[Politics] Does it matter where constituency candidates come from?

[BNthree]

I don’t mind people being fairly new to an area, they don’t need to be born and raised, even a year or two living locally is enough, but I absolutely don’t want them parachuted in just because they want to go to Westminster.

All parties do it, and I don’t like it at all.

Agreed

 

[The Clamp]

I suppose it could work the other way though and you get some NIMBY, local old wind bag who bores the pants off everyone and fights for causes like being able to shoot his neighbours noisy cockerel and makes sure his chums get to live the high life on ale and the daughters of serfs.

Or is that the 18th century I’m thinking of?

 

[chickens]

I suppose it could work the other way though and you get some NIMBY, local old wind bag who bores the pants off everyone and fights for causes like being able to shoot his neighbours noisy cockerel and makes sure his chums get to live the high life on ale and the daughters of serfs.

Or is that the 18th century I’m thinking of?

It’s described Jacob Rees-Mogg fairly accurately.

 

[Silverhatch]

Yes they should. In reality they don’t. Right now the only objective is to put the Tories into opposition for a generation or two.

 

[tedebear]

Liz from Labour bravely made her way up my drive a few evenings ago to ask me about my voting intentions.

I say bravely because Henry, my large Labrador, was barking quite ferociously at her whilst I sat on the doorstep dripping with sweat having just completed a run.

Henry's a complete softy, but she wasn't to know that.

Anyway, at the end of our chat she asked me how likely out of 10 I was to vote for Labour. I said six. If I had ten voting probability points to distribute, the Liberal Democats would have the remaining four.

Yesterday I did a bit of research on Tom Rutland, the Labour candidate for East Worthing and Shoreham, and quickly found out he was recently a councillor in Lambeth. He resigned to pursue his Parliamentary ambitions. From best I can tell he has absolutely no connection to this area at all, it's just a vehicle to get him to where he wants to be. That's Westminster, not West Sussex.

East Worthing and Shoreham comes calling for Labour Cllr Tom Rutland as Streatham residents seek out their missing man

If you’re a resident in Streatham Common and Vale ward then Saturday might be a momentous morning for you

www.brixtonbuzz.com

AWOL Labour Cllr Tom Rutland finally resigns from Lambeth Council to concentrate on becoming the next MP for East Shoreham and Worthing

Two by-elections now look set to take place in Lambeth following the resignation of yet another Lambeth Labour Councillor.

www.brixtonbuzz.com

My Labour voting probability is now zero out of ten.

I know all parties do this to some degree or another, but that doesn't make it right. I just don't want to vote for someone who has little/no connection to the local area.

This subject came up in this thread, and @arewethereyet?'s views mirror my own.

So, does it matter to you where a candidate comes from?

Ordinarily I'd agree with you. This time around I just want the Tories out, so I have to live with it. He stopped by our house last Sunday afternoon, I discussed a couple of local issues of which he was completely unaware, seemed decent enough and did say he has and wants to get involved in these issues. Whether thats lip service or not will remain to be seen. My labour voting probability is still about 9 out of ten, I weigh each election on what is needed at the time, and what is needed now is a move away from the Tories, so I deprioritise the fact he's not local. Just my thoughts.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Not sure about this particular election…but it was definitely one factor amongst others in the recent local election..the candidate had actually lived in my road for some while (although I didn’t know his politics) ..that’s what I call local

 

[LamieRobertson]

I suppose it could work the other way though and you get some NIMBY, local old wind bag who bores the pants off everyone and fights for causes like being able to shoot his neighbours noisy cockerel and makes sure his chums get to live the high life on ale and the daughters of serfs.

Or is that the 18th century I’m thinking of?

Typical Lancing issue

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Yes it matters a lot, and those in Clacton need to realise that Farage not only won’t represent you but he actually despises you.

 

[Gabbiano]

How local is local enough? For example if a Labour candidate from Horsham runs in Worthing is that good enough? They'll never win the seat in Horsham as a Labour candidate but might in Worthing. They might have some local knowledge but be less familiar with the world south of Storrington. And even with the best of intentions you can't make change happen without being elected.

It's all relative really, but when they parachute people in from across the country it does take away some of the veneer of authenticity when your local representative isn't local.

 

[The Colonel]

I'm in East Worthing and Shoreham and still really stuck on who to vote for because of this exact issue.

 

[Since1982]

I think it does matter, but it’s one of a number of factors with any candidate. Here in Mid Sussex we have Dave Rowntree parachuted into the constituency as a C list celeb due to being the drummer with Blur running for Labour. He is up against Alison Bennett LD who has lived locally and served as a local councillor for a number of years. No question who understands the local issues better.

 

[US Seagull]

Ideally, yeah. But it's just one of several factors to consider. How much weight you give that particular issue is up to you.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I think it does matter, but it’s one of a number of factors with any candidate. Here in Mid Sussex we have Dave Rowntree parachuted into the constituency as a C list celeb due to being the drummer with Blur running for Labour. He is up against Alison Bennett LD who has lived locally and served as a local councillor for a number of years. No question who understands the local issues better.

