Page 20 | Gorton & Denton by-election thread

fromorbit · 2026-02-02T00:04:27+00:00

This dramatic byelection to be held *on Thursday 26 February 2026 *is looking likely to have a confrontation over sex and gender with the Conservative's just announced candidate Charlotte Cadden being a trustee for Sex Matters. Another factor is with a large Muslim population in the area the group Muslim Vote has endorsed the Green candidate despite one of their aims to be remove teaching about LGBT issues from schools when religious parents object. Obviously in conflict with Green policy. Candidates - Angeliki Stogia will be the Labour candidate in this year's election. Ms Stogia moved to the UK from Greece in the 1990s and has served as a councillor in Whalley Range since 2004. - Reform UK have selected GB News presenter Matt Goodwin as their candidate. He studied at the University of Salford and went on to have a career as a commentator and academic. - The Liberal Democrats have selected local campaigner Jackie Pearcey as their candidate. She lives in the constituency and previously won 2,600 votes at the 2017 elections. - The Green Party have put forward Hannah Spencer to stand for them at the by-election. She is a plumber by trade she is from Bolton and has lived in Greater Manchester all her life, and is based in Hale where she is a councilor. She doesn't believe biology is important in deciding gender. - The Conservative Party have chosen former detective chief inspector Charlotte Cadden as their candidate. She served for 30 years in GMP and London's Met. - The Re-join EU Party have announced that Joseph O'Meachair will be their candidate. He is a member of the party's executive committee and lives in the North West. *Sebastian Moore (Social Democratic Party)* The Social Democratic Party announced on Friday 30 January that the current SDP North West Chair Sebastian Moore will be running as their candidate in the by-election. *Nicholas Brendan Buckley Advance UK* He is a British charity worker and political figure who previously represented Reform UK. *Dan Clarke is the Libertarian Party candidate * *Sir Oink A-Lot* Sir Oink A-Lot is The Official Monster Raving Loony Party candidate [[https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/elections/parl.gorton-and-denton.by.2026-02-26/gorton-and-denton/ https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/elections/parl.gorton-and-denton.by.2026-02-26/gorton-and-denton/]] The just announced Conservative candidate has serious form: Former detective chief inspector Charlotte Cadden is a lesbian served for 30 years as a Police Officer, both for Greater Manchester Police and the Metropolitan Police - Charlotte is a trustee of the charity Sex Matters, a member of the LGB Alliance Business Forum. She coordinates the Women’s Rights Network in Greater Manchester, In 2023, she set up the national Police SEEN. Galloway's Worker's Party have now decided not to stand. They may have attracted a bunch of Muslim votes which will now go elsewhere. Any hustings are going to be rather interesting.

TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne · 13/02/2026 10:52

But maybe then it's patronising to not visit those places because they can't handle visitors

Vulnerable people live everywhere.

For example, very few folk with mental health problems live with any kind of support. They're generally abandoned by society. They live in your street, your block of flats, everywhere.

Also, the UK's social care models manage to leave the majority of dementia patients at home, struggling.

In my own sheltered housing complex of 12 houses, I can only think of one person who would be fazed by a visit from a canvasser. He would always have had such difficulties, even when he was much younger.
The rest of us are entirely capable of arguing the toss with other people.

I think it's a mistake to believe that the elderly need protection from politics and canvassers.

Hell, my GC neighbour and I actually used to go canvassing ourselves for the Labour Party, up until the time when they became incapable of defining what a woman was. We're now politically homeless, like so many women.

So I confess I'm a bit puzzled about the Greens getting kicked out of an assisted living facility. Maybe the warden didn't like them?

It's really only people in care homes (who usually have advanced dementia) who need to be protected.

womendeserveequalhumanrights · 13/02/2026 11:00

Thanks to @fromorbit for posting that hustings video. I watched those hustings (while doing admin so didn't pay full attention all the way through) and I thought it was interesting that there's a lot of claims that Reform are 'dividing communities' and using 'divisive rhetoric' but in fact on that panel the attitude of barely concealed hatred for Reform from Lib Dem and Labour and some really horrible personal comments from the Labour party candidate about Matt were far more divisive and nasty than anything Matt said. The only divisive rhetoric I saw was from Labour and Lib Dem.

