Patrick Mercer MP - a good resignation

[meditrina]

BBC story here

Idon'tmean what's he's done.

I mean someone who actually resigns, saying that 'you just have to fess up and get on with it" and acknowledging that he's ashamed of what he did.

What an amazing change from the usual mealy mouthed lot.

"I couldn't believe how arrogant and smug he sounded and looked when making his resignation speech from College Green. Did not come across as genuine at all."

Exactly right. He even made a comment about how he was MP for "God's own county"

He has dropped Cameron in it and he is making jokes.

In answer to your question about having to be elected again next year- yes, whoever wins in Newark will also have to go through the general election campaign & be voted for like every other sitting MP.

Thanks, poshme. That just confirms it for me that Farage should have stood in that seat. If he lost, it wouln't matter because the pundits and bigwigs don't expect UKIP to win many seats in May 2015, but if he won, then it would spell the end for the whole kaboodle.

Also, a Kent seat will welcome Farage with open arms, or Essex or many other counties in the South East of England. Farage will get a seat if he wants one. He is already the most popular politician in the country and the only way is up for him, if he doesn't get stuck on the "battle bus to Swindon".

Of course, if UKIP put Dianes James or Suzanne Evans or any of the other great women UKIP have as a candidate in Newark, then they might still win because the public is backing UKIP.

But Farage is undoubtedly a star turn and he would have won it with ease. But the "battle bus to Swindon" awaits and he mustn't be late.

I hope UKIP choose a woman to stand in Newark and not ex-Tory, Roger Helmer. I wish Farage was not on the "battle bus to Swindon", but I would prefer Helmer to be "on the battle bus to Swindon" and all the other battle buses as long as they don't put him up in Newark, because even Cameron's progressives might be able to beat Helmer.

So, Helmer it will probably be.

www.nottinghampost.com/Nigel-Farage-right-decision-stand-Newark-says/story-21034926-detail/story.html

Here's Helmer. Get ready to see much more of him and get ready to see him lose.

He "fessed up" only because he got caught. Nowt honourable about that as far as I can see!

This is in fact good news for the Tories. A lot of Tory tweeters and blogs are already predicting that the Tories will win and UKIP will flop and that is exactly what the Tories want to happen in order to stop the UKIP bandwagon in its tracks. In fact they want a huge televised election in order to demonstrate to the public the error of their ways. All the spinners wll be out on TV the next morning explaining to the public how UKIP are a busted flush and how everybody should support the spinners again and everything will be fine again.

I wouldn't be surprised if UKIP will choose a candidate who doesn't stand a chance and the Tories will pretend that it is a tough battle, but of course they wil romp home.

The "battle bus to Swindon" will be stuck in a traffic jam and mobile phone contact will be temporarily lost and the public's hopes will vanish down the plughole. The establishment will breathe a sigh of relief, the Socialist Workers' party will be ecstatic and the people will have been taught a lesson and the spinners will be given non-stop access to radio and TV to drive the message home and educate the public.

Farage's argument on TV was that he couldn't stand for Newark because the result of standing would be that the media would ask him questions abdout teh Newark by-election for teh next 3 and a half weeks and that wold "distract from the message" of teh Euro elections.

Has Farage never heard of the answer "No comment"?
the Euro election is already in the bag. UKIP will thrash the spinners, so why is the "battle bus to Swindon" of such importance?

The Daily Mail already has a picture of Helmer up in an article about a possible UKIP candidate for Newark and Farage is quoted as saying

' I have no doubt that UKIP will throw the kitchen sink at this Newark by-election, but it won’t be me doing it and we won’t get that huge distraction,' he told BBC Breakfast.

Well at least that is reassuring that Farage has no doubt
That privides an element of certainty.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2616537/Farage-says-NOT-stand-election-triggered-Tory-sleaze-MP-despite-saying-Ukip-win-force-Cameron-quit.html

Plus ca change, tant pis

FYI I think I heard on the news that the last Conservative MP to win a by-election previously held by a Conservative was a Mr W. Haig 20-odd years ago - and Farage told the Financial Times in an interview that he used to be a big betting man - but clearly still didn't like those odds.

