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Count Binface

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Re: Count Binface

#241

Post by crote »

a_humean wrote: post #112
ayaros wrote: post #87

I have so many questions... I wonder how the legalities of this work. If people write in "Count Binface" or if that's the name on the ballot, then if he wins, does that mean Jonathan David Harvey (the actual name of the guy who plays him) is elected? Does Count Binface count as an alias? If not, he required to use that name while in office - or more precisely, is he not considered a member if he goes by his own name?…

The biggest practical obstacle, other than getting elected, is the dress code for the house of commons which disallows military uniform, disallows face covering (while voting), and requires smart business attire. You could argue that he might be in violation of all three! The name isn't really that much of a problem.

His face isn't covered, his face is a bin. I would've thought the whole "Count Binface" made that pretty clear...

Re: Count Binface

#242

Post by squidbeak »

prohobo wrote: post #201
dofm wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He is noticeably more damaged now, believe me. Everyone thinks this election was at least a stupid idea and it is his stupid idea designed for his personal benefit. You are right that it could backfire, but to give you a much longer and more analytical answer, here is the picture as Farage understands it and why he did what he did: - Farage is the leader of an insurgent party with the ability to command national medi…

This is all from the perspective of people who already oppose Farage, though. Supporters will zealously reframe everything as illegitimate attack. Soft skeptics will notice the establishment's overreach. I agree this might be a normal political tactic on paper, but that's irrelevant when you're dealing with populism. The entire game is tribal framing. To anyone outside the anti-Farage coalition, this just looks like…

> This is all from the perspective of people who already oppose Farage, though

Actually, you seem to be the one ignoring data out of partisan prejudice. The polls are quite clear Farage's shady finances are damaging both him and Reform.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/07/12/farage-slump...

Re: Count Binface

#243

Post by luke5441 »

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?

Since it is a first-past the post system it would have been best if the other parties coordinated to only let the best party compete.

Having Count Binface as the only other candidate is IMO a second-best option.

Re: Count Binface

#245

Post by crote »

Macha wrote: post #139
Havoc wrote: post #52

I hope he wins the upcoming election. Won’t but one can hope… The actual politician he’s standing against is an asshole

I think Binface is going to smash his own records and get to like 20%. Farage will get enough that Farage is going to claim the result as a decisive victory while at the same time the result is actually deeply embarrassing for Farage.

That's just the thing: Farage tried to create an "underdog vs the establishment" scenario where his corruption charged could be ignored because of "the voice of the people", but right now the absolute best he could hope for is winning from a garbage can.

There's just no way to claim that as a decisive victory with a straight face. It'll always come with the caveat "... against a bin" - which means Farage has already lost.

Re: Count Binface

#246

Post by rjsw »

pjc50 wrote: post #213
dofm wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if Boris ever faked being unintelligent or faked being a man of the people. Or being a bloke from the pub, actually. He did fake being a buffoon , of course, but he was doing that long, long, long before Trump. He is terrifically intelligent and obviously absurdly well-educated, he's just a liar and a sociopath. Indeed his chosen buffoonish, winging-it character hints at that, because buffoon is the easi…

The remarkable one is Kemi Badenoch, who would be in more trouble if anyone was actually paying attention to the unhinged things she's saying as leader of the Conservative party. If Farage survives the crypto donation scandal (and is therefore free to take more dodgy money), there's a real risk that the default rightwing party becomes Reform and the Conservatives become irrelevant, which would be a bizarre act of sel…

That happened in Canada [1] and Farage has been quite open on picking the same party name to hopefully follow the same path.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_Party_of_Canada

Re: Count Binface

#247

Post by crote »

prohobo wrote: post #159
johneth wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The other parties aren't standing in this particular byelection because they (correctly) realise that it's just a media stunt by Farage, who is attempting to paint himself as a victim of establishment harassment (while being the epitome of 'the establishment' himself). By not standing, and forcing Farage to run against joke candidates, they've made a fool of him (which generally harms populists more than anything els…

This doesn't make a fool of Farage though! It clarifies to anyone already skeptical of the establishment that when pushed, they'd rather not play than risk losing. This is literally self-defeating! You claim that this kind of thing "generally harms populists more than anything else," but I can't think of a single time that it actually has at the scale that matters. What would harm populists would be a viable alternat…

They are playing, though!