Do you think he’ll up drumsticks and move to Mid Sussex?

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

I think it does matter, but it’s one of a number of factors with any candidate. Here in Mid Sussex we have Dave Rowntree parachuted into the constituency as a C list celeb due to being the drummer with Blur running for Labour. He is up against Alison Bennett LD who has lived locally and served as a local councillor for a number of years. No question who understands the local issues better.

That feels like the sort of thing parties do sometimes in seats they think they have no chance of winning, vaguely hoping the name recognition might boost their vote slightly.

Obviously difficult to tell with boundary changes and the current poll numbers, but in a constituency where the Conservatives have received a majority of the vote in every election since 2005 I doubt anybody expected it to make too much difference who the Labour candidate was.

 

[peterward]

Liz from Labour bravely made her way up my drive a few evenings ago to ask me about my voting intentions.

I say bravely because Henry, my large Labrador, was barking quite ferociously at her whilst I sat on the doorstep dripping with sweat having just completed a run.

Henry's a complete softy, but she wasn't to know that.

Anyway, at the end of our chat she asked me how likely out of 10 I was to vote for Labour. I said six. If I had ten voting probability points to distribute, the Liberal Democats would have the remaining four.

Yesterday I did a bit of research on Tom Rutland, the Labour candidate for East Worthing and Shoreham, and quickly found out he was recently a councillor in Lambeth. He resigned to pursue his Parliamentary ambitions. From best I can tell he has absolutely no connection to this area at all, it's just a vehicle to get him to where he wants to be. That's Westminster, not West Sussex.

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.brixtonbuzz.com/2023/11...reatham-residents-seek-out-their-missing-man/[/URL]

AWOL Labour Cllr Tom Rutland finally resigns from Lambeth Council to concentrate on becoming the next MP for East Shoreham and Worthing

Two by-elections now look set to take place in Lambeth following the resignation of yet another Lambeth Labour Councillor.

www.brixtonbuzz.com

My Labour voting probability is now zero out of ten.

I know all parties do this to some degree or another, but that doesn't make it right. I just don't want to vote for someone who has little/no connection to the local area.

This subject came up in this thread, and @arewethereyet?'s views mirror my own.

So, does it matter to you where a candidate comes from?

It works for Trossard, Caicedo, MacAllister, Potter.

Don't get upset if East Worthing is just a stepping stone on route to Westminster!

Ability is more important.

 

[Grizz]

I'd like my MP to have a decent knowledge of what affects the community they're going to represent. As long as they'd spent time here and are going to do so if elected and are hard working, then I'm not too worried that they weren't born and bred here.

In your circumstance, Tom Rutland would bother me a bit if I'm honest, especially if he only recently got parachuted in to contest the seat as a vehicle to get to Westminster. It happened recently during the local council elections here. The new candidate hadn't represented Brentford before, wasn't born here or lived here and it bothered a lot of people, so much so the local independent candidate only lost out to her by a couple of hundred votes. But I guess that's local politics rather than national, so different criteria maybe.

 

[zefarelly]

As an Adur resident, we've had to put up with an abhorent MP for decades who has an appalingly prehistoric and very right wing voting history.

some people bang on about 'he did local stuff. He's not a local and has never lived locally.

in an ideal worls your MP would be local but its going to be a rarity.

I'd rather a competent newbie than a retarded yokel.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Anyone coming down my drive waving an election leaflet gets the hose turned on them, regardless of where they live.

It's a secret ballot, so they can all sod off.

 

[Bold Seagull]

What I want is the best talent running the country.

How many MPs is a government likely to have - 327 to 400ish generally.

So naturally you’re bound to have talented people potentially stacked in some areas over others. I’d rather have the right people in Parliament over coming from the right area.

Being from that area is a nice bonus, the most important thing is listening and understanding local issues, but you don’t need to be from there to get it.

 

[Bold Seagull]

As an Adur resident, we've had to put up with an abhorent MP for decades who has an appalingly prehistoric and very right wing voting history.

some people bang on about 'he did local stuff. He's not a local and has never lived locally.

in an ideal worls your MP would be local but its going to be a rarity.

I'd rather a competent newbie than a retarded yokel.

‘One person banged on about he did local stuff’

How local is local enough? For example if a Labour candidate from Horsham runs in Worthing is that good enough? They'll never win the seat in Horsham as a Labour candidate but might in Worthing. They might have some local knowledge but be less familiar with the world south of Storrington. And even with the best of intentions you can't make change happen without being elected.

It's all relative really, but when they parachute people in from across the country it does take away some of the veneer of authenticity when your local representative isn't local.

And as said above, if that Horsham candidate is really talented, then I’d rather they had a spot in Parliament representing a different constituency than not having them based on where they live.