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Douglas Carswell MP defects to UKIP

The Conservative MP Douglas Carswell defects to UKIP.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...ts-to-Ukip-triggering-by-election-battle.html
Douglas Carwell, the Tory MP, has defected to Ukip and triggered a by-election after accusing David Cameron of failing to be "serious" about European reform.

Mr Carswell, the MP for Clacton in Essex, said that he is determined to disrupt the "cozy Westminster elite" as he accused David Cameron of having "made up his mind" on Britain staying in the European Union.

If he wins the by-election, that'll put the cat among the pigeons.

Wordsmith
 
Great loss to the Conservative Party. Forward thinking and too right wing for current euro-wets. Many a lesser man and woman have been brought into the cabinet, no wonder he has chosen to go after being overlooked again.
 
Honourable man on the basis he forces the by election so the people of Clacton get to choose.

If I lived in Clacton I would vote for him just for that.....
 
It most certainly will, he is not someone who can be easily shrugged off as a nutter or seat warmer!
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2014/08/breaking-tory-mp-douglas-carswell-defects-to-ukip/
There are many huge ripples from this defection. But the Conservative party will have to consider how on earth to respond to Carswell, a popular MP who has increased local Tory membership and his majority. He is a maverick, for sure, but a maverick through deep thinking and intellectual self-confidence. And that is difficult to dismiss. There are many backbenchers whose defections would have been easier to wave off.
 
Interestingly he has just co-authored a book with the Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan, another Eurosceptic. Wonder if he's considering jumping ship?
 
Great loss to the Conservative Party. Forward thinking and too right wing for current euro-wets. Many a lesser man and woman have been brought into the cabinet, no wonder he has chosen to go after being overlooked again.

Makes a