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Post by jamesdoyle on Jun 17, 2024 9:21:00 GMT
Bottomley has often supported causes which are very unusual in the Conservative Party, e.g. guerillas fighting against military régimes in Latin America, the left-wing democratic opposition Mujahedin Khalq in Iran. He is a mass of contradictions. That's what makes us human, though. |
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Post by jamesdoyle on Jun 17, 2024 9:22:09 GMT
Yes Heene has some very nice semi-detached roads too, especially close to & at the border with Marine. I went canvassing there for the first time & walked down the road which I gather is the ward boundary, from the railway station. I gather Heene gets less well-to-do the further east you go, but to tell the truth I haven't been to that part of Worthing. After the election, come down one evening and we can do a little tour of some of the backwaters of the town centre, with some drinking! |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2024 11:24:08 GMT
Yes Heene has some very nice semi-detached roads too, especially close to & at the border with Marine. I went canvassing there for the first time & walked down the road which I gather is the ward boundary, from the railway station. I gather Heene gets less well-to-do the further east you go, but to tell the truth I haven't been to that part of Worthing. After the election, come down one evening and we can do a little tour of some of the backwaters of the town centre, with some drinking! I shall like to join you if I may. I'm visiting a family friend in Hove for his 66th birthday, so maybe we could combine it with that? |
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Post by batman on Jun 17, 2024 11:33:00 GMT
It's a kind invitation, but I have quite a few friends in the Worthing Labour Party, only two of whom I managed to see when I came down to canvass a few days ago. If I come down I would have some catching up to do with them. And there might be a victory party for me to attend
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2024 14:37:20 GMT
This more applies to Worthing West now perhaps:
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right
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Post by right on Jun 19, 2024 6:58:37 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2024 3:52:09 GMT
Labour gain. Bottomley goes down.
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The Bishop
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Post by The Bishop on Jul 8, 2024 19:33:20 GMT
First time for centuries, if not ever, that the Father Of The House has lost.
(Dennis Skinner *would* have been had he been elected in 2019, but he wasn't)
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bsjmcr
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Post by bsjmcr on Jul 13, 2024 16:04:33 GMT
First time for centuries, if not ever, that the Father Of The House has lost. (Dennis Skinner *would* have been had he been elected in 2019, but he wasn't) There was hardly any coverage of this given the almost over abundance of Portillo moments (this has also been said for Ribble Valley and the Deputy Speaker). By coincidence like Skinner, Bottomley had also been in parliament for 49 years. However Bottomley it appears effectively chicken ran here from Eltham in ‘97 - which makes you wonder while Richard Holden has been widely panned even by journalists on election night for chicken running - did any of the 1997 runners (I’m sure there are a few others) get much stick for this? Or is it that Holden is chairman and the one person shortlist stitch up (and awful behaviour in Jon Craig’s fantastic interview) and sheer distance from Durham to Essex is why he has got fair criticism for this. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2024 16:12:03 GMT
It's good to see Peter Bottomley out on his arse after chicken running from Eltham all those years ago. Poetic justice.
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bsjmcr
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Post by bsjmcr on Jul 13, 2024 16:23:02 GMT
It's good to see Peter Bottomley out on his arse after chicken running from Eltham all those years ago. Poetic justice. Ouch! I was thinking another parallel with Skinner is the constituency ‘moving away from him’ - in 2019 it was said that Bolsover of course doesn’t have (m)any miners and fewer union workers - meanwhile over here, isn’t Worthing becoming the new Brighton? So younger people, graduates, public sector, definitely not conservative and perhaps a bit of ageism. Back in 1997 I’d assume Worthing probably would have been older and full of retirees and I’d assume Bottomley may have been a good fit back then, his age back then probably would have been on par with the average age of Worthing! If he was chosen by the local party fair and square, say if they wanted a man of experience then I can respect him more than Holden, that’s for sure. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2024 16:29:11 GMT