None of them seemed to address the massively obvious issue that there's a really big difference between immigrants already here and already part of communities and loads of illegal immigrants arriving from countries (that don't share UK values) daily/ weekly / monthly. I'm married to an immigrant. He came here legally, has worked and paid taxes and had children over several decades (despite identifying as 30). It doesn't benefit him or other existing immigrants if loads of young men who think women shouldn't have rights come here with no skills and no intention of complying with British values or British laws and are draining the public purse. Obviously it's a bit of a concern when Reform don't make that distinction either.

Illegal male immigrants ARE a risk to our daughters, a girl was raped in our town centre by an illegal Somali immigrant who'd also raped girls in Germany, done his time then came here. These men are fucking laughing at us. We have enough problems with men already here sexually assaulting and raping women and children, can we please do our best to not make it worse with criminal men who have no right to be here?

The comments about too much traffic, air pollution - Matt was right on that, you can't reduce traffic if there are more and more people in an area. It's not rocket science.

Anyway, I thought both Green and Reform and Conservative did well. The Labour party candidate said that very unpleasant thing about Matt but looked defeated. The Lib Dem was a bit sneery and went on and on about ICE at one point which has exactly zero relevance to local politics or indeed the UK, it was a bit unhinged, honestly. Trump derangement syndrome.

If I were local I'd be torn between Green, Reform and Conservative. Hannah did really well in general - and I believe her when she said she'd stand up for locals and wouldn't always toe the party line (wonder if Zach agrees with that statement). I think if she wasn't standing for a party who deny women's human rights as well as having other bonkers policies then I'd be tempted. As an individual she seems genuine and as if she'd be a great MP, it's just the Green party putting me off!

As it is, I'd probably go Conservative if I did have a vote which I don't.

womendeserveequalhumanrights · 13/02/2026 11:08

TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne · 13/02/2026 10:52

But maybe then it's patronising to not visit those places because they can't handle visitors

Vulnerable people live everywhere.

For example, very few folk with mental health problems live with any kind of support. They're generally abandoned by society. They live in your street, your block of flats, everywhere.

Also, the UK's social care models manage to leave the majority of dementia patients at home, struggling.

In my own sheltered housing complex of 12 houses, I can only think of one person who would be fazed by a visit from a canvasser. He would always have had such difficulties, even when he was much younger.
The rest of us are entirely capable of arguing the toss with other people.

I think it's a mistake to believe that the elderly need protection from politics and canvassers.

Hell, my GC neighbour and I actually used to go canvassing ourselves for the Labour Party, up until the time when they became incapable of defining what a woman was. We're now politically homeless, like so many women.

So I confess I'm a bit puzzled about the Greens getting kicked out of an assisted living facility. Maybe the warden didn't like them?

It's really only people in care homes (who usually have advanced dementia) who need to be protected.

Edited

I have a relative in a care home with dementia who doesn't know what day it is so obviously cannot vote. I think they should still canvas there. There are a mix of residents and abilities, you can't guarantee there would be absolutely no one fit to vote. Some of them the issues are more physical. But also there will be staff who vote and because of the shift patterns may not ever be home when candidates are coming around.

And candidates should see what care homes are like. The level of care needed. It's important they have first hand knowledge given what a big issue it is and the oft repeated lie that importing loads of single young men is going to fix the care crisis (it's definitely not).

Also, many of the residents barely get visitors and love visitors. So even just as a little bit of giving back, it's important.

It's possible to first consult the care home manager and see what they say and whether it's appropriate for that home on that day. They will know and will do what's best for their residents. The idea this could be banned as a general rule is honestly horrifying and tends to reinforce the idea of these places as prisons.

