In the unusual Buckingham constituency*, UKIP’s Nigel Farage – advocating withdrawal from the EU – ended up in third place, despite a high-profile (non-fatal) election-day plane crash**.
The amusing news for pro-EU types? Farage was beaten into second place by an independent former Conservative MEP, John Stevens.
Why is this so funny? Stevens was the co-founder of the Pro-Euro Conservative Party.
Ha ha ha! Yes, an arch-eurosceptic beaten in a direct popularity contest by an arch europhile. In Britain.
So much for us all being anti-EU, eh?
My fuller post-election analysis can be found here.
* UK convention states that the major parties don’t run against a sitting Speaker of the House of Commons, leaving the way clear for various fringe parties to get high up the results list. Buckingham is the current Speaker’s constituency, hence the high placements for the likes of UKIP and independents.
** Get well soon, Nigel – but what were you doing going up in a plane with a UKIP banner anyway? Campaigning is expressly forbidden on election day…
May 9, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Could it just be that Farge is a pompous, arrogant, over bearing prat?
May 9, 2010 at 1:03 pm
I thought it was an urban myth that campaigning on election day was illegal. I’m sure the BBC covered it.
Although I suppose we can agree that Farage can be criminally stupid.
May 9, 2010 at 1:36 pm
What Left Outside said. Many of our succesful candidates, and those from other parties, were up campaigning first thing election day.
Bradford East Lib Dems invited me to go deliver leaflets at 5am. SRSLY.
My (winning) Tory candidate texted to Twitter saying he was “knocking up voters” at 5.30am. He did misuse some terms several times during Twitter, shame, decent enough bloke, apart from his politics.
But still, Farage’s result is genius, I love it, well done Stevens.
May 9, 2010 at 3:59 pm
A constituency result that made our day. From all at Trumpeter
Pingback: Side Byrnes 09/05/10
May 9, 2010 at 9:55 pm
As everyone else said, campaigning on election day isn’t forbidden.
May 9, 2010 at 9:59 pm
OK, my bad – it seems campaigning isn’t forbidden on election day.
(I guess this is what you get writing about politics while not being an active supporter of any political party…)
May 12, 2010 at 6:13 pm
“OK, my bad – it seems campaigning isn’t forbidden on election day. (I guess this is what you get writing about politics while not being an active supporter of any political party…)”
No, you guessed wrongly. It’s what you get from:
a) writing about politics without much first-hand knowledge
b) not fact checking
May 12, 2010 at 6:20 pm
@7 This.
May 12, 2010 at 6:43 pm
“UK convention states that the major parties don’t run against a sitting Speaker of the House of Commons”
Also untrue. Check the 1974 elections: Lib and Lab stood against the Tory Speaker. In 1987, Lab and SDP stood against another Tory Speaker.
Yours fisking for fun,
TS
May 12, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Convention != Rule
Convention says candidates aren’t put up. Exceptions are made, especially if a Speaker no longer has support of that party.
And accusing NM of not much first hand knowledge is, um, an interesting assertion, don’t think it’s actually true.
MEh, why am I responding to an obvious troll on a jokey thread?
May 12, 2010 at 8:20 pm
You do know what convention *means*, don’t you, dearest?
xxx
May 13, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Thank you for your blog post. It has given me a lot to think about. Thank you again!
May 16, 2010 at 7:59 pm
“Tranzi”-spotter, eh?
Tranzi. That’s from “Trans-national,” isn’t it? As in people that are in favour of transnational solutions to problems? Which I assume you’re not.
I’m guessing you’re in favour of “National” solutions, instead? Does that make you a Nat-zi, then?
Bit of advice: If you’re going to call people names, then at least make sure your own terminology doesn’t leave you looking like a chump.