[Politics] Caroline Lucas stepping down

[Eeyore]

She only won because of the students?

Yeah, I put those stats to bed a while ago. But some have a kind of programming that still involuntarily quotes them.

 

[Eeyore]

Overgrown pavements, rubbish collections, city of sanctuary, i360, car parking and public toilets

Isn't that filed under 'Brighton Council' ?

 

[Weststander]

This will be interesting. Labour will fancy their chances, the Greens were crushed last month in BHCC.

I feel the same as @Herr Tubthumper, it’s great seeing that one blob of green in our city.

 

[Eeyore]

Having lived in Caroline Lucas Ward for the last 8 years, she has never knocked on my door. Indeed I was having a conversation with neighbours at the council election who said that she had never been seen in our road.
With the students voting at home rather than locally, she would have been vulnerable at the next election..
The lowest number of votes was in Coldean Ward with less than 25% of voters voting, whilst the rest of the City was close to 45-50%

That's not correct. When a poll was conducted at the university the results were broadly in line with the general vote. Brighton has about 17,000 voting students. Students vote Tory too, and quite a few of them live in the Kemptown constituency.

You say the lowest vote numbers were in Coldean, that's where the highest percentage of students are.

 

[stewart12]

That's not correct. When a poll was conducted at the university the results were broadly in line with the general vote. Brighton has about 17,000 voting students. Students vote Tory too, and quite a few of them live in the Kemptown constituency.

I know it's not necessarily an accurate way of evaluating these things, but around election time the bulk of the green posters around town were in middle class family areas rather than student areas. As you say a lot of the big student areas come under Kemp Town rather than Pavilion and I think students that do vote are more likely to vote Labour than Green.

 

[Eeyore]

And that’s the Greens biggest challenge now as do they have a suitable candidate to succeed her?

Despite her obvious local popularity the Greens performance in running the City Council will have lost her votes, maybe for her legacy it’s better for her to jump now before she’s pushed out at the GE?

Caplin always banged on to me about when he ‘stepped down’ in Hove he did so believing he would have won at the next election, in the same way we will never know if Ms Lucas’s support would have carried her through at the next election.

The sad part is that as a nation we’ve lost, regardless of the colour of the rosette, a traditional old school politician who looked out for everyone regardless of whether they voted for her or not.

Slightly controversial, but in Sir Peter Bottomley we have another person cut from the same cloth, ethically, along the coast.

It didn't. Labour tried that line in 2015 and 2019 and her majority increased both times.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Stepped down? Sleazeball.

I see he still hangs around 1901

Indeed. A quick anecdote about Mr Caplin. I stewarded at Withdean for a number of seasons and one of the early matches in the first season I was given the Directors Box ( if you could call it that ) to steward. I was told that I shouldn't let anyone in that couldn't show a ticket indicating that their seat was in the box. Up strolls Mr Caplin and his son and I ask to see their tickets. The reply "Do you know who I am ? I don't need to show you my ticket." Luckily his son stepped in and presented both their tickets.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

I was hoping that Labour would bring her in as Environment Secretary in the next government. A very progressive move. She has probably realised that most people can’t separate council politics from national politics and that she’d probably be toast. Shame. She used to ask so many questions about Brighton all the time.

Yes a shame in so many ways that she didn't cross the floor and join the Labour ranks, she would have made an excellent shadow cabinet minister.

 

[Chicken Run]

Been a brilliant MP and an example that kindness, compassion and integrity still exist in politics.

Thank you Caroline. What an impact and impression you've made.
I find it a little odd that some are saying that she would have lost her seat at the next election and that's the reason why she's standing down. Pavilion has gone from a slam dunk cert Green victory to a probable Labour one. It all depends on who is the candidate. Caroline, after all, was parachuted in, edging out local favourite, Keith Taylor. I for one am hoping that it doesn't go to Phelim McCafferty.

