Clacton by-election

Cossy

Maremia

When asked if he had ever been to Clacton,, the Count replied that he hadn't, as he thought that was how you do it.
Clever 🤣

That made me smile!

He’s a very clever well educated and amusing character!

That as maybe, but he is making a mockery of our political system and adding and abetting the publicity around the Farage circus

Maremia

When asked if he had ever been to Clacton,, the Count replied that he hadn't, as he thought that was how you do it.
Clever 🤣

That made me smile!

He’s a very clever well educated and amusing character!

When asked if he had ever been to Clacton,, the Count replied that he hadn't, as he thought that was how you do it.
Clever 🤣

Butterandjam 21:23

Well said and ditto.

My parents brought me up to have a enquiring mind, to be interested in current affairs and politics.

They said “Politics affect us all, in some way, in all of our daily lives, be interested, be critical, challenge”

I brought up my children to be the same and when my dear parents were still alive and our children adults, some very interesting conversations were to be had in their house.

I’ve voted in every single GE and local elections in my area. I take the time and trouble to research the candidates, though in local elections I know some of the candidates and serving councillors.

J52

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

👍👍

I don’t think any us believe or think you support Farage 🤨🤨😜

Graphite

^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.

Binman for PM 👍👍

(IMO )

Sunshinegirls

11:13Cossy

How do you know all about what Farage does or doesn't do in Clacton? Do you track his everymove?

What do other MPs do I've never had any contact with mine only when it's a General Election and she sends me a letter. What does Angela Raynor do for her constituency seeing as she cashed out her money from her family home and did a chicken run to Brighton.

I've lived in many different places and never had any contact with any MP from any party.

Our current MP holds face to face surgeries in an office a couple of miles from my home. He sends out a regular email newsletter detailing what he's been actively doing in person in and for his Constituency. He's working hard in his first seat. I can ( and have) contacted him a couple of times by email and had a response. Most recently, about the assisted dying bill. We don't agree on that, he didn't vote the way I hoped.

I've had dealings with all my MP's for the last half century, in surgeries, at public meetings, by letter or email, about anything from local plans to the Iraq War to guncontrol after Dunblane, Women's Pensions problem (mine!) , Donald Trump's visit, DH's hospital care. We don't always agree but whenever I've sought their direct help on a personal issue with national service providers, my MP's did.
I also deal with my local councillors and Councils. To me, basic grassroots involvement matters. I taught that to my kids, my students and now my grandkids.

Ask Google 👍🏻

GrannyGravy13

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

How many subsidise their emplyees booze?

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

But it is the employer who covers the cost of the subsidy. It is not coming from the public purse.

The net cost of the House of Commons catering services was £7.4 million in the 2024–25 financial year. This cost serves roughly 14,500 people, including parliamentary staff, visitors, journalists, and peers, not just the 650 Members of Parliament. (Full Fact & Reuters).

MPs, peers, most staff and journalists will have incomes far in excess of the average UK wage and can well afford to pay more for their food and drink.

fancythat

Wyllow3

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

J52 has been around for ages.

What makes you think I back Farage? He is most despicable in my opinion.
You have obviously mis read my posts!

Wyllow3

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

J52 has been around for ages.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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 😹😹😹

FriedGreenTomatoes2

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

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

(IMO )

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

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

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!