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Reposted

Fair Political Coverage - we want to hear from ALL our parties @fairpoliticsnow.bsky.social · 8h

So did the broadcast media talk up Reform’s 2nd place 36% in the Welsh Senedd by-elex far too much? Reports I heard focused more on Reform’s so-called surge than Plaid’s stunning victory. What’s everyone feel? Any negativity seems to have been spun as ‘Reform needs to do more to get its vote out.’

Plaid leader and winning candidate celebrating

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 4h

I'd say so, though think it's also members of affiliated unions not just party members. Many of whom may not have voted Labour in years.

mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 5h

It does feel like an extreme drop

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Elizabeth Warren @warren.senate.gov · 2d

Donald Trump just did something truly awful and is hoping you won't notice.

He fired all of the special education staff at the Department of Education.

What kind of person abandons kids with special needs?

What kind of person abandons kids with special needs?

YouTube video by Senator Elizabeth Warren

youtube.com

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 7h

Guessing that explains the low turnout

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 7h

They'll find a way to spin it as "Reform were the real winners surging to second/third place from a near standing start"

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 7h

Lib Dems on about 10% and Alba about 6% assuming the one mentioned on Wikipedia (yes, I know) is the same.

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libretio.bsky.social @libretio.bsky.social · 1d

What were the headlines prior to Plaid's Caerphilly win? "Reform on course for historic victory!!" What are they now that Reform was not only defeated, but crushed? "Labour suffers historic loss!!" Which may be true, but where's Reform? Tell me again the UK media isn't pushing the Far Right agenda.

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 22h

news.stv.tv/politics/gla...

Glasgow councillors and Scottish Greens candidate defect to Your Party

Glasgow councillors Seonad Hoy, Dan Hutchison, and Leòdhas Massie joined Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's party on Friday.

news.stv.tv

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 22h

Bunch of Holyrood candidates in Glasgow and West gone as well.

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BladeoftheSun @bladeofthes.bsky.social · 1d

Nigel Farage's supporter who wants Ethnic Nationalism and who quotes Adolf Hitler.

We need to make it embarrassing to hold these views again, the people of the UK are NOT White Supremacists

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 1d

Not if they don't remove McSweeney from their inner circle

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 1d

In a ward the party didn't contest in 2023 or 2019. Which suggests the Green vote more anti-Tory than anything else.

(Don't know the area at all so not sure whether Lib Dems better fit for it than Greens, whether it's local circumstances or something else)

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 1d

Members don't necessarily translate into electoral success.

But could just as easily be explained by wards that've come up being maybe more favourable to Lib Dems than Greens? Not been many by-elections in inner-city or studenty wards.

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 1d

Which doesn't bode well for next year - most seats last up in 2022 so Labour defending from a high point.

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 1d

Hopefully leading to more jobs in Kernow and ultimately reduced reliance on mass tourism

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 1d

"The danger is we will have a hung parliament and unstable government" - depends on the makeup of said hung parliament surely? It might actually manage to be more radical and get more done than the current government.

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Reform Party UK Exposed @reformexposed.bsky.social · 1d

What's Caerphilly and Clacton got in common?

Neither's likely to see Nigel Farage today.

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Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 1d

Nigel Farage, four weeks ago: "We intend to win this by-election. We will throw everything at it."

Tap-dance all you like now.

Screengrab fromn BBC News website:

'We'll throw everything' at by-election, says Farage
Nigel Farage and Llŷr Powell standing behind a red railing in front of Reform's office in Caerphilly. Both men are wearing blue suits.
Image caption,
Nigel Farage called Llŷr Powell a "good, hard working, loyal, solid, decent bloke"

ByAdrian Browne
Wales political reporter
Published
12 September 2025
Reform UK's leader has unveiled the party's candidate for next month's Senedd by-election in Caerphilly as the man recently handling its communications in Wales.

Announcing that Llŷr Powell will run to be the first Senedd member elected as Reform, Nigel Farage pledged to "throw everything" at the campaign.

"We intend to win this by-election," Farage said, at a slick launch event at Caerphilly Social Club. Powell pledged to "stand up" for Caerphilly communities and offer a "chance at genuine change".

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 1d

Ditto Lib Dems - focus on say 90-100 seats (upper end as some former seats now held by Labour might be ripe for recovery) and target wards in the likes of London boroughs they've nothing.

(if that makes any sense)

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 1d

Which is why I think for now at least the party should ignore ramping from some quarters + focus on say 10 parliamentary constituencies and individual target wards to break through elsewhere. A strategy borrowed from Lib Dems that seems to have worked recently.

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 1d

Birmingham seems a bit weird like say Manchester or Plymouth - Green breakthroughs so far on the edges of the city + not in more studenty centre as might be expected. Could that be something to look out for next year, maybe even underperformance if that doesn't at least partly change?

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 1d

Colchester ward elected three Lib Dems in 2016 + slowly turned red since.

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 1d

Which also has a Lib Dem councillor making them the obvious tactical progressive choice + presumably means they've got better ground game?

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 1d

Especially inner London - all-out elections and arguably underperformed in 2022.

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