[Politics] Brighton Pavilion, Labour candidate - who to vote for?

[Gwylan]

So, I've just received my online ballot to select the Labour candidate to go up against Sian Berry and I have no idea who to vote for.

The only one I've heard of is Eddie Izzard - and I'm clearly not to going to vote for a Palace supporter. But which of the other three? Tom Gray, Birgit Miller or Lucy Helliwell? I'd not heard of any of them until they appeared on the Labour shortlist. And they've been very quiet (as opposed to Eddie Izzard, who sends me text messages or emails every day).

It's a pretty uninspiring choice - have any of them done anything of note?

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

The one most likely to lose to Sian Berrry?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

So, I've just received my online ballot to select the Labour candidate to go up against Sian Berry and I have no idea who to vote for.

The only one I've heard of is Eddie Izzard - and I'm clearly not to going to vote for a Palace supporter. But which of the other three? Tom Gray, Birgit Miller or Lucy Helliwell? I'd not heard of any of them until they appeared on the Labour shortlist. And they've been very quiet (as opposed to Eddie Izzard, who sends me text messages or emails every day).

It's a pretty uninspiring choice - have any of them done anything of note?

According to Tom Gray's leaflet he won the Mercury Music Prize. He must have mentioned his musical credentials about a dozen times. His political credentials? Not so much

 

[Gwylan]

His political credentials? Not so much

Yeah, that's what I meant.

What have these people done?

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Yeah, that's what I meant.

What have these people done?

Wikipedia on Tom Gray :

With the band, Gray made one of the first attempts at completely carbon-neutral touring in 2006 [16] and is a signatory to the 'Music Declares Emergency' climate declaration.[17]

He founded the Broken Record campaign in March 2020 to seek fairer remuneration for music creators, especially from streaming.[18] The campaign helped to initiate a UK parliamentary inquiry into the ‘Economics of streaming’.[19][20] In April 2021, Gray wrote a letter to the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, requesting better rights for creators and for the industry to be referred to the UK Competition and Markets Authority. The letter was co-signed by other 200 notable individuals in UK music industry including The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Kate Bush and Chris Martin.[21]

In February 2021, Gray was elected as the Chair of the Ivors Academy, the British association of songwriters and composers. He led several campaigns through the academy, which has resulted in an international conversation around reform of the streaming market.[22][2] He is also an elected Council Member of the Performing Rights Society.[23]

Tom's campaigning provided impetus for the creation of the "Brennan Bill", a bill brought by to the UK parliament by the Member of Parliament for Cardiff West, Kevin Brennan [24] to improve pay and conditions for working British musicians.[25]

On June 9, 2022, Gray was awarded the Unsung Hero Award by the Music Producers Guild, UK.[8]

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Yeah, that's what I meant.

What have these people done?

Lucy Helliwell is a current local councillor I believe, and has lived in Portslade for 20 years. I'm sure if you Google you can find out what she's about and stands for. Let me know if you find any decent racist or disabled gags.

As much as I like Eddie Izzard I just think she will turn the whole thing into a circus ......through no fault of their own I should add.

 

[Simster]

Yeah, that's what I meant.

What have these people done?

I'm not sure political credentials mean much. If this was a Tory vote and you had the choice of five but two of NSC's biggest bell-ends Tim Hodges, Ivan Lyons were both options, would you feel compelled to vote for either of them because they'd been councillors?

If it was me, I'd go for someone normal and who has lived in the area for at least a decade.

 

[Brovion]

So, I've just received my online ballot to select the Labour candidate to go up against Sian Berry and I have no idea who to vote for.

The only one I've heard of is Eddie Izzard - and I'm clearly not to going to vote for a Palace supporter. But which of the other three? Tom Gray, Birgit Miller or Lucy Helliwell? I'd not heard of any of them until they appeared on the Labour shortlist. And they've been very quiet (as opposed to Eddie Izzard, who sends me text messages or emails every day).

It's a pretty uninspiring choice - have any of them done anything of note?

You wouldn't really let someone's football team count against them would you? (I'm sure you wouldn't). And at least he is a football supporter, so you have something in common.

But yeah, it looks like Pavilion Labour still want the Greens to win. I was always annoyed that since Lucas was elected Labour put up a series of patsys against her and made no real effort to get the seat back. Anyway Helliwell or Miller for me as I believe they're both local councillors.

