My Reform led council, who were elected on a platform of saving money have decided to splash the cash on flags.. Apparently we'll get a couple for our town. Well we fly the Union Flag from our Town Hall anyway, so not quite sure why we need more.
I thought that my husband was pretty politically engaged, me being a councillor and all. Yesterday he admitted that he didn't realise that the County Council had gone Reform. If he doesn't know, or appear to understand the structure of local politics I guess there are a lot of other people in the same position out there.
There is a God. Reform have been beaten by Plaid Cymru in Caerphilly. Well beaten. Reform came second. Labour badly beaten to third after 100 years in charge
Yes and I'm sure a lot of Labour voters supported Plaid to get this result. I'm a believer in proportional representation but results like this one in Caerphilly make me want to retain first-past-the-post. 😉
I think the next Senedd elections are going to be PR so it'll be interesting to see what happens there.
The Welsh Senedd has reformed it's voting system, increasing the number of seats from 60 to 96 and moving from an additional member system (40 FPTP constituencies + 20 additional members) to 16 six member constituencies with each constituency filled by D'Hondt PR from closed party lists. I wasn't paying enough attention when the decision to reform the system was taken, and so I don't really know the reasons for needing a change or opting for the system that's replaced it.
I had a Reform candidate for our local election to the District Council today knock on the door. She thanked me for my honesty when I told her I was a Town Councillor for the ward for a very different party and then disappeared rather rapidly. My friend a few doors down who did engage with her discovered that she approves of Farage's message but not his delivery whatever that means. She also said she'd sort our the local problem with flooding, which coming from a Party that doesn't think there is such a thing as climate change might be a problem.
Reform’s credibility at local council level is shot. They are a disaster. The Kent leader wants councillors to sign a loyalty paper to her for a start. They went in listening to Reform leadership and not understanding the situation in the ground.
Nigel has been defeated and essentially mocked in parliament this week.
And even though they didn't win in the Caerphilly Senedd election, they still came second, and 1/3rd of those voting voted for them (about 1 in 6 of those eligible to vote). Which I find quite disturbing.
Reform’s credibility at local council level is shot.
Most people's connection with their council are potholes on local roads and bin collections; they really won't notice much else, and not many people pay much attention to the news - apart from being generally dissatisfied with the way things are.
The best Labour could have done would have been to set out a long term vision and try to track progress against that, absent any kind of vision the only thing left is a series of tactical challenges re Reform, and Reform always win when you pose things in right wing terms.
Reform’s credibility at local council level is shot.
Most people's connection with their council are potholes on local roads and bin collections; they really won't notice much else, and not many people pay much attention to the news - apart from being generally dissatisfied with the way things are.
The best Labour could have done would have been to set out a long term vision and try to track progress against that, absent any kind of vision the only thing left is a series of tactical challenges re Reform, and Reform always win when you pose things in right wing terms.
'Where there is no vision, the people perish'. I'm old enough to have heard Harold Wilson live. He really was inspirational.
I was out canvassing this morning ahead of next week's by-election. Two gentlemen I was speaking to were of the opinion that Labour and the Conservatives had had their chance and it was time to give Reform a go. I think this is what a lot of people are thinking though I guess in other areas it might be voting Green (a paper candidate here) instead.
Just booting this up as our MP, Robert Jenrick has jumped ship to Reform. My husband thinks Reform are on a roll and will be the next Government. I think this could be the beginning of the end as I doubt Jenrick and Farage will stay friends for very long.
I am wondering what local Conservatives will do. The Conservative candidate for the by-election mentioned above told everyone he was a friend of Jenrick and that they should vote for him to keep Reform out. Reform won btw.
Just booting this up as our MP, Robert Jenrick has jumped ship to Reform. My husband thinks Reform are on a roll and will be the next Government. I think this could be the beginning of the end as I doubt Jenrick and Farage will stay friends for very long.
I am wondering what local Conservatives will do. The Conservative candidate for the by-election mentioned above told everyone he was a friend of Jenrick and that they should vote for him to keep Reform out. Reform won btw.
I'm not clear about the chronology here. Reform won the by-election in the autumn? If so, how was their MP able to later jump to Reform? Wasn't he elected as a Reformer?
