Blog: City of Colchester Elections
It has been a hot minute hasn’t it!
After a period of recovery from a head injury which created some mild neurological symptoms and with very poor eyesight, I decide to reduce my time arguing with strangers online and focus on recovery. (Yawn)
However, the annual tradition is to write a few blogs to whet the appetite before any of my wild predictions are made. Which, this year we are probably going to witness the dampest of squibs with an ABC theme.
All of them seem to be targeting the most niche of demographics, the cyclists and ignoring the vast majority of residents. A lot of the current 17 standing again have gone native a long time ago, and in my opinion you need a regular purge so the residents are continuously represented.
Any who, my unqualified and unwanted opinion on all the parties are as below…
The Greens
A bit of hokey cokey over in Greenland and Mark Goacher is back in the game with the other splitting to Labour. No great surprise to be fair, we all saw it, a few called it, and we are where we are. I am sure there was some drama along the way and quite a few cryptic tweets were made which was unsightly.
Is there enough foundation on hemp hill to carry them further? I am not sure, and a cold winter does put things into perspective. I am not seeing much energy from them.
Liberal Democrats
In Liberal local politics we can tell who is up for election due to their Twitter accounts being taken over by the ‘hidden hand’, I nearly enquired whether Sam McCarthy was safe and well.
A weird plot twist in Dave King going a bit right wing and looking for the removal of Immigrants from local hotels and Colchester. I thought we were a Sanctuary City and surely this was not just insincere virtue signalling when it was announced a few years back.
Then there is the 15 minute city, which no doubt a hip young cat from London rocked up to a meeting with a groovy slide deck and impressed everyone. The next thing you know Martin Goss is driving around town unshaven, with a leather jacket carrying Lucille and ordering people to stay in their homes. *
*Joke = NOUN, A thing that someone says to cause amusement or laughter, especially a story with a funny punchline:
There is still the matter on who will be elected as the Parliamentary candidate and believe the aforementioned Martin Goss or the newcomer and Brexit denying Tom Bartlett are the front runners. (It was 7 years ago flower, let it go)
Labour
It is a shame about Adam Fox stepping down from the role as leader, I thought he did a good job and was well respected by all. Naturally, the members decided that they need an energetic and passionate campaigner to breathe fresh life into the local party, so Chris Pearson was duly annoited.
As for campaigning most of the noise is from the perennial pothole pointer himself Lee Scordis who has morphed into somewhat of a cycling obsessed eco-zealot lately.
Hopefully this election we get some Red on Yellow action, although I never doubted Adam’s ambition to led the alliance but they really do need a Lenin type character to roundhouse kick the status quo.
Problem is the wrong Corbyn keeping rolling into town.
Conservatives
There are some mornings when you wake up and forget who the Prime Minister is today due to the comings and goings. They are in a weird position at the moment and are losing their base, not because they are being evil but by being a bit wet. I mean, the most right-wing politician out there who is closest to the centre is Keir ‘Keith’ Starmer!
The strategy of only appealing to people who hate them, such as liberal cyclists is a risky strategy. If you were to survey 100 Blue voters in the Countryside and asked them to choose between Cycling and bringing back hanging, I fear to say that the latter would win. Going to war with France would score even higher.
The only saving grace for them is that although all local politicians are wet, which ones are most likely to dry the quickest could do well. However, in the meantime they will probably encourage cycle lanes all over town, which the cyclists will hate regardless, and I don’t think I can pick out any other strategy other than that!
Reform
Other than get angry at verbs (Woke) I am not sure they are dial changers.
It is far too early for a prediction, although I am going to stick my neck out and suggest maybe not a Conservative majority this time around and possibly the dullest election ever.