If that stat is true, 25-years since last Conservative to Conservative by-election success, with a unpopular incumbent Conservative led government, led by a P.M. dishing out unpopular but necessary medicine, where you’re not usually recognised as useful until death and the rest of the world make a fuss; not so much a Farage ‘earthquake’, more of a windy Farage ph-ut!

I like Farage, but I think he may one day join the Tories. I don't mind that because I used to be a Tory and with Farage at least they would be real Tories again instead of politically correct progressive spinners.

I think we will get a referendum and it will be lost because all of the Oxbridge spinners and teenage progressives will have worked overtime on TV and radio to spin the best they can.

The only real way to come out of Europe would have been for the UKIP bandwagon backed by the people in the people's revolt to win a general election or at least win seats and enter a coalition. Newark would have caused an earthquake, but now it will be a squeak.

Nigel is tucked up on the "battle bus" and there will be no nightmare for Cameron.

"UKIP MEP Roger Helmer has said Nigel Farage made the right decision in choosing not to stand in the Newark by-election."

That's alright then. If Helmer says it, it must be right.

www.nottinghampost.com/Nigel-Farage-right-decision-stand-Newark-says/story-21034926-detail/story.html

But, the Euro elections will cause an earthquake anyway.

The people may be down, but they are not out, not yet.

"but this is a terrifying poll for Labour from ComRes for ITV :
Con 18 (-4) Lab 27 (-3) UKIP 38 (+8) LD 8 (-) O 9 (-1)

labourlist.org/2014/04/new-poll-has-labour-eleven-points-behind-ukip-in-euro-elections/

It's not over until Ed Brawls plays piano. Join the "battle bus", we're on our way to Swindon, and Newark is just a speck in the distance that we have waved behind.

Ph-ut!

That is the sound of the "battle bus". It does need looking at or we'll never make it to Swindon on time. There's only 3 and a half weeks left to "cause a political earthquake".

Claig .. today I received a Ukip leaflet "Only Ukip will take back control" - could you please tell 'the people' voting for Ukip how they will do that, lest it be called "spin"?

Or is promising something that is 100% impossible for Ukip to deliver, called something else?

Earthquake; a short and unpleasant experience with loads of nasty gases and overly hot air.

'today I received a Ukip leaflet "Only Ukip will take back control" - could you please tell 'the people' voting for Ukip how they will do that'

A good start is to stick that leaflet up in your front window to spread the word in the people's revolt.

"Only Ukip will take back control" - could you please tell 'the people' voting for Ukip how they will do that"

Have you read the rest of it? I haven't seen it, but I expect how it will be done will be spelt out in detail futher on in the document.

There are the "facts at your fingertips" on what the people want to hear, but not a peep to 'the peeps' informing them that a Ukip with every UK MEP seat in Brussels (or wherever), can NOT DELIVER on their promises to "take back control" as headlined.

I repeat, the spin in mainstream politics that you complain about, or something far worse?

I see three of your main media mouthpieces are on this mis-informative propaganda; Farage, O'Flynn and Aker...tut tut tut.

The A team - Farage, O'Flynn and Aker (sometimes referred to as The Tremedous Trio or the People's Proponents which is contrasted by the term used for some of the opposition team who are often referred to by the people as The People's Opponents).

My leaflet is displayed and my neighbour commented on how he may display his now that I have.

Once the stigma is gone the path will be open.

Well done caruthers.

This is a "political earthquake".

Yet again, this goes to David Cameron's astoundingly poor judgement.

Patrick Mercer has been waiting for revenge since being sacked as a shadow spokesman in 2007 over a race row,and being pointedly overlooked for the chairmanship of a parliamentary defence sub-committee in favour of the chinless fuckwit James Arbuthnot, who hasn't distinguished himself well in Parliament in the last 30 years or the expenses scandal.

I don't admire Mercer, but I don't share previous posters' view that what he has done is dishonourable or a betrayal of Dave.

The idea that anyone could be less honourable or more of a traitor of inconvenient colleagues than Dave is laughable. Senior politicians do that every day but he is an egregious blunderer who doesn't know the meaning of the word loyalty, much less sense.

It's payback and it's a bitch.

The only good thing for Dave is that Nigel Farage has withdrawn and for their own interests, Labour and the Liberals have called it wimping out.