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Reposted

libretio.bsky.social @libretio.bsky.social · 13h

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 · 8h

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 · 8h

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

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Reposted

BladeoftheSun @bladeofthes.bsky.social · 14h

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 · 11h

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

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 11h

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 · 12h

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 · 12h

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 · 12h

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

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 12h

"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 · 16h

What's Caerphilly and Clacton got in common?

Neither's likely to see Nigel Farage today.

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Reposted

Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 14h

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 · 15h

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 · 15h

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 · 15h

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 · 15h

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

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 15h

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 · 15h

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

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 15h

Fair points re members not necessarily translating into more votes and seats (see Labour over past few years) + those hyper-targeted Lib Dem campaigns, though in fairness not been too many by-elections in the kind of metropolitan wards Greens might expect to win now?

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 15h

And Greens also fourth in Colchester. Was indeed a rare Labour hold.

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 15h

Glastonbury the biggest surprise of last night so far. Not in terms of result (I was torn between Lib Dem hold and Green gain) but in terms of the scale of victory. Thought it would be close.

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 16h

Surely Rhun ap Iorwerth is clear favourite to be next FM now

mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 16h

Clearly Labour still isn't right wing enough... 🤦‍♂️

John Rentoul @rentouljohn.bsky.social · 17h

4. No, it does not mean Labour should turn to the left: that would boost Reform in those Lab-Reform marginals
4/4

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 16h

Fair point overall, but I don't think English retirees would explain why the valleys voted leave.

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mikeinsdevon.bsky.social @mikeinsdevon.bsky.social · 17h

Surprised at the scale of that one tbh - thought it would be close between Lib Dems and Greens.