Douglas Carswell Will Not Stand In General Election

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39655704

This is like the ruddy hokey-cokey !

[mikey4444]

"Arron Banks - who described Mr Carswell's departure from the party as "a rare piece of good news for UKIP" - was planning to stand against him in Clacton, although it is not clear whether he would be UKIP's candidate"

So, that is why the hokey-cokey kid isn't standing !

[Jackdaw33]

Storm in a teacup. He was never significant anyway. Might be interesting if in the light of his departure Nige throws his hat into the ring.

[mikey4444]

I don't remember any of our many UKIP fans here on AB, saying that Carswell wasn't "significant" when he was elected as the 1st UKIP MP, for Clacton in October 2014.....more that he was "breaking the mould of British politics" or some other tosh.

UKIP...the gift that just can't stop giving !

[-Talbot-]

Yes he has
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/20/douglas-carswell-stand-mp-support-tory-candidate/

[ichkeria]

Makes sense. He plainly is a Tory again and his standing risked splitting the vote. Banks is irrelevant

[mikey4444]

Itchy....he knew he was going to lose....that is why he is cutting and running.

[ichkeria]

He probably would lose, but the end result is the same: he won't be an MP any more. I have a lot of sympathy for Carswell. And actually his treatment by UKIP shows just what a shower they are. I'm not sure he realised what he was getting himself into when he joined them. I disagree profoundly with his politics, but he made a stand and risked losing his seat in a by election once. I can't fault him for that at least.

[DTCwordfan]

excellent.

as an aside, this is the reason that May went to the country, UKIP is in serious meltdown and where are the votes going to go and it ain't Corbyn....how many at the last election - yes, 4 million...now at least 2 million must be up for grabs.

[mikey4444]

Itchy....I grudgingly admire him for calling a by-Election in 2014. It was the honourable thing to do.

But any respect I had for him vanished, when he refused to the same when he resigned from UKIP a few weeks.

[Goofy]

Am I right in thinking he does not get redundancy payment if he does not stand?
If so, then well done he.

[mikey4444]

Don't know Goofy, but I would be horrified if he did !

[ichkeria]

Actually I'm going to sound like an unlikely member of the Carswell fan club here but I don't think this was the same as 2014. Now he was an independent, he hadn't changed party. (Two SNP members I learned today resigned the party whip some months ago and became independents and also did not resign their seats, also rightly in my view.

[ichkeria]

Who was the Tory MP for Witney who defected to Labour and didn't trigger a by-election? Sean somebody?

[mikey4444]

Shaun Woodward Itchy !

[ichkeria]

That's the one!

[mikey4444]

Another hokey-cokey moment !

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39651781

[ChillDoubt]

This is like the ruddy hokey-cokey !
-----------
Not dissimilar to the Shadow Cabinet then....

[ChillDoubt]

......Whilst this poor Labour soul would be out of her depth in a car park puddle, bless her:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39659304

[ichkeria]

Yes that was quite scary.
The PM has rigged the system by, wait for it, calling an election: er....
Note though that this was reported and highlighted by the so-called "leftie" BBC :-)

[youngmafbog]

People in glass houses Mickey.

Seen the number of Labour MP's standing down?