The care home manager of my relative's home would almost certainly say yes. She's a brilliant, efficient woman and I'd give good money to see her grilling any politician.

persephonia · 13/02/2026 11:09

TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne · 13/02/2026 10:52

But maybe then it's patronising to not visit those places because they can't handle visitors

Vulnerable people live everywhere.

For example, very few folk with mental health problems live with any kind of support. They're generally abandoned by society. They live in your street, your block of flats, everywhere.

Also, the UK's social care models manage to leave the majority of dementia patients at home, struggling.

In my own sheltered housing complex of 12 houses, I can only think of one person who would be fazed by a visit from a canvasser. He would always have had such difficulties, even when he was much younger.
The rest of us are entirely capable of arguing the toss with other people.

I think it's a mistake to believe that the elderly need protection from politics and canvassers.

Hell, my GC neighbour and I actually used to go canvassing ourselves for the Labour Party, up until the time when they became incapable of defining what a woman was. We're now politically homeless, like so many women.

So I confess I'm a bit puzzled about the Greens getting kicked out of an assisted living facility. Maybe the warden didn't like them?

It's really only people in care homes (who usually have advanced dementia) who need to be protected.

Edited

I think the story goes

they went door to door
some residents complained
the wardens responded to the complaints by asking the canvassers to leave
they left as asked

-The Telegraph runs an article "green party Thrown Out" when really some people were asked to leave and they left isn't much of a story.

I don't think the warden was unreasonable for asking them to leave on behalf of residents but maybe my first reaction that they shouldn't have been there was off. Sorry.

Mollyollydolly · 13/02/2026 21:51

Saw this clip on X and thought some might find it interesting from the hustings. Labour's Gorton and Denton By-Election Candidate Refuses to Back Supreme Court Ruling on Biological Sex
As a Labour voter in the past I'm afraid I'd be voting for Charlotte Caddon the tory candidate. She's worked with Sex Matters and LGB Alliance. She'd defend women's rights. Why do labour hate women?
https://x.com/GuidoFawkes/status/2022360162921848833

Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) on X

WATCH: Labour's Gorton and Denton By-Election Candidate Refuses to Back Supreme Court Ruling on Biological Sex https://t.co/gpZJ8WbKhO

https://x.com/GuidoFawkes/status/2022360162921848833

TempestTost · 14/02/2026 01:54

TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne · 13/02/2026 10:52

But maybe then it's patronising to not visit those places because they can't handle visitors

Vulnerable people live everywhere.

For example, very few folk with mental health problems live with any kind of support. They're generally abandoned by society. They live in your street, your block of flats, everywhere.

Also, the UK's social care models manage to leave the majority of dementia patients at home, struggling.

In my own sheltered housing complex of 12 houses, I can only think of one person who would be fazed by a visit from a canvasser. He would always have had such difficulties, even when he was much younger.
The rest of us are entirely capable of arguing the toss with other people.

I think it's a mistake to believe that the elderly need protection from politics and canvassers.

Hell, my GC neighbour and I actually used to go canvassing ourselves for the Labour Party, up until the time when they became incapable of defining what a woman was. We're now politically homeless, like so many women.

So I confess I'm a bit puzzled about the Greens getting kicked out of an assisted living facility. Maybe the warden didn't like them?

It's really only people in care homes (who usually have advanced dementia) who need to be protected.

Edited

I wonder if it's because it isn't the sort of place people can just walk into?

One of my co-worker, who lives in a normal block of flats, was telling me a few weeks ago about a man coming to her door to sell telephone plans or something. She told him he wasn't supposed to be there and should leave, and felt that some residents would be worried about a stranger in the building. The people there are no more or less vulnerable than people in a neighbourhood of single family dwellings, but it is a building where you need to be buzzed in the main door and so don't expect a strange person to be walking the halls knowing on individual doors.