It's good to see Peter Bottomley out on his arse after chicken running from Eltham all those years ago. Poetic justice. Ouch! I was thinking another parallel with Skinner is the constituency ‘moving away from him’ - in 2019 it was said that Bolsover of course doesn’t have (m)any miners and fewer union workers - meanwhile over here, isn’t Worthing becoming the new Brighton? So younger people, graduates, public sector, definitely not conservative and perhaps a bit of ageism. Back in 1997 I’d assume Worthing probably would have been older and full of retirees and I’d assume Bottomley may have been a good fit back then, his age back then probably would have been on par with the average age of Worthing! If he was chosen by the local party fair and square, say if they wanted a man of experience then I can respect him more than Holden, that’s for sure. I think this is a bit out of date. Large parts of Worthing area already voting like Hove, Portslade, Kemptown etc. So, it's not a present tense "becoming" but "are" or "became" in the early years of this decade when Labour swept to power locally. We saw the flashing dashboard in the 2021 locals thee years ago when, despite nationally doing pretty poorly, Labour swept to power across Worthing's County Council seats in West Sussex, and mirroring this shift in Peacehaven and Telscombe wards on the Lewes side of the conurbation. Worthing was an artichoke, ready to picked apart leaf by leaf |
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Post by islington on Jul 13, 2024 17:24:07 GMT
It's good to see Peter Bottomley out on his arse after chicken running from Eltham all those years ago. Poetic justice. Ouch! I was thinking another parallel with Skinner is the constituency ‘moving away from him’ - in 2019 it was said that Bolsover of course doesn’t have (m)any miners and fewer union workers - meanwhile over here, isn’t Worthing becoming the new Brighton? So younger people, graduates, public sector, definitely not conservative and perhaps a bit of ageism. Back in 1997 I’d assume Worthing probably would have been older and full of retirees and I’d assume Bottomley may have been a good fit back then, his age back then probably would have been on par with the average age of Worthing! If he was chosen by the local party fair and square, say if they wanted a man of experience then I can respect him more than Holden, that’s for sure. Sir George Young was another notable chicken-runner in 1997 (Acton to NW Hants). This did attract some adverse comment, as I recall; but nothing like the criticism heaped upon Richard Holden. I think in Holden's case the offence was aggravated by the fact that he was Party Chairman, the implication being that he could pull strings on his own behalf.
Regarding Sir Peter Bottomley, he was a distinguished public servant who worked hard on some issues that I also feel strongly about (such as the unfair and exploitative treatment to which residential leaseholders are often subject). He was also one of the famous 14 Tory MPs who refused to support the Johnson government's outrageous attempt to overturn the Standards Commissioner's report on Owen Paterson. So I feel regret at his defeat, although this is tempered by the recognition that I'd have voted against him if I lived in Worthing W (because fundamentally a GE is about choosing a government, and the choice of MP merely a means to that end).
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Post by rr on Jul 13, 2024 17:37:36 GMT
First time for centuries, if not ever, that the Father Of The House has lost. (Dennis Skinner *would* have been had he been elected in 2019, but he wasn't) There was hardly any coverage of this given the almost over abundance of Portillo moments (this has also been said for Ribble Valley and the Deputy Speaker). By coincidence like Skinner, Bottomley had also been in parliament for 49 years. However Bottomley it appears effectively chicken ran here from Eltham in ‘97 - which makes you wonder while Richard Holden has been widely panned even by journalists on election night for chicken running - did any of the 1997 runners (I’m sure there are a few others) get much stick for this? Or is it that Holden is chairman and the one person shortlist stitch up (and awful behaviour in Jon Craig’s fantastic interview) and sheer distance from Durham to Essex is why he has got fair criticism for this.
There was a lot of so-called "Chicken Running" in 1997 and, yes, there was a lot of criticism for it.
Can't believe there are people here who don't remember 1997 - feel so old!
Another good example of it was Nick Hawkins who abandoned ultra-marginal Blackpool South for (then, and until recently) colossally safe Surrey Heath. Of course, Surrey Heath has now been lost as well...
Not to mention Norman Lamont, albeit his old seat was effectively chopped up in the boundary change. Ironically, both his old "area" (Kingston) and his new seat (Harrogate) were lost to the Lib Dems that year.
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Post by john07 on Jul 13, 2024 18:14:52 GMT
There was hardly any coverage of this given the almost over abundance of Portillo moments (this has also been said for Ribble Valley and the Deputy Speaker). By coincidence like Skinner, Bottomley had also been in parliament for 49 years. However Bottomley it appears effectively chicken ran here from Eltham in ‘97 - which makes you wonder while Richard Holden has been widely panned even by journalists on election night for chicken running - did any of the 1997 runners (I’m sure there are a few others) get much stick for this? Or is it that Holden is chairman and the one person shortlist stitch up (and awful behaviour in Jon Craig’s fantastic interview) and sheer distance from Durham to Essex is why he has got fair criticism for this. There was a lot of so-called "Chicken Running" in 1997 and, yes, there was a lot of criticism for it.
Can't believe there are people here who don't remember 1997 - feel so old! Another good example of it was Nick Hawkins who abandoned ultra-marginal Blackpool South for (then, and until recently) colossally safe Surrey Heath. Of course, Surrey Heath has now been lost as well...