I hope they do put Mac Cafferty up, he’ll get nowhere near Parliament, unless of course he’s outside holding a placard

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I hope they do put Mac Cafferty up, he’ll get nowhere near Parliament, unless of course he’s outside holding a placard

And even then he'd fly to London City Airport rather catch the train.

 

[timbha]

Indeed. A quick anecdote about Mr Caplin. I stewarded at Withdean for a number of seasons and one of the early matches in the first season I was given the Directors Box ( if you could call it that ) to steward. I was told that I shouldn't let anyone in that couldn't show a ticket indicating that their seat was in the box. Up strolls Mr Caplin and his son and I ask to see their tickets. The reply "Do you know who I am ? I don't need to show you my ticket." Luckily his son stepped in and presented both their tickets.

About right

 

[Lenny Rider]

Stepped down? Sleazeball.

I see he still hangs around 1901

Sleazeball? Me or Monsieur Craplan?

 

[Chicken Run]

That's the council's responsibility, not the MPs. (And the i360 isn't even in her constituency).

That's why people, such as my wife, voted Labour locally, but has voted for Lucas as MP. (Not sure what she'll do now. Hopefully I can get her back into the Labour fold full time)

Fair enough!
(Although it is a bugbear of mine that people can't separate local and national politics.)

“That's the council's responsibility, not the MPs. (And the i360 isn't even in her constituency).”

It’s a bugbear of mine when local people don’t even know the boundaries of their constituency

 

[Lenny Rider]

It didn't. Labour tried that line in 2015 and 2019 and her majority increased both times.

Pardon my ignorance (as I'm West Sussex based) but was that before or after the binmen strike?

The way that was handled will have lost the Greens a lot of votes surely?

 

[Chicken Run]

I see you've finally decided to change your Argus posting name ! For a bit of balance - only Labour bothered to knock on my door in the recent local election. You'd think given the support people like Dawn Barnett have had over the years they might have actually bothered to knock on doors in Hangleton and Knoll - not even a knock from your mate Timmy. In the last general election not a single party bothered to knock on my door.

Agreed Labour knocked on my door as early as March, very solid campaign strategy that ultimately won them the council

 

[Eeyore]

Pardon my ignorance (as I'm West Sussex based) but was that before or after the binmen strike?

The way that was handled will have lost the Greens a lot of votes surely?

Not sure, but the local folk always saw Caroline as separate to the council and the Labour attempt to associate the two just backfired

 

[Brovion]

“That's the council's responsibility, not the MPs. (And the i360 isn't even in her constituency).”

It’s a bugbear of mine when local people don’t even know the boundaries of their constituency

Ha! I thought it was in Hove!

 

[jackanada]

Well that's probably the end of the green party.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Indeed. A quick anecdote about Mr Caplin. I stewarded at Withdean for a number of seasons and one of the early matches in the first season I was given the Directors Box ( if you could call it that ) to steward. I was told that I shouldn't let anyone in that couldn't show a ticket indicating that their seat was in the box. Up strolls Mr Caplin and his son and I ask to see their tickets. The reply "Do you know who I am ? I don't need to show you my ticket." Luckily his son stepped in and presented both their tickets.

He sits a few seats along from me. I'm not challenging what you claim but he has always come across as a decent and friendly person to me whether this in the 1901 or prior to this when I was a member of the Labour party.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Not sure, but the local folk always saw Caroline as separate to the council and the Labour attempt to associate the two just backfired

Exactly. I vote Labour in council elections unless there's a candidate strong enough to change my mind (Leo Littmann for the Greens in the recent elections), but have voted for Caroline Lucas every time. When she first stood I voted for her because I thought it was important for democracy that there was a Green voice in parliament, expecting her to spend a lot of her time at Westminster doing one-woman Green Party stuff. But she quickly showed that she was the best constituency MP that Brighton Pavilion has ever had.

I doubt that the Greens will be able to put anyone up who can approach her share of the vote, but I'll have a serious dilemma over voting Labour in a general election in the light of Starmer's negative stance on rejoining the EU. Unless he's lying, of course, which is no basis for getting my vote.