So this scenario could be similar. In which case I think the appropriate thing would be to talk to the manager, ideally early enough that they could notify residents.

Original poster

fromorbit · 14/02/2026 09:45

Boos and sharp exchanges at Levenshulme hustings ahead of Gorton and Denton vote

https://www.notreallyheremedia.com/news/all-news/boos-and-sharp-exchanges-at-levenshulme-hustings-ahead-of-gorton-and-denton-vote/

Boos and sharp exchanges at Levenshulme hustings ahead of Gorton and Denton vote

A lively and at times fractious hustings ahead of the Gorton and Denton by-election drew a packed audience to Levenshulme on Thursday night.

https://www.notreallyheremedia.com/news/all-news/boos-and-sharp-exchanges-at-levenshulme-hustings-ahead-of-gorton-and-denton-vote/

OP posts:

Warmlight1 · 15/02/2026 20:16

PrettyDamnCosmic · 02/02/2026 10:59

If the Greens thought that they had a chance of winning then Polanski who is a Mancunian would be standing.

I didn't know that - think you are right

Warmlight1 · 15/02/2026 20:34

1984Now · 02/02/2026 16:58

So, why are we the only country seemingly that doesn't have an ethnicity you can't simply buy into or slot into?
I would be less concerned about what can appear pure semantics if the crescendo of disdain for all things England English/ness Englishmen hadn't been so brazen over the years.

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"if those on the left hadn't spent decades both decrying public displays of English/ness ie flags, patriotic displays, positive in our history and culture etc, basically saying English/ness should be at best kept quiet, at worst should be decried for its associations with colonialism and football hooliganism.
And the modern left happy to call anyone who just a few months into being here, calls themself English, and no dissent from this allowed."

I read a lot and whilst I've seen many Reform supporters assert all this I've never really seen English people saying Englishness should be kept quiet. But having Irish background myself there's a marked difference when people identify you as English abroad.
Are you sure you haven't just had Reform / UKIP tell you they can't say English- like they say they can't say Christmas- when really everyone can say it?

SlackJawedDisbeliefXY · 15/02/2026 21:02

persephonia · 13/02/2026 11:09

I think the story goes

they went door to door
some residents complained
the wardens responded to the complaints by asking the canvassers to leave
they left as asked

-The Telegraph runs an article "green party Thrown Out" when really some people were asked to leave and they left isn't much of a story.

I don't think the warden was unreasonable for asking them to leave on behalf of residents but maybe my first reaction that they shouldn't have been there was off. Sorry.

Show quote history

I think that there may be an extra step in the story. The article says

The Telegraph understands that a team of Green Party campaigners gained access to the complex and began door-to-door canvassing, which elderly residents found confusing and frightening.

This makes it sound as if there is e.g. a locked communal front door that you need to get through before you can 'go door to door'.

Maybe I am reading too much into the article

HildegardP · 15/02/2026 21:03

TempestTost · 14/02/2026 01:54

I wonder if it's because it isn't the sort of place people can just walk into?

One of my co-worker, who lives in a normal block of flats, was telling me a few weeks ago about a man coming to her door to sell telephone plans or something. She told him he wasn't supposed to be there and should leave, and felt that some residents would be worried about a stranger in the building. The people there are no more or less vulnerable than people in a neighbourhood of single family dwellings, but it is a building where you need to be buzzed in the main door and so don't expect a strange person to be walking the halls knowing on individual doors.

So this scenario could be similar. In which case I think the appropriate thing would be to talk to the manager, ideally early enough that they could notify residents.

Show quote history

Yeah, it's not remotely patronising to understand the physical vulnerability of most sheltered housing residents, or to understand that canvassers ought to arrange visits in advance so that residents can expect them to call.

What almost certainly is beyond the ken of "kind & inclusive" Green canvassers is the extent of crimes against the elderly, with opportunistic theft & crimes of violence among the board leaders.

Warmlight1 · 15/02/2026 21:20

fromorbit · 03/02/2026 06:58

I totally get why people might not want to vote for Goodwin.

