Byelections 15th October

[East Anglian Lefty]

Oct 16, 2015 13:49:08 GMT maxque said:

Oct 16, 2015 9:23:19 GMT East Anglian Lefty said:

I think the Wisbech lot are quite inclined to do their own thing and they're not exactly a font of positive news stories. They may have been more able to start with a blank slate here.

The Tory candidate may also be relevant. From he's public statements, he's always come across as an abrasive know-nothing and this may have made it harder for the Tories to gain Lib Dem support. Or the reason may be something entirely different. Either way, it's a very good UKIP result.

Also, the late UKIP councillor got no negative press and was a committee chair (I would hope UKIP gives them to competent councillors), so, I suspect she gave a positive image of UKIP during the two years of her term in her division.

UKIP initially gave them out without regard to competence, and one of the UKIP Wisbech councillors got deposed due to concerns about his ability to understand his ability to understand the material put in front of him. But I heard no such concerns about Rylance, so I presume she managed that effectively.

[gwynthegriff]

Oct 16, 2015 23:29:59 GMT East Anglian Lefty said:

Oct 16, 2015 13:49:08 GMT maxque said:

Also, the late UKIP councillor got no negative press and was a committee chair (I would hope UKIP gives them to competent councillors), so, I suspect she gave a positive image of UKIP during the two years of her term in her division.

UKIP initially gave them out without regard to competence, and one of the UKIP Wisbech councillors got deposed due to concerns about his ability to understand his ability to understand the material put in front of him. But I heard no such concerns about Rylance, so I presume she managed that effectively.

When has that ever been considered a bar to council membership?

[East Anglian Lefty]

Oct 17, 2015 21:41:01 GMT gwynthegriff said:

Oct 16, 2015 23:29:59 GMT East Anglian Lefty said:

UKIP initially gave them out without regard to competence, and one of the UKIP Wisbech councillors got deposed due to concerns about his ability to understand his ability to understand the material put in front of him. But I heard no such concerns about Rylance, so I presume she managed that effectively.

When has that ever been considered a bar to council membership?

It's not a bar to membership, it may make you a less effective committee chair. And given that Cambridgeshire has switched over to the committee system, that matters a bit more than it might otherwise.