Not to mention Norman Lamont, albeit his old seat was effectively chopped up in the boundary change. Ironically, both his old "area" (Kingston) and his new seat (Harrogate) were lost to the Lib Dems that year.
The king of ‘chicken runners was Tory Iain Sproat who did not defend his Aberdeen South seat in 1983 and went for Roxburgh and Berwickshire instead only to lose it to Liberal, Archie Kirkwood. Meanwhile his old seat of Aberdeen South was held for the Conservatives by Gerry Malone. |
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Post by stb12 on Jul 13, 2024 18:36:43 GMT
I’m not convinced that chicken running in general really matters much beyond heavily politically engaged people and party activists and ultimately it’s about the national picture, even with the Holden scenario the area/region where his new seat is had a very strong Reform performance so the result being so narrow just matched up with that essentially
Although I don’t rule out that there may be the odd local scenario that’s strong enough for it to have an influence
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Post by nyx on Jul 13, 2024 21:00:27 GMT
Beccy Cooper is quite an impressive political figure. From becoming the first Labour councillor in Worthing in four decades in 2017 to being the leader of Worthing council in 2022 leading a Labour majority administration, and now becoming MP for a constituency that's never voted Labour before whilst unseating the Father of the House in the process.
That's not bad work for a period of seven years.
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Post by carlton43 on Jul 14, 2024 8:36:48 GMT
It's good to see Peter Bottomley out on his arse after chicken running from Eltham all those years ago. Poetic justice. Ouch! I was thinking another parallel with Skinner is the constituency ‘moving away from him’ - in 2019 it was said that Bolsover of course doesn’t have (m)any miners and fewer union workers - meanwhile over here, isn’t Worthing becoming the new Brighton? So younger people, graduates, public sector, definitely not conservative and perhaps a bit of ageism. Back in 1997 I’d assume Worthing probably would have been older and full of retirees and I’d assume Bottomley may have been a good fit back then, his age back then probably would have been on par with the average age of Worthing! If he was chosen by the local party fair and square, say if they wanted a man of experience then I can respect him more than Holden, that’s for sure. Well put and correct. I see no merit at all in staying in a constituency that is moving away from your own politics just for the sake of form and to have a stiff upper lip as one sinks with one's ship. There are duties to family, to self and to a continuation career and steady income stream. This talk of 'chicken run' is coarse, demeaning and essentially very childish, so, it is popular with certain posters! In the great days of the HOC when we had an Empire to run, the dominant currency and the largest navy, in was common place for many MPs to change seats regularly for patronage, better positioning, nicer place to live, and crucially a more secure majority. Then opinion was more logical and pragmatic and far less mean-minded and toxic. I spent two weeks working for Bottomley on his first successful campaign in Woolwich and got to know him and his wife (a quite formidable and erudite woman considerably cleverer than her husband) quite well. He was a man of affability, politeness and charm and a pleasure to be with. He was not at all of my section of the party but I was pleased to work for him as he showed promise of being a very diligent, competent and hard-working member, and so he proved to be. I am sorrowed at seeing the churlish, tribal and rankly unpleasant post just up-thead for an elderly man who has given a life to public service and aided his party and many constituents over many years. Just as I sorrowed to see the pleasant Jonathan Ashworth lose his seat after years of service to the party and on the day they swept to power and he might have expected to be in the cabinet. This tendency to schadenfreude by the tribal is out of place. It is just so uncouth to triumph in the mere adversity of an opponent such as Portillo or Truss. I too had issues with Truss and the damage she caused. But is it not enough to see that party laid to waste, Labour in major ascendancy and glory to that cause? Is it really necessary to kick the wounded on the ground and to turn the knife again in those wounds. This applies to only a rancid minority here but it is dispiriting to witness. |
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Post by doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ on Jul 14, 2024 8:45:02 GMT
It's good to see Peter Bottomley out on his arse after chicken running from Eltham all those years ago. Poetic justice. 1. That was years ago 2. He was Father of the House so not exactly thrown out at the first time of asking |
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Post by swanarcadian on Jul 14, 2024 9:03:14 GMT
Losing both Worthing seats feels almost personal to me. My father was born in the town, and it seems ironic that Labour won them both just six weeks after he passed away.
Who would have thought it when it was not so long ago that they had no local representation at all? It was always the Lib Dems who were the bigger threat and used to run the council.
I haven’t visited since 2005 when my grandfather passed away and we moved my grandmother up to Yorkshire to live closer to us. Has it become more raffish and studenty like Brighton has? I prefer to remember it as it was when I was growing up, and it being a seaside resort was always a bonus, although the fact the beach is shingle rather than sand was always a bit of a let down..
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