Just booting this up as our MP, Robert Jenrick has jumped ship to Reform. My husband thinks Reform are on a roll and will be the next Government. I think this could be the beginning of the end as I doubt Jenrick and Farage will stay friends for very long.
I am wondering what local Conservatives will do. The Conservative candidate for the by-election mentioned above told everyone he was a friend of Jenrick and that they should vote for him to keep Reform out. Reform won btw.
I'm not clear about the chronology here. Reform won the by-election in the autumn? If so, how was their MP able to later jump to Reform? Wasn't he elected as a Reformer?
Sorry if I wasn't clear, that was a local by-election for the District Council. We are currently wondering if we can mount a recall petition to make Jenrick stand as a Reform candidate in a National Government by-election.
Angry voters distrust people currently in charge and so vote for people who should never be in charge.
I think the real issue was best expressed in Yes Prime Minister. Politicians like solutions which are popular, cheap and easy to implement. Courageous policies (which face the facts) will lose you the next election. Far sighted and courageous policies (which require long term solutions) will lose you not just the next election but the one after that.
The reason why people get angry is that politicians and the political process stopped talking about unpleasant realities. (Maybe it never did.)
It’s so much easier to blame the others and promise the moon.
Sorry if I wasn't clear, that was a local by-election for the District Council. We are currently wondering if we can mount a recall petition to make Jenrick stand as a Reform candidate in a National Government by-election.
The rules around recall petitions are very strict. Jenrick would need to do something that gets him in prison and/or suspended from Parliament. As our system elects individuals, then simply changing party is (officially) irrelevant. Some parties will have candidates sign agreements that if they cease to be a member of the party they stood for then they will stand down and trigger a by-election, but those aren't usually actually enforceable.
<snip>Some parties will have candidates sign agreements that if they cease to be a member of the party they stood for then they will stand down and trigger a by-election, but those aren't usually actually enforceable.
I’d have thought that enforcing them would be a breach of Parliamentary sovereignty.
<snip>Some parties will have candidates sign agreements that if they cease to be a member of the party they stood for then they will stand down and trigger a by-election, but those aren't usually actually enforceable.
I’d have thought that enforcing them would be a breach of Parliamentary sovereignty.
Such agreements are between candidates and parties, and so "enforcement" would need the party to sue the candidate for breach of contract - and, if successful potential financial recompense to the party. Which would still leave the elected candidate in place because that's not going to impact their position as an elected member.
Comments
I thought that my husband was pretty politically engaged, me being a councillor and all. Yesterday he admitted that he didn't realise that the County Council had gone Reform. If he doesn't know, or appear to understand the structure of local politics I guess there are a lot of other people in the same position out there.
I think the next Senedd elections are going to be PR so it'll be interesting to see what happens there.
Presumably because Caerphilly was for a seat at Westminster, but Cardiff?
Is there a missing "not" that was supposed to go before "for" there?
Oh, by diverting money from all the wasteful practices that town councils are involved with of course ...
Here Reform are trumpeting about reducing the Council Tax precept by slashing initiatives that would save residents a whopping £4.50 a year.
It would be risible if it weren't so serious.
Nigel has been defeated and essentially mocked in parliament this week.
Most people's connection with their council are potholes on local roads and bin collections; they really won't notice much else, and not many people pay much attention to the news - apart from being generally dissatisfied with the way things are.
The best Labour could have done would have been to set out a long term vision and try to track progress against that, absent any kind of vision the only thing left is a series of tactical challenges re Reform, and Reform always win when you pose things in right wing terms.
'Where there is no vision, the people perish'. I'm old enough to have heard Harold Wilson live. He really was inspirational.
I am wondering what local Conservatives will do. The Conservative candidate for the by-election mentioned above told everyone he was a friend of Jenrick and that they should vote for him to keep Reform out. Reform won btw.
I'm not clear about the chronology here. Reform won the by-election in the autumn? If so, how was their MP able to later jump to Reform? Wasn't he elected as a Reformer?
Different constituency I expect.
I think the real issue was best expressed in Yes Prime Minister. Politicians like solutions which are popular, cheap and easy to implement. Courageous policies (which face the facts) will lose you the next election. Far sighted and courageous policies (which require long term solutions) will lose you not just the next election but the one after that.
The reason why people get angry is that politicians and the political process stopped talking about unpleasant realities. (Maybe it never did.)
It’s so much easier to blame the others and promise the moon.