Spencer has said being a man or a woman which hopefully we can all agree is a more fundamental fact than nationality is something not based on biology. That line of reasoning has led to criminal acts, experiments on kids and all sorts of issues.

Her party is debating voting through a motion saying Zionism is racism which fundamentally is similar to what Goodwin says only more extreme.

Muslim Vote is a sectarian organisation backing the Greens which thinks telling kids gay people are a thing is wrong and want to impose blasphemy laws. No one in the Green leadership has called them out.

The recent march through London combining support for Palestine with support for the Islamic Republic is definitive proof that a huge number of the Palestine supporters in the UK are sectarian racist militarists.

If the Greens gain power their ideas on defence and the economy look like complete disasters.

There is NO moral high ground here. This is why Reform might win.

Yes Reform might win because some racist people might vote for them.
The Greens might win because racist and sexist people might vote for them.

Both parties have a mouthy man as a front who relies on words to cover up lack of practical plans. Two vibe based parties.

Obviously Labour has its own issues which we all know.

The choice here is awful. In fact one could argue the only sane choice is Sir Oink a Lot.

A key thing I would say though is trying to give moral lectures to potential Reform voters is a recipe for a Reform victory.

For the Greens this is big problem. The strongest charge against Reform is they are a bunch of hapless amateurs who in power would screw things up.

The exact same thing is true of the Greens who in Brighton and Bristol are showing they are not up to the job.

Show quote history

That bit- they are a bunch of hapless amateurs who in power would screw things up....
That's just so obvious. Adding in the people who they have recruited with ' experience'.
It's not funny. Learning to trigger people on an epic scale and money markets- is not government. It should be a national security issue.

Warmlight1 · 15/02/2026 21:38

1984Now · 03/02/2026 14:23

The bigger grey area is the children of migrants, those born in this country. That includes me. So, when the country was still 95% ethnically English, it just wasn't an issue. Me born to European migrants who came here after the war, Kisin coming here in 1995, having kids.
This is where I differ from Goodwin and his civ-nat to ethno-nat hot take. Even though I've kinda moved to being happy to consider myself more British than English, I totally have no issues with my best friends having kids who consider themselves English kids than (Moroccan/Irish-)British kids (bit of a mouthful).
I believe this stems from a situation which may be wholly unique to England/Britain.
In recent decades, post war into the 60s and onwards, polite society demanded less and less overt displays of English/ness, associated directly with the sins of British Empire. This occurs in no other country that ran an empire, whether France, US, China, Turkey etc. Noone in those countries tell their citizens to keep proud ethic displays to a minimum. Only England. Exaggerated even further with proud ebullient displays of Scottish, Welsh and Irish nationalism. Just not England. Only in England is the national ethnicity discouraged.
Now, when England was 95% ethnically English with a small percentage of non English and the kids of non English making up the 5%, this was tolerable, English/ness was still interwoven into society, those 5% of migrants and their kids on the whole integrated and were Brits by passport, and English in so many ways by integration and building a better country. But there was no real belief my dad from Poland despite becoming English in so many cultural ways, was ever English.
And society ticked along ok, migrants incl Hugenot Jews, Irish, WW2 cohort, Windrush, Idi Amin refugees, almost to a man and woman fully integrated.
Why the Tebbit "cricket test" debacle and BNP toxic narrative never took off.
But as that 5% migrant cohort became 25-30% over 30 years, critically 2m Boriswave in 3 years, and society is frayed, and English/ness is less of a thing thru pure numbers, now I'm to simply wave thru 2m new migrants in 5 years as English?
This is not a white replacement argument I'm making, it could be 30% Anglophone nations settling here, and I'd still raise the same points.
To go from 95% ethnic English, where English/ness became a thing to never highlight or express pride in, was a tolerable situation. We've never been a big flag waving nation, had no bloody revolution to define ourselves. As I grew up, that was absolutely fine.
But now, it's even more of a sin to express your Englishness, now the country is 25-30% migrant, and those that are ethnically English are speaking up, saying they won't bury proud declarations of their Englishness, that migrants coming here can never be ethnically English.