If Farage wins, things continue exactly as they were: Farage the MP of Clacton, being investigated for undeclared financial gifts. With no serious counter-candidates, even getting 99% of the votes would be completely meaningless.

If Farage loses, well, he'll have lost to a bin, meaning his political career would be finished.

And anything besides a massive victory would only hurt Farage. Prior to this he was seen as a likely future Prime Minister. If he gets a 55/45 victory against a bin in a constituency which heavily favors his party, who would ever take him serious?

If the other parties contested the election, they would've legitimized his stupid "I'm getting a mandate from the people" move, automatically making it way more of a mess if his undeclared financial gifts turned into being expelled from the House.

The only winning move is not to play. The other parties know this, and by treating the Count as a completely legitimate candidate the media are guaranteeing this.

Re: Count Binface

#248

Post by squidbeak »

I see from the comments here many Americans especially are confused by this situation. Some background might make help.

Farage seems to have broken Parliamentary Rules (laid down after the cash for questions scandal in the 1990s) by accepting large sums of money as gifts - but without declaring them, something all MPs are required to do for any gift. But worse, one of these gifts came from a convicted crypto felon.

The Parliamentary standards committee seemed likely to suspend him or order a recall by-election as a result.

Nigel's aim in preempting this near-inevitability was apparently to use the media spotlight the by-election would give him to dominate the summer headlines and present himself as a man-of-the-peeps martyr-rebel under mean & outrageous establishment persecution (rather than just the rich little chancer he is, on the make, with the murkiest of murky connections). If he could hammer this impression into the public imagination, they'd then be deaf to any subsequent findings from the Parliamentary Standards Committee.

In other words he thought this little manoeuvre could turn a damaging problem and weakness into a strength. Unfortunately for Nige, the other parties understood this, & instead have left him to play all summer long with the jokers and silly parties, looking like a laughingstock.

So as you see, there's nothing anti-democratic about it. If he wins, he will still face the suspension and recall election that was coming anyway. But as part of procedure - not on the terms he's trying to set with this little stunt.

Re: Count Binface

#249

Post by crote »

prohobo wrote: post #201
dofm wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He is noticeably more damaged now, believe me. Everyone thinks this election was at least a stupid idea and it is his stupid idea designed for his personal benefit. You are right that it could backfire, but to give you a much longer and more analytical answer, here is the picture as Farage understands it and why he did what he did: - Farage is the leader of an insurgent party with the ability to command national medi…

This is all from the perspective of people who already oppose Farage, though. Supporters will zealously reframe everything as illegitimate attack. Soft skeptics will notice the establishment's overreach. I agree this might be a normal political tactic on paper, but that's irrelevant when you're dealing with populism. The entire game is tribal framing. To anyone outside the anti-Farage coalition, this just looks like…

His zealots are already seen asking where the Count is "getting his money from", and implying that he is an "establishment deep-state plant".

But he's a bin, and it's his seventh election. You can't exactly ask questions like "where is a man pretending to be a garbage can getting the £100 filing fee from" without making yourself look incredibly silly. Everyone but the most extreme cultists can see that, even his own regular supporters.

You can't fight a bin. It's like wrestling with a pig: you just get dirty and the pig enjoys it. The real question is: is Farage's support strong enough to secure an overwhelming victory against the get-rid-of-Farage candidate without actually campaigning?

Re: Count Binface

#250

Post by crote »

luke5441 wrote: post #243
stingraycharles wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Since it is a first-past the post system it would have been best if the other parties coordinated to only let the best party compete. Having Count Binface as the only other candidate is IMO a second-best option.

That would've given Farage the "him vs The Establishment" fight he is looking for, though. Leaving it to the Count robs him of that.
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