EDIT: I'm probably being a bit unkind. There's no one local who really stands out, and I'd be delighted with either Helliwell or Miller and will happily vote for them.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Bring back Dave Lepper

 

[Westdene Seagull]

If it were me then I'd vote Izzard just to put the cat among the pigeons. Otherwise Birgit Miller as at least she's local - well lived in the city for a number of years even if it isn't in the Brighton Pavilion constituency.

 

[Chicken Run]

So, I've just received my online ballot to select the Labour candidate to go up against Sian Berry and I have no idea who to vote for.

The only one I've heard of is Eddie Izzard - and I'm clearly not to going to vote for a Palace supporter. But which of the other three? Tom Gray, Birgit Miller or Lucy Helliwell? I'd not heard of any of them until they appeared on the Labour shortlist. And they've been very quiet (as opposed to Eddie Izzard, who sends me text messages or emails every day).

It's a pretty uninspiring choice - have any of them done anything of note?

Tom Gray

 

[Chicken Run]

If it was me, I'd go for someone normal and who has lived in the area for at least a decade.

Mmmm You’d need to double check and thoughly investigate any claims Labour Party Cllrs make about living locally…..

 

[Brian Fantana]

As others have said, having genuinely lived locally for a decent amount of time should be the most important factor here.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

You wouldn't really let someone's football team count against them would you? (I'm sure you wouldn't). And at least he is a football supporter, so you have something in common.

But yeah, it looks like Pavilion Labour still want the Greens to win. I was always annoyed that since Lucas was elected Labour put up a series of patsys against her and made no real effort to get the seat back. Anyway Helliwell or Miller for me as I believe they're both local councillors.

EDIT: I'm probably being a bit unkind. There's no one local who really stands out, and I'd be delighted with either Helliwell or Miller and will happily vote for them.

Sounds sensible. If you are a member of the local party and have a say, check to see whether the candidate is endorsing Starmer or still endorsing Corbyn. I get to vote on various labour elections and this is my rule of thumb. Unless they are claiming they will lead a socialist revolution, declare St Peter's church a nuclear free zone and personally end the war in Gaza, the rest of their platform is largely irrelevant as they are required to spend some time as back bench lobby fodder initially, while they learn the ropes.

 

[JetsetJimbo]

As someone who has musicians in his family, I've gotta respect the details about Tom Gray that someone posted above. He'd probably get my vote for that alone, if I still lived in Brighton and was still a member of the Labour Party.

But I'd absolutely be voting for Sian Berry in the GE if I still had a vote in Pavilion (as an exile, my vote is in the last constituency I lived in in the UK, which is a pretty safe Tory seat in central London - honestly not sure I'll bother registering this time).

 

[Gwylan]

But I'd absolutely be voting for Sian Berry in the GE if I still had a vote in Pavilion (as an exile, my vote is in the last constituency I lived in in the UK, which is a pretty safe Tory seat in central London - honestly not sure I'll bother registering this time).

I'm not sure there are any safe Tory seats any more - at least not in central London (the biggest Tory margin is in Chelsea and Fulham and a decent tactical vote for LDs could see them win that).

Back to Brighton, I agree that it has to be a local candidate. The Greens have parachuted someone in and the Labour person best placed to win it should be a local councillor. I just wish I knew more about them.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Probably worth validating where they live

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Tom Gray sounds like a good egg, lived in Brighton since 1999

 

[ClemFandango]

Lucy Helliwell is a current local councillor I believe, and has lived in Portslade for 20 years. I'm sure if you Google you can find out what she's about and stands for. Let me know if you find any decent racist or disabled gags.

As much as I like Eddie Izzard I just think she will turn the whole thing into a circus ......through no fault of their own I should add.

You seem to have made a mistake, you just called a bloke called Eddie ‘she’

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I personally don't think connection to an area is the most important thing. Tens of thousands of people in Brighton aren't originally from Brighton. As long as they understand the nature of the city and it's values and as long as you're satisfied the person is honest and hard working and available and will listen to constituents before voting in the commons then they will make a good MP.

Discerning who that person is before hand is tough. But some are a giveaway that they won't be.

Eddie Izzard is an interesting one. Being a Palace fan wouldn't prevent me from voting for her.