Edited

Show quote history

I'm born and brought up here and I've never experienced anyone telling people to 'keep.their proud displays of Englishness to themselves' . Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the ways Englishness is expressed? The national.poets and literature. , the Anthem, the whole Royal thing, English folk music, the Morris, our comedy, our Churches. Volunteering, charity, having lots of dogs and cats, all these things and many others including the diversity that we enjoy. Our town halls and ceremony. Cricket. Our differences.
There are a lot of Reform supporters going round telling people they can't sing the Anthem. Eat sausages. Etc. Are you sure it's not just hearing those people? It is propaganda.

Warmlight1 · 15/02/2026 21:45

womendeserveequalhumanrights · 03/02/2026 16:54

I'm a member of a chat group for a town with working class roots near me. The locals are beginning to get quite pissed off that the council keep taking down England flags but don't fix potholes.

I have great sympathy for those that are pissed off. And it's growing.

This sort of thing is what makes people want to vote Reform. I'm also noticing more and more people openly talking about voting Reform.

Both Greens and Reform can be seen as a protest vote so either result in this by-election could be seen as rejection of politics as usual.

It's funny that because my local working class chat group can't understand why the flag putter uppers can't understand that they have to be maintained or taken down and this costs money that should be going into fixing potholes.
Think that stance makes a lot more sense. Perhaps your working class chat group has been infiltrated by billionaires? Normally working class people can work it out.

Warmlight1 · 15/02/2026 22:38

SionnachRuadh · 05/02/2026 16:43

I wonder how much of the current scandal is down to his woman problem. Sue Gray is also a stickler for process, but pointing out red flags on senior appointments was a big part of her job at the Cabinet Office. I don't believe for a second that Sue would have recommended appointing Mandelson when there were equally credible but less morally sketchy alternatives on the shortlist.

Interesting that apprarently Starmer's initial instinct was to appoint George Osborne, and it seems McSweeney's lobbying is what persuaded him. This is coming to be a recurring pattern with Starmer - on the rare occasions when his instinct is correct, he allows himself to be talked out of it.

You like George Osbourne? Despite the ( alleged) cocaine stuff?
That sounds rather fanciful.

SionnachRuadh · 15/02/2026 22:56

I see Labour have once again decided that the way to win hearts and minds is to deploy the Big Waggy Finger, condescend to us, misquote us, and tell us we're all massive racists who are the antithesis of everything Paddington Bear stands for.

That's worked out really well for you so far, hasn't it?

Original poster

fromorbit · 15/02/2026 23:38

Both Greens and Reform having problems with racism in their activist base.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/15/labour-call-on-reforms-matt-goodwin-to-reject-racist-content-shared-by-teammembers

Meanwhile Green campaign has Spencer, Polanski, and Mothin utilising interviews with sexist fundamentalist site 5 Pillars, better known as 5 Pillocks, to drum up Muslim support.
https://x.com/5Pillarsuk/status/2022718981975482382

5 Pillocks advocates a totalitarian Islamic Caliphate. It thinks the Barbie movie is dangerously feminist.
https://5pillarsuk.com/2023/07/25/come-on-hijabis-dont-be-barbies

5 Pillars is a massively right wing conservative site. Far more right wing than than the Mail or the Telegraph. Yet the Greens are criticising Labour for being right wing while allying with 5 pillars.

OP posts:

Ereshkigalangcleg · 16/02/2026 01:53

SlackJawedDisbeliefXY · 15/02/2026 21:02

I think that there may be an extra step in the story. The article says

The Telegraph understands that a team of Green Party campaigners gained access to the complex and began door-to-door canvassing, which elderly residents found confusing and frightening.

This makes it sound as if there is e.g. a locked communal front door that you need to get through before you can 'go door to door'.

