Gorton & Denton by-election thread

[fromorbit]

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/

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.

"Scouse not English" is predominantly, though not exclusively, a koppite slogan. Made even more so the instant Nike started sticking a variation of it on T-shirts.

There are plenty of people on the left who aren't anti-English or anti-British. Just as there are many on the right whose pride in England doesn't extend to the Levellers, or the Tolpuddle Martyrs or any one of the many other English groups.

Well there's a very well rehearsed point about people being promoted on their characteristics - not protected- white male older often- and the lack of challenge around that. Calling for women means calling for competent women- in labour at any rate. .Suella Braverman ok Rwanda was her thing- but it wasn't supported was it? From her own party I mean. They had no real intention. So a bit like Liz Truss.

@AlecTrevelyan006 To be fair some English intellectuals are probably the descendants of slavers and have something to be ashamed about. There were 46,000 who got paid for setting their slaves free. But my ancestors were not in that 46,000 but some of them (and me) were tax payers whose taxes went to set slaves free earlier than would have happened otherwise.(The debt was only paid off in 2015). 46,000 slavers and 24 million people in Britain at the time.

The British sense of justice, as shown by being the nation that queues, is one of the things I'm proud of. (And yes I know queues happen elsewhere. I wonder how many had a law about it in 1390 Kings Lynne bylaw "Frequently, excessive crowding at the town's water conduits has resulted in damage to their vaulted arches, or their stones have been carried off and other intolerable damage done; without prompt remedy this essential utility, constructed at great cost and labour, will be destroyed. Therefore, taking example from the regulation of conduits in London and elsewhere, it is ordained with regard to the getting of water in containers: first come, first served. All seeking to fill their containers may place them in a queue, so that each may be served in succession without any arguments arising. Furthermore, it is ordained that no very large containers, commonly known as "sogs" [tubs] are to be filled at the conduits until smaller containers have been filled, nor are large containers to be placed so as to impede others. Anyone breaking this ordinance, or supporting someone breaking it, shall be fined 12d.; anyone informing on a transgressor shall receive 4d. out of this fine. If anyone breaks the fragile containers of poor people, the mayor will ensure that he compensates the injured party.")

WTflyingF has Australia to do with the misogyny &, while we're here, the endemic corruption of UK Unions?

Regardless of her party affiliation Suella Braveraman is very clearly a highly intelligent woman, not a tokenistic appointment. Angela Raynor, not quite so much......

Try telling that to all of the Everton supporters ( including Liverpudlians of Irish ancestry) who repeat it. It is a very popular meme throughout the city

Well, in your definition was Hitler intelligent?

Are you trying to compare Suella Braverman to Hitler?

She wrote a lot of really reflective and intelligent commentary on a number of issues, regardless of what your tribal affiliation is.

I suppose you have 'street level' intelligence - which is about having street smarts and being quick witted; and then there is the sort of intelligence which is more about higher order critical thinking..involving a mastery of conceptual and abstract notions - and in doing so displaying a sharp and incisive intellect.

I don't think intelligence and intellect are the exact same thing, though someone can possess both qualities.

She wrote this commentary on the concept of 'Blasphemy' which was spot on:

www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/suella-braverman-we-do-not-have-blasphemy-laws-in-great-britain-9ps9lj8r5

www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/suella-braverman-we-do-not-have-blasphemy-laws-in-great-britain-9ps9lj8r5?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqeiohMN7IiT3wCUFz8sDlAuZxtQ3LwwcuQTFri2L5yA9pWOgNCEV1my-ggqa5I%3D&gaa_ts=699482cc&gaa_sig=PVfm6IHieU9DcZGjNK6IapUyCR2QXZFF1ox1EIaJL41qvJCrLbBzNxpTRmRwN7GJYe9cw3mNDG76DmfXFoAONQ%3D%3D

"predominately". I'm from Birkenhead. I lived in Liverpool (Toxteth) for years. I know the city, but thanks for explaining it to me.

They had their big launch rally for it the other night. Zack Polanski spoke, so did Diane Abbott, and so did Daniel Kebede of the NEU.

I'd love to ask any of them how many raped girls in the SWP are an acceptable level of collateral damage, and if the number would ever go high enough for them to not feel the need to endorse SWP-organised campaigns.

Their front group "Stand Up To Racism" has deployed a squad of activists into Gorton and Denton, in what looks very much like a donation in kind to the Greens. It's a bit like having a grooming gang campaigning for you, but Zack doesn't seem bothered.

"Of course we need to ban the burka to fix the integration problem, yet the leader lacks the backbone to support that policy" ???? That's her being intelligent?

I'm enquiring about your idea of intelligence. And I suppose where the willingness to stoke racism fits in. Which is what Hitler did as a leader. Hitler wrote a book and no doubt had lots of reflections. .

But coming back to Suella , the ability to write a reflective essay considering a variety of perspectives and advancing your own- is mainly just that. It doesn't necessarily translate into understanding of how to manage a country, or how to.lead in a country.
The formulation of the human rights framework- with all the attending complications- that was towards intelligent politics I think. It was self aware and human.
The over use of prisons - and lack of early alternatives- that's not intelligent, or intellectual.
It's reactive. It leads to worsening conditions and deaths and doesn't seem criminality.

Closing off early help.routes .That's not intelligent.
There's something about needing a very pragmatic intelligence don't you think? I think Angela Rayner has that. Moreso than Keir in a funny sort of way through I'd say Keir is an intelligent man.
I can see that arrangements for immigration are absolutely fraught with ethical dilemmas. The spectacle of Jenrick having Disney characters rubbed out- that's where we are going if we are not careful. He's not intelligent in any of the ways.
You'd need to be very strong in all areas

Various members of Humanists UK have written intelligently and reflectively on the danger of blasphemy laws. They also seem to have quite lost their minds when it comes to 'trans rights'? So are they intelligent or not?

About this time two years ago there were some highly active posters who were anxious to tell us what a genius economist Rachel Reeves was.

Yes maybe even more recently too.

I live in Liverpool, and in fact contribute to a local city forum in which this whole business of 'Scouse not English' is regularly trotted out for comment. It's been around for a long time, particularly gaining more prominence in the 1980s when the city went into steep decline.

Evertonians are particulary fond of the 'Scouse' label, partly because they see 'Liverpudlian' ( which was what i was brought up with) as relating to being a Liverpool supporter. Of couse, not everyone in Liverpool is a football fan any more than everyone elsewhere is a football fan, and even then these people had always identified as 'Liverpudlians'.

The 'Scouse' thing was traditionally more associated with dockside communities ( in the north of the city - those with a large Irish catholic population) - due to the association with 'lobscouse' - a traditional Norwegian dish which Norwegian sailors and seafarers ate. I've always felt it originates from within these Irish catholic , dock working communities - rather than across the city more generally.

I grew up in West Derby ( 1960s and 70s) and had never heard it used during my childhood. Since the 1980s though, the 'Scouse' identity took a stronger hold - and it was identified with a rejection of being 'English' - which was associated with the ruling establishment.

As i said I have absolutely no intention of voting Reform.....but that doesn't make it impossible to comment, with a degree of objectivity, on the relative merits and qualities of female politicians regardless of their party allegiance.

The article related more to the teacher who had to go into hiding after showing a cartoon of the prophet in a R.E Lesson ( where he and his family remain, I understand) - rather than on banning the burkha,

I gave you two possible definitions of intelligence...that wasn't meant as a personal comment on yourself btw.

I think you can be intellectual without necessarily having much in the way of 'street smarts' intelligence; and of course, anyone can be susceptible to group think - which is where, I believe, support for trans ideology originates - and that includes amongst humanists, people with degrees, even people who call themselves 'professor' and so on.

By the way Liverpool is the only British city, outside of Ireland, ever to have had Irish nationalist MPs.

One isn’t it? Rather than MPs. Late 19th century.

TP O'Connor, but he was an MP for over 40 years, up until his death in 1929.

Which did not end the Irish influence in Liverpool. The Liverpool Protestant Party, based on the Orange lodges, had councillors as late as the 1970s.

There's even a theory, which I like even if I take it with a bit of salt, that Militant's success in Liverpool had something to do with Irish traditions of conspiratorial politics. Mostly of course it was Jimmy Deane, but Jimmy did not grow up in a vacuum.

Nana was a Liverpudlian except on match days, when she became a Scouser. I neither make nor understand the rules. 😂
There's plenty of places where, faced with the fraught business of national identity, people will default to things like "I'm a YamYam" (Black Country) or "I'm a DoDo" (Blackburn). In France I know people who'll have stand-up rows over whether their kid, born & brought up in Paris, is "really" eg; a Breton (one parent's region of birth) or an Alsacien (the other parent's region). Small differences get blown up into silly rivalries.

The historic Irish community mainly supported Everton. This isn't well known to present day Irish fans of Liverpool. None of the Scousers in my family and friends hate England. Some of them don't feel especially English though. But I've also heard that from Geordies.

Bishop Sheppard & Archbishop Worlock did more to diffuse the Catholic/ Protestant battles in the city than any politician had ever done, the pollies only exploited those divisions. It's why I'll never forgive Cristina Odone for her pig-ignorant Catholic Herald article about Worlock in which she sniped at his ecumenism.

NB; what outsiders often assume is English v Irish in Liverpool ignores that during the Industrial Revolution, impoverished Welsh people immigrated in great numbers to Liverpool, where they preceded the Irish in manual labouring & other low-status employment. Because fighting on two fronts is always more complex, the largely Anglican English gradually came to an accommodation with the Welsh Chapel folk & we wound up with "left-footers v proddiedogs". [sigh]

Maybe, but lots stood for election.