Foggy
Non-Aligned
Yn Ennill Yma
Posts: 6,138 
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Post by Foggy on Jul 28, 2024 21:28:05 GMT
Bit surreal to call someone "elected" when they've never had a single person vote for them, innit? From the dates Harry gives, it sounds like there must finally have been a contested poll in 2022. |
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Post by Adam Gray on Jul 28, 2024 21:48:55 GMT
Yep. Somewhat close, too:  |
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Post by andrewp on Jul 28, 2024 21:49:13 GMT
Bit surreal to call someone "elected" when they've never had a single person vote for them, innit? From the dates Harry gives, it sounds like there must finally have been a contested poll in 2022. There was. He was run quite close by PC in 2022. Result - Ind 404, PC 319, Ind 35 I might be wrong but I’m not absolutely sure he served since 1973. On the Elections centre results it looks like he might have been first elected ( unopposed) in 1981, |
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johng
Labour
Posts: 4,850
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Post by johng on Jul 28, 2024 21:53:53 GMT
Bit surreal to call someone "elected" when they've never had a single person vote for them, innit? He faced competition in 2022 and only won fairly narrowly.
M. Williams (Ind) - 53.3 Evans (Plaid) - 42.1 R. Williams (Ind) - 4.6
But he was unopposed for a hell of a long time. Even by rural Wales standards.
A Plaid gain is likely unless there's a strong local independent.
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Post by finsobruce on Jul 28, 2024 22:01:02 GMT
Bit surreal to call someone "elected" when they've never had a single person vote for them, innit? Not really. If no one stands against you, you are elected unopposed. |
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Post by Adam Gray on Jul 28, 2024 22:35:08 GMT
Bit surreal to call someone "elected" when they've never had a single person vote for them, innit? Not really. If no one stands against you, you are elected unopposed. Implicit in the word "election" is that electors are given a choice of candidates. I appreciate that your definition is the long-standing norm but it would be more accurate to describe them as returned unopposed. |
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Jul 28, 2024 22:43:15 GMT
In the unreformed Parliaments the majority of members of the House of Commons were unopposed at the time of their formal election, but there had been a process of election before that. At the very least the candidates had been assessed as suitable by the patrons of their boroughs. In the counties, many also conducted a canvass which established they had broad enough support. That constituted part of the election process and I think even now the unopposed return of a candidate in a local election is usually be preceded by others contemplating a challenge but deciding against it.
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Post by johnloony on Jul 28, 2024 22:57:35 GMT
In the unreformed Parliaments the majority of members of the House of Commons were unopposed at the time of their formal election, but there had been a process of election before that. At the very least the candidates had been assessed as suitable by the patrons of their boroughs. In the counties, many also conducted a canvass which established they had broad enough support. That constituted part of the election process and I think even now the unopposed return of a candidate in a local election is usually be preceded by others contemplating a challenge but deciding against it. About 30 years ago I remember watching a documentary programme about a local government ward somewhere in Devon in which the local independent councillors had been regularly re-elected and (according to the narrative of the programme) re-selected by a mysterious shadowy local group of people whose identity was unknown and whose process of selection was unaccountable. The focus of the film was in following the campaign of a candidate form the Raving Loony Green Giant Party who challenged the incumbent councillors, stood against them and thereby forced a contested election, and won one of the two seats in the ward. |
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Post by Andrew_S on Jul 29, 2024 1:21:04 GMT
In the unreformed Parliaments the majority of members of the House of Commons were unopposed at the time of their formal election, but there had been a process of election before that. At the very least the candidates had been assessed as suitable by the patrons of their boroughs. In the counties, many also conducted a canvass which established they had broad enough support. That constituted part of the election process and I think even now the unopposed return of a candidate in a local election is usually be preceded by others contemplating a challenge but deciding against it. About 30 years ago I remember watching a documentary programme about a local government ward somewhere in Devon in which the local independent councillors had been regularly re-elected and (according to the narrative of the programme) re-selected by a mysterious shadowy local group of people whose identity was unknown and whose process of selection was unaccountable. The focus of the film was in following the campaign of a candidate form the Raving Loony Green Giant Party who challenged the incumbent councillors, stood against them and thereby forced a contested election, and won one of the two seats in the ward. It may have been this programme in 1991, although I'm doubtful because it sounds more like a comedy show than a documentary. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/3bac907c22d1438996d82d781cd74f62 |
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right
Conservative
Posts: 18,807
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Post by right on Jul 29, 2024 6:14:35 GMT
Not really. If no one stands against you, you are elected unopposed. Implicit in the word "election" is that electors are given a choice of candidates. I appreciate that your definition is the long-standing norm but it would be more accurate to describe them as returned unopposed. That's because we've changed the meaning of the word over time Election is in relation to the body you are joining, council, Parliament or whatnot, not the body of electors that sent you there. Opposed elections naturally got more attention and as they became more common, and after a while almost universal, talking about the process that got you elected has become much more common. But retaining the original use shouldn't be begrudged. |