Maybe I am reading too much into the article

Show quote history

I don’t think so. That’s how it came across to me too.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 16/02/2026 02:03

Warmlight1 · 15/02/2026 21:45

It's funny that because my local working class chat group can't understand why the flag putter uppers can't understand that they have to be maintained or taken down and this costs money that should be going into fixing potholes.
Think that stance makes a lot more sense. Perhaps your working class chat group has been infiltrated by billionaires? Normally working class people can work it out.

Show quote history

Which social class do you think is more involved in putting the flags up, and voting Reform, currently topping the polls? Is it Ollie and Sophie after dropping off Charlotte and Max to their riding lessons? No, it isn’t. So your “local working class chat group” seems a bit of a bubble. Not all working class people are putting flags up, obviously, but I can promise you that many support it even when they aren’t, without getting into the rights and wrongs of it. So I’m sceptical that this is a truly representative cross section of your local area’s working class population.

TeenagersAngst · 16/02/2026 04:46

Ereshkigalangcleg · 16/02/2026 02:03

Which social class do you think is more involved in putting the flags up, and voting Reform, currently topping the polls? Is it Ollie and Sophie after dropping off Charlotte and Max to their riding lessons? No, it isn’t. So your “local working class chat group” seems a bit of a bubble. Not all working class people are putting flags up, obviously, but I can promise you that many support it even when they aren’t, without getting into the rights and wrongs of it. So I’m sceptical that this is a truly representative cross section of your local area’s working class population.

Show quote history

Love the idea that ‘maintaining a flag’ takes more time and money than fixing a pothole.

Warmlight1 · 16/02/2026 07:15

cariadlet · 08/02/2026 08:12

Of course talking about feminism on the feminist board is essential and whether it's ok for men to post on the feminist board and if so what kind of boundaries should decent men impose on themselves are perfectly valid topics for debate.

I'd prefer for anyone wanting to talk about that to set up a specific thread to discuss it rather than pursuing a discussion on other threads which make it hard to find posts about the original topic. I acknowledge that that's my personal point of view with which some other posters will agree and with which others will disagree.

I'm not going to apologise for my use of the word "squabble" because, as someone who wasn't involved and was trying to read the posts about the by election, that's very much how it felt, especially when some posts were personalised.

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Has it occurred to you that the ' squabble ' started when an article was posted about Matt Gorton's creepy views?.And the subsequent discussion did not address any of them?!

Warmlight1 · 16/02/2026 07:30

Ereshkigalangcleg · 16/02/2026 02:03

Which social class do you think is more involved in putting the flags up, and voting Reform, currently topping the polls? Is it Ollie and Sophie after dropping off Charlotte and Max to their riding lessons? No, it isn’t. So your “local working class chat group” seems a bit of a bubble. Not all working class people are putting flags up, obviously, but I can promise you that many support it even when they aren’t, without getting into the rights and wrongs of it. So I’m sceptical that this is a truly representative cross section of your local area’s working class population.

Show quote history

You seem to be explaining working class women to me by referencing kids names. You think working class people are not allowed certain names?
So when Reform create bots do they avoid the names Oliver and Sophie in an attempt to appear working class?
Bit like Yaxley Lennon changing his name to Tommy to try to associate himself with the millitary?

Ereshkigalangcleg · 16/02/2026 08:10

You tell me. No answer, I see. Just your anecdote about your “local working class chat group”. Right.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 16/02/2026 08:11

Do you think it’s bots putting the flags up? Impressive technology.

SionnachRuadh · 16/02/2026 08:17

I live in a very working class (and very multicultural!) community, and I'm puzzled at the concept of a "local working class chat group".

Maybe this relates to the esoteric new definition of class developed by some Marxist groups, where Camilla and Judy explain to us that the working class includes professors and junior doctors and BBC producers but it definitely does not include blokes with white vans who live in Romford. This makes more sense if you know the kind of people who join those groups.