Should election candidates publish home town?
Discussion
Steve vRS said:
Another Tatton resident here. So it's either the remote labour chap or the local Minister for common sense. Tough choice....
Wonderful isn't it. I am resigned to voting Conservative since I don't want Labour to have a dangerously large majority. They don't deserve my vote, but then none of them do.On our ballet form it says candidate lives in MK or doesn't. Sometimes it says which part of MK.
There is a girl who used to work in our office in MK who was a tory candidate for Stoke-on-trent, she wasn't born there or even lived there, born down south somewhere. She seemed to have no connection to S-O-T at all.
There is a girl who used to work in our office in MK who was a tory candidate for Stoke-on-trent, she wasn't born there or even lived there, born down south somewhere. She seemed to have no connection to S-O-T at all.
I’m in Swansea West, a very safe Labour seat since 1964. The sitting MP has been kicked out of Labour for being a sex pest though so there’s a new candidate this year.
Is it a local person with any knowledge of the constituency or the city? No, it’s Torsten Henricson-Bell, a former Spad and thinktanker. Has he ever been to Swansea? Who knows?
Where does he live? London obviously. Of course he’ll be elected and probably will be a minister in short order but I seriously doubt he will be much of a constituency MP.
Is it a local person with any knowledge of the constituency or the city? No, it’s Torsten Henricson-Bell, a former Spad and thinktanker. Has he ever been to Swansea? Who knows?
Where does he live? London obviously. Of course he’ll be elected and probably will be a minister in short order but I seriously doubt he will be much of a constituency MP.
rohrl said:
I’m in Swansea West, a very safe Labour seat since 1964. The sitting MP has been kicked out of Labour for being a sex pest though so there’s a new candidate this year.
Is it a local person with any knowledge of the constituency or the city? No, it’s Torsten Henricson-Bell, a former Spad and thinktanker. Has he ever been to Swansea? Who knows?
Where does he live? London obviously. Of course he’ll be elected and probably will be a minister in short order but I seriously doubt he will be much of a constituency MP.
They have to do regular surgeries don’t they and are contacted by constituents on a daily basis about local issues?Is it a local person with any knowledge of the constituency or the city? No, it’s Torsten Henricson-Bell, a former Spad and thinktanker. Has he ever been to Swansea? Who knows?
Where does he live? London obviously. Of course he’ll be elected and probably will be a minister in short order but I seriously doubt he will be much of a constituency MP.
Voldemort said:
Candidates should not be allowed to stand unless they live in the constituency.
That's fine for big/popular areas, but will limit the pool of candidates for the more remote areas, like St Ives mentioned above.Either there will be zero people that want to be a politician, or worse you get some totally inappropriate whack-job who should be nowhere near an elected position.
Right then Rishi. We have 2 people for the East s
ttington area, Barry "Adolf was right" Jones and Mavis Numpton, 97, who accidentally signed up to be an MP instead of the naked pilates class and yes, she is a full time naturist and no, she would not put on clothes for the publicity shots...paulrockliffe said:
It's literally on the nomination form and a matter of public record whether the Candidates live in the Constituency. How can you not find it out? There are literally websites set up to tell you exactly which candidates have been parachuted in.
Literally still waiting. One of the candidates near me shares the name of a friend-of-a-friend who is a youtuber.
It turns out to be the same guy, but his contact details and lack of photo make it impossible to tell.
My ex-MP lived 100 miles away, and did not reply to correspondence. Utterly useless.
The most likely candidates (tory/labour/libdem) are all local.
It turns out to be the same guy, but his contact details and lack of photo make it impossible to tell.
My ex-MP lived 100 miles away, and did not reply to correspondence. Utterly useless.
The most likely candidates (tory/labour/libdem) are all local.
rohrl said:
Where does he live? London obviously. Of course he’ll be elected and probably will be a minister in short order but I seriously doubt he will be much of a constituency MP.
My parents were once on the selection committee for our local candidate. They had a choice of a certain David Cameron or Charles Hendry. The latter was chosen as the committee thought the former was too ambitious and therefore wouldnt be a good constituency MP.Beati Dogu said:
Voldemort said:
Candidates should not be allowed to stand unless they live in the constituency.
Trouble is, that sometimes, like mine this year, the constituency is abolished and a new one drawn up.
Puzzles said:
IMO they should live in the constituency
Me too.alangla said:
I’ve seen some candidate lists say “address in the XXXXXX constituency” I think that & disallowing the use of party HQ or your election agents address is probably enough detail.
Good enough for meI totally understand that they want to avoid nutters showing up at their house to shout at them about the sort of issues nutters shout about, so I don't think publishing home addresses is necessary. I just want to know they live in the constituency.
AndyAudi said:
Beati Dogu said:
Voldemort said:
Candidates should not be allowed to stand unless they live in the constituency.
Trouble is, that sometimes, like mine this year, the constituency is abolished and a new one drawn up.I've got mates in both the local Tory and Labour parties, and it's quite funny to have seen over the years as they complain about it when it doesn't suit them, but are totally in favour when it does.
donkmeister said:
Puzzles said:
IMO they should live in the constituency
Me too.alangla said:
I’ve seen some candidate lists say “address in the XXXXXX constituency” I think that & disallowing the use of party HQ or your election agents address is probably enough detail.
Good enough for meI totally understand that they want to avoid nutters showing up at their house to shout at them about the sort of issues nutters shout about, so I don't think publishing home addresses is necessary. I just want to know they live in the constituency.
The Lib Dem candidate actually lives far closer to the bulk of the residents than the Tory, even though she's in another constituency - it's an odd shape, wrapping around Colchester and avoiding Clacton (sensible advice!)
Being required to state the nearest town is not an unreasonable request.
donkmeister said:
Puzzles said:
IMO they should live in the constituency
Me too.alangla said:
I’ve seen some candidate lists say “address in the XXXXXX constituency” I think that & disallowing the use of party HQ or your election agents address is probably enough detail.
Good enough for meI totally understand that they want to avoid nutters showing up at their house to shout at them about the sort of issues nutters shout about, so I don't think publishing home addresses is necessary. I just want to know they live in the constituency.
So yes, it'd be good to ensure the MP lived in the constituency as long as that meant they actually lived there, rather than just on paper.
My sitting MP had a distinct problem. She was invisible. I tried contacting her but all I got was generic 'thank for your interest' type replies. I once asked a specific question. I got an in-depth reply to one I did not ask, not that I expected much else. However, it irritated me, so I wrote again, pointing out that the previous reply did not address my question. After a two-month wait, I got the same reply. I was going to send the posts and replies to Private Eye, but realised that all they would do was send me a 'thank-you for contacting us' reply. That would be too much.
She's moved house for this election, rather ironically moving closer to the constituency while becoming a candidate for a safer seat elsewhere.
No wonder Sunak has tried the rather pathetic and transparent ploy of 'don't give them too many seats'. That's desperation to the nth degree. Will anyone be taken in by it? Some will use it as an excuse, but it will fool no-one, least of all those who use it.
She's moved house for this election, rather ironically moving closer to the constituency while becoming a candidate for a safer seat elsewhere.
No wonder Sunak has tried the rather pathetic and transparent ploy of 'don't give them too many seats'. That's desperation to the nth degree. Will anyone be taken in by it? Some will use it as an excuse, but it will fool no-one, least of all those who use it.
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