Yeovil

[stb12]

Yeovil

[andrewp]

somersetcc.sharepoint.com/sites/SCCPublic/Council%20Democracy/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FSCCPublic%2FCouncil%20Democracy%2FGeneral%20Election%202024%2FStatement%20of%20Persons%20Nominated%20%28UKPGE2024%29%20%2D%20YEOVIL%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FSCCPublic%2FCouncil%20Democracy%2FGeneral%20Election%202024&p=true&ga=1

6 candidates- Con, LD, Lab, Green, RefUK, Ind

[WestCountryRadical]

Steve Ashton (Ind)
Laura Bailhache (Ref)
Adam Dance (LD)
Marcus Fysh (Con)
Rebecca Montacute (Lab)
Serena Wootton (Grn)

[Ports]

Reform candidate was the 2015 UKIP candidate in Taunton Deane

[cogload]

One of the seats named in the FT profile on the LD campaign. Apparently Jane Ashdown is out on the stump for the LD's with Davey stopping here yesterday for a photo op at the football ground.

Marcus Fysh has a tendency to block everyone on twitter who disagrees with him and is a tad of a marmite character.

Personally I think this is a Conservative hold albeit with a decent swing towards us.

[batman]

Neither result would really surprise me. On balance I've gone for a LD gain

[cogload]

I am fascinated by the briefing to the paper in the first place. The specifics - I.e an 80 seat strategy, and the seats which are being targeted being named. This could of course be an elaborate game of double bluff in that the real targets are elsewhere.. 😉

[jamesdoyle]

Jun 18, 2024 9:06:33 GMT cogload said:

I am fascinated by the briefing to the paper in the first place. The specifics - I.e an 80 seat strategy, and the seats which are being targeted being named. This could of course be an elaborate game of double bluff in that the real targets are elsewhere.. 😉

It's an 80-seat strategy? That is interesting. I had heard somewhat earlier in the campaign that there was a 50-seat strategy. That could have been wrong of course, or right at the time but they have now expanded it. Anyone from the Gold Team care to give an indication? As I've said elsewhere, the capacity of the LibDems to push further down the list of 100-odd second places could be crucial to how effectively the Cons are whipped. And I think a lot of those lower targets will fall quite easily toa push - it could be the Tory version of the Scottish Labour syndrome - seats unworked for so long because they were rock solid, and no one realising that the political landscape had altered.

[carolus]

The article is here www.ft.com/content/c95b4d4c-16e3-48d9-bdbf-8d5cc6c1c773

I think the "80 seat" reference is

The party is attempting to funnel its resources to about 80 seats where it came second to the Conservatives at the last election, as well as one seat, Sheffield Hallam, where they are going head-to-head with Labour.

Where I think the 80 seats is just a description of the number of seats where we were second to Con in 2019 (exactly 80) rather than specific plan to target all of them.

[andrewp]

Jun 18, 2024 8:10:56 GMT cogload said:

One of the seats named in the FT profile on the LD campaign. Apparently Jane Ashdown is out on the stump for the LD's with Davey stopping here yesterday for a photo op at the football ground.

Marcus Fysh has a tendency to block everyone on twitter who disagrees with him and is a tad of a marmite character.

Personally I think this is a Conservative hold albeit with a decent swing towards us.

I mentioned elsewhere that in neighbouring Taunton I got one of those fake handwritten notes from Jane Ashdown yesterday, I’ve never heard from her before.

[steve]

I've gone for a Lib Dem gain. Their candidate represents a large rural ward in the constituency where he's consistently proven to be the biggest vote getter in the Somerset Council area both before and since reorganisation. I'm gambling that he can give the Lib Dem vote the boost it needs to get over the line here.

[Chris from Brum]

It would be good to dyspose of the stynking Fysh here.

[andrewp]

Steve Ashton, the Independent, was a Conservative councillor elected in 2022, who led a failed attempt to deselect Marcus Fysh. When he failed with that he left the Tory group on the Council, and joined REf Uk and was fully expecting to be the ReformUK candidate but then wasn’t selected ( not sure how they select their candidates?) so left Reform UK. I’d be amazed if he didn’t come last with potentially a small vote.

[iang]

it would seem to indicate that he has a higher view of his own abilities than anyone else

[YL]

Lib Dems claiming victory apparently.

[binky]

Shocked at the size of the Liberal majority here. I thought this would have been one of the more unlikely Somerset seats to claw back.

[steve]

Jul 5, 2024 13:17:00 GMT binky said:

Shocked at the size of the Liberal majority here. I thought this would have been one of the more unlikely Somerset seats to claw back.

I think they were helped by having a strong local candidate as I mentioned upthread.

[heslingtonian]

Jul 5, 2024 13:17:00 GMT binky said:

Shocked at the size of the Liberal majority here. I thought this would have been one of the more unlikely Somerset seats to claw back.

Me too. The Conservative performance in Somerset with the exception of Bridgwater was atrocious. Here and Taunton were especially terrible results. Well done to the Lib Dems.

[mrsir]

Marcus Fysh has resigned from the Conservative Party.

[yellowperil]

Jul 6, 2024 19:45:14 GMT mrsir said:

Marcus Fysh has resigned from the Conservative Party.

So already things are lookimg up for the Tory Party.