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YL
Non-Aligned
Either Labour leaning or Lib Dem leaning but not sure which
Posts: 4,913
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Post by YL on Jul 29, 2024 6:30:50 GMT
About 30 years ago I remember watching a documentary programme about a local government ward somewhere in Devon in which the local independent councillors had been regularly re-elected and (according to the narrative of the programme) re-selected by a mysterious shadowy local group of people whose identity was unknown and whose process of selection was unaccountable. The focus of the film was in following the campaign of a candidate form the Raving Loony Green Giant Party who challenged the incumbent councillors, stood against them and thereby forced a contested election, and won one of the two seats in the ward. It may have been this programme in 1991, although I'm doubtful because it sounds more like a comedy show than a documentary. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/3bac907c22d1438996d82d781cd74f62It is certainly true that Stuart Hughes, then of the Raving Loony Green Giant Party, was elected to East Devon District Council, representing Sidmouth Woolbrook ward, in 1991. However the rest of johnloony's description of the programme does not fit the District Council election. In the previous election in 1987 the three member ward had full slates from both Labour and the Conservatives and a single Alliance candidate, with no Independent candidates; two of the Tories and one Labour candidate were elected. In 1991 there were eight candidates: full slates from the Tories (two seats) and the RLGGP (one seat) and single candidates from Labour (not the candidate elected in 1987) and the Lib Dems. Maybe the programme was about Sidmouth Town Council? |
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Post by hullenedge on Jul 29, 2024 6:42:29 GMT
Implicit in the word "election" is that electors are given a choice of candidates. I appreciate that your definition is the long-standing norm but it would be more accurate to describe them as returned unopposed. That's because we've changed the meaning of the word over time Election is in relation to the body you are joining, council, Parliament or whatnot, not the body of electors that sent you there. Opposed elections naturally got more attention and as they became more common, and after a while almost universal, talking about the process that got you elected has become much more common. But retaining the original use shouldn't be begrudged. It used to be the case (round here) that someone was elected unopposed for their first contest and then returned unopposed for all subsequent contests (assuming no opposition). |
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Harry Hayfield
Green
Cavalier Gentleman (as in 17th century Cavalier)
Posts: 2,922
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Post by Harry Hayfield on Jul 29, 2024 7:36:26 GMT
Bit surreal to call someone "elected" when they've never had a single person vote for them, innit? Welcome to the local politics of rural Wales |
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Post by hullenedge on Jul 29, 2024 8:12:17 GMT
Bit surreal to call someone "elected" when they've never had a single person vote for them, innit? Welcome to the local politics of rural Wales Used to apply to the vast acres of rural England. Oxfordshire County Council was designated 'Non political' in publications. It was considered very bad form to oppose a sitting councillor, vulgar to adopt a party description and the local press could be complicit by omitting party labels. |
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Sibboleth
Labour
'Sit on my finger, sing in my ear, O littleblood.'
Posts: 16,038
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Post by Sibboleth on Jul 29, 2024 8:51:08 GMT
Used to apply to the vast acres of rural England. Oxfordshire County Council was designated 'Non political' in publications. It was considered very bad form to oppose a sitting councillor, vulgar to adopt a party description and the local press could be complicit by omitting party labels. An interesting aspect of the pre-1974 (1964 in the case of London) was the extent of local peculiarities in political culture. |
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Post by carolus on Jul 29, 2024 12:33:36 GMT
As mentioned by elinorhelyn in the post-GE byelection thread: Tower Hamlets, Bow East (2026). Rachel Blake (Labour) has resigned. She is the new MP for Cities of London & Westminster. |
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Post by johnloony on Jul 29, 2024 12:57:24 GMT
It is certainly true that Stuart Hughes, then of the Raving Loony Green Giant Party, was elected to East Devon District Council, representing Sidmouth Woolbrook ward, in 1991. However the rest of johnloony's description of the programme does not fit the District Council election. In the previous election in 1987 the three member ward had full slates from both Labour and the Conservatives and a single Alliance candidate, with no Independent candidates; two of the Tories and one Labour candidate were elected. In 1991 there were eight candidates: full slates from the Tories (two seats) and the RLGGP (one seat) and single candidates from Labour (not the candidate elected in 1987) and the Lib Dems. Maybe the programme was about Sidmouth Town Council? It might have been. The detail which I definitely remember is that was a two-member ward. I think that the voting figures were something like Ind 300 RLGGP 160 Ind 156 |
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Post by robbienicoll on Jul 29, 2024 13:11:57 GMT
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Post by carolus on Jul 29, 2024 13:53:35 GMT
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iang
Lib Dem
Posts: 1,817
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Post by iang on Jul 29, 2024 17:58:23 GMT
I mentioned this on the rest in peace thread, but must admit I hadn't realised that he was currently a Councillor
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