OV9

• He's not stopped the investigation into his finances which he's obviously very concerned about - rightly so seeing as he seems to have three or four different reasons for having the money, none of which stand up to even surface level scrutiny

• He's improved his vote share, but not by enough to mean anything given there was no politically credible competition - he should have got 90% of those who voted, not ~65% - that's atrocious, especially considering how many campaign workers Reform bussed in to campaign to help shore up the vote, as if he was up against real candidates or something, not a comedian wearing a bin on his head, in their safest seat, being campaigned by their leader.

• Out of that non-credible competition, said man with a bin on his head got nearly half the votes Farage got - around a quarter of all votes cast.

• He then had a pouty hissy fit and didn't turn up for the results, and barefaced lied about the reasons why; he said it was because of security concerns (which the police immediately denied - not the first time he's lied about that, same lie he gave to justify not holding surgeries), then at his own little party he flatly stated it was because he didn't want to be seen with a bunch of "losers". An extremely politically naive move that makes him look like a sore winner.

Beany wrote: Fri Aug 14, 2026 6:42 pm No - Farage wanted a "gotcha" on the PSC because, reportedly (in the Times, not in some lefty rag) because younger members of his staff thought that resigning (and standing again) would stop the investigation into him, not merely pause it.

https://xcancel.com/LizWebsterSBF/statu ... 5933744360

Literally everyone else saw this for what it was - a cheap stunt to avoid scrutiny - and so didn't waste time campaigning, because they want the PSC to reveal it's findings before putting candidates up against him - that way the voters of Clacton can be fully informed of what Farage has been doing with the 'gifts' he's been getting from foreign sources before they vote. This is all very well understood and I don't know how anyone could be confused by this - everyone involved was very clear about it at the time.

If he's not recalled immediately as a result of the PSC investigation, there's enough votes available in Clacton to cause a recall, as demonstrated by the number of people who voted for Binface. Well over 10% of the constituency which I believe is one of the main requirements.

It's only embarrassing for Farage. He's comprehensively fucked this up in every possible way that I can think of.

• He's not stopped the investigation into his finances which he's obviously very concerned about - rightly so seeing as he seems to have three or four different reasons for having the money, none of which stand up to even surface level scrutiny

• He's improved his vote share, but not by enough to mean anything given there was no politically credible competition - he should have got 90% of those who voted, not ~65% - that's atrocious, especially considering how many campaign workers Reform bussed in to campaign to help shore up the vote, as if he was up against real candidates or something, not a comedian wearing a bin on his head, in their safest seat, being campaigned by their leader.

• Out of that non-credible competition, said man with a bin on his head got nearly half the votes Farage got - around a quarter of all votes cast.

• He then had a pouty hissy fit and didn't turn up for the results, and barefaced lied about the reasons why; he said it was because of security concerns (which the police immediately denied - not the first time he's lied about that, same lie he gave to justify not holding surgeries), then at his own little party he flatly stated it was because he didn't want to be seen with a bunch of "losers". An extremely politically naive move that makes him look like a sore winner.

I cannot put into words how bad this is for Farage. He looks like a petty, pouty crybaby with something to hide. And if he can't even handle a gentle ribbing from a man in a bin suit at the results, how is he going to handle serious political dealings with world leaders?

It doesn't matter where you stand politically - this is catastrophic for Farage and Reform. It's not remotely embarrassing for any other party as they simply didn't get involved with Farages quagmire, a quagmire entirely of his own creation.

V8Granite wrote: Fri Aug 14, 2026 6:46 pm That's not a Gotcha, he knew that would happen anyway. The Gotcha was wanting him to lose to a bin.

It's like our politicians aren't taking it seriously.

Beany wrote: Fri Aug 14, 2026 6:57 pm Ask Farage, he didn't want to show his face publicly for the results, did he?

V8Granite wrote: Fri Aug 14, 2026 6:46 pm That's not a Gotcha, he knew that would happen anyway. The Gotcha was wanting him to lose to a bin.

It's like our politicians aren't taking it seriously.

Dave!

duncs500 wrote: Sat Aug 15, 2026 12:14 am

V8Granite wrote: Fri Aug 14, 2026 6:46 pm That's not a Gotcha, he knew that would happen anyway. The Gotcha was wanting him to lose to a bin.

It's like our politicians aren't taking it seriously.

Dave!

I don't really understand how you can get here Dave. Anyone who is opposed to what Farage represents would want him to lose to a bin, I'm sure you'd want Zack Polanski to lose to a bin in a by-election too.

As for the second comment, surely there's only one person that isn't taking it seriously? By-elections cost tax payer money, what has been achieved by this one? The other parties were absolutely right not to contest it. Please tell me what has been achieved by what has happened, and what would have been achieved if the other main parties had contested it?

The whole thing has been a huge waste of time and money instigated entirety by Farage. I'm struggling to see any other angle, but I welcome another view.

V8Granite wrote: Fri Aug 14, 2026 6:46 pm

It's like our politicians aren't taking it seriously.