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Count Binface

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Re: Count Binface

#71

Post by athrowaway3z »

frakrx wrote: post #59

A serious candidate could probably defeat Farage but they are hiding behind this Binface thing and present it as a smart move. Cowards.

I think you wildly misunderstand the situation.

If what you think is true, why did Farage step down call the election in the first place?

It seems rather clear it was a PR stunt he knows he'll win in this district, which lets him distract from his own corruption scandals.

But if you think there is some other reason I'd be interesting to hear the theory.

Re: Count Binface

#72

Post by buildfocus »

stingraycharles wrote: post #62
taran_narat wrote: post #44

This person is hilarious, for non-UK people who are wondering what this is, this is a joke candidate for an MP who is getting a lot of attention because of the political system in the UK not working very well. This YouTube video has sort of started this off recently and made him go viral https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MCCVt8IhJkA&pp=ygUHQmluZmFjZQ%...

What I find interesting is that he seems to be the only candidate? Aren’t there actual political parties that could have produced legitimate candidates?

The election is a re-election vote triggered by the MP already in the very safe seat, as a distraction from "where did all this money come from" investigations around him (which are also conveniently paused by this byelection).

He's arguing that if he gets reelected then the investigation doesn't matter. The other parties are arguing it's a stunt, and so are fielding no candidates.

Binface's candidacy accurately represents the absurdity of the whole thing.

Re: Count Binface

#74

Post by 317070 »

stingraycharles wrote: post #62
taran_narat wrote: post #44

This person is hilarious, for non-UK people who are wondering what this is, this is a joke candidate for an MP who is getting a lot of attention because of the political system in the UK not working very well. This YouTube video has sort of started this off recently and made him go viral https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MCCVt8IhJkA&pp=ygUHQmluZmFjZQ%...

What I find interesting is that he seems to be the only candidate? Aren’t there actual political parties that could have produced legitimate candidates?

Those other parties all declined to compete in this by-election. They want Farage to stand to the rule of law on his corruption, and not endorse this procedural manoeuvre.

The timing of this by-election is also such that, were there an actual race, Farage would likely get his propaganda on the front of the newspapers throughout the summer months while everyone else in politics is on holiday.

Re: Count Binface

#75

Post by onion2k »

hdgvhicv wrote: post #50
stavros wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for the explanation, so this is basically for the election as MP. Does this mean that Farage's party also can't win in the next general election (and make him PM)? AFAIK him becoming PM was a worry.

To be prime minister you have to have support of 50%+1 of the MPs. This means either having them in your party, or having a deal with another party. You also have to be an MP. Currently Kier Starmer is a Labour mp in an area of London. He’s resigning and is being replaced by someone (Burnham) who was Labour Mayor for Manchester, but stood as MP in an area of Manchester last month after another Labour MP resigned. Bur…

You also have to be an MP.

I don't think that's strictly true. You definitely don't have to be an MP in order to hold a cabinet office. I think that extends to the PM as well. It's never been tried obviously.

Re: Count Binface

#77

Post by ra »

The Ipsos poll cited in the first image was a survey of 1,000 uk citizens 18+. It wasn't a poll of 1,000 people in Clacton. It's meaningless and I'm surprised they used it.

Re: Count Binface

#79

Post by danaris »

stavros wrote: post #27
onion2k wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference in this instance is that all of the major parties have stood aside, leaving the Clacton by-election as a race between Nigel Farage and Count Binface. Essentially it's turned into an election between Farage and anyone-but-Farage. I sincerely hope the best alien wins.

I don't understand what this is, can someone explain? Clacton seems to be a town in the UK, are they campaigning for mayor? What's the relevance, why is Farage even involved?

OK, buckle up.

Nigel Farage is basically like the UK's Trump: he was the head of the UKIP party, which championed Brexit, and then became the dog that caught the car when Brexit actually happened. Since then, the Reform UK party has taken up the position of far-right-practically-Nazis in UK politics, and Farage is the head of that.

Farage is also an MP (Member of Parliament) for Clacton. Recently, he was embroiled in a scandal where he clearly took foreign bribe money. As an MP, Parliament can run an investigation of him for it. So he stepped down—pre-empting that investigation...but immediately stood in the by-election that was triggered. This way, either he loses the by-election to one of the other major parties—Labour or the Tories, which these days roughly count as "somewhat right of the US Democrats and a tiny bit left of the US Republicans", respectively—or he is returned to Parliament with a strong mandate, having defeated whatever candidates those parties sent to oppose him.

Except...they didn't send anyone to oppose him.

This means that he's basically a shoo-in to return to Parliament unopposed—meaning he has no mandate—to face his investigation.

...Enter Count Binface.

Now the options for him are "return to Parliament having faced no serious candidates, right into an official investigation", or "lose to the man with a bin on his head".

Neither of these are good options for Nigel Farage.

Re: Count Binface

#80

Post by blitzar »

whh wrote: post #49
BLKNSLVR wrote: post #2

I wish Count Binface all the best for the Clacton by-election. Edited to add: Some of my favourite commentary around this by-election is along the lines of: A fundamentally un-serious candidate with no coherent policies or political experience running against Count Binface.

I, for one, am ready for FFS1 & nationalising Adele.

Finally someone willing to stand up and make the tough decisions about the hand dryer in the gents' toilet at the Crown & Treaty, Uxbridge.
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