DON'T LET THEM CON YOU!

  • 26 April 2023

    We've been asked by several people whether we're 'really' Conservatives. And all because of this bit of nonsense that appears on your Lib Dem leaflet just below the obligatory bullshit barchart. As you can see, it's only just in English and seems to regard grammar with the same disdain as fact. But let's look at it anyway.
    The Lib Dems get votes by gossip and innuendo. They don't have the courage to accuse anyone in particular, they just want you to believe that any vote that isn't for them COULD be a Tory so that it feels unsafe. They are very aware that their key demographic is disaffected ex-Tory voters and people who want 'anything but Tory', and to these people they sell the idea that 'Only we can beat the Tories here!' - a dead horse that's now mere marrow and cartilage after being flogged for about two decades.
    They insinuate that 'independents' and 'localist parties' are really Tories. By 'localist parties' they actually mean SDA, which is the only 'localist party' in this election, and something they WOULD say if they had the least spinal rectitude. So let's look at us first. I'll list all the other parties we've EVER been involved with, individually.


    Richard Daws (Independent, NSN Group)
    Paul Parker (Independent, Conservative)
    Sue Clarke (Independent for town)
    David Knopfler (none)
    Dawn Hall (none)
    Lin Lambell (none)
    Alex Hall (Conservative for town)
    Mike Ryan (Lib Dem, ex mayor)
    Belinda Brint (none)
    Mike Joyce (Lib Dem, ex mayor)
    Laurence Jones (none)
    Janet Bradford (Independent, NSN Group)
    Liam Mullone (Independent, NSN Group)
    Pete Costello (none)
    Ty Lynne (none)
    Nicky Rayner (none)
    Keeley Gearon (none)
    Samantha Bickham (none)
    Nicky Rayner (none)
    Jane Taylor (Independent, NSN Group)
    John Radford (Independent)
    Manuella Murray (none)
    Jimmy Robinson (none)
    Alasdair MacGregor (none)
    Jude Chilvers (none)
    Ollie Hind (none)
    Ricky Marino (none)
    Louise Cooke (Lib Dem, ex mayor)


    So, of the 27 district and town candidates in our group, two were Conservatives for a while. Paul fell out with them fairly early on and became independent. Alex... well Alex is 21 for God's sake and was with them for two years. That's a pretty good age to change your mind isn't it? He can't even drink yet in some US states! Three of us, on the other hand, were Lib Dems who thought better of THAT particular choice. Most of us were independent or had no prior affiliation.
    All of these ex-partied members turned quite vehemently against their previous colleague's policies and will be happy to explain their choices if you ask them. We're very proud to have them and they have been invaluable in explaining the thinking behind the parties we're up against.
    So hardly a minefield of secret Conservativism here.

    So now let's have a look at the actual independents. There aren't as many as we thought they'd be. These are:
    Eamon Kelley (Bovey)
    Ran as indie since 2017, so seems pretty damn indie to me


    Wayne Munday (Dawlish NE)
    Has never stood before, so hard to accuse him of cloak n dagger Conservatism


    Linda Petherick (Dawlish NE)
    Was a Lib Dem until late in the last council


    John Petherick (Dawlish SE)
    Was a Lib Dem until late in the last council


    Angie Weatherhead (Dawlish SE)
    Never stood before but is very involved in the community. Would be hard to make an accusation stick for any particular bias


    Robert Steemson (Haytor)
    I am willing to be corrected and will apologise unreservedly if wrong, but Steemson is I believe an acquaintance of ex Tory leader Jeremy Christophers who stood with another independent last time to suck votes away from the most prominent independent, Adrian Patch... a plan that misfired when Steemson pushed Christophers into third! Steemson COULD fit the bill, except that the Lib Dems have no candidate for Haytor so it seems unlikely they mean him.


    Anthony Dempster (Kingsteignton E)
    He first shows up in the County elections of 2017, when he was independent... and appears to have been so ever since

    .
    Chris Clarance (Shaldon)
    Aha! Finally a real Conservative who became Independent this time! Is this what all the fuss is about? Although Clarance is the source of a lot of our woes re Wolborough Hill we sort of can't help liking him because he's honest, quite humble and does his best. He left the Conservatives over Teignmouth Hospital. Or because he thought he'd get more votes. It's an academic distinction really. Anyway, we'll give them this one. And it really is ONE.


    Alison Eden (Teignmouth Central)
    Alison used to be a Lib Dem but resigned over lies, bullying and misogyny. The LDs would LOVE people to think she's a Conservative but she's the furthest point from.


    Andrew Macgregor (Bishopsteignton)
    Used to be a Lib Dem but was sacked from his portfolio after refusing to support the lies around Gary Taylor. Husband of Alison. Resigned for the same reasons. Not one bit Tory, and the Lib Dems aren't running a candidate in Bishopsteignton anyway.


    SO: of all the independents and independent-minded 'localists' running in this election, you are far more likely to vote for an ex-Lib Dem, who actually STOOD as a Lib Dem, than you are to vote for a Tory. And even if they ever were a Tory, they either served vanishingly briefly, were still in short trousers or can only be associated with the party in rather vague terms.
    So I'm happy to stamp this Lib Dem election assertion with the word BOLLOCKS in big red letters, and let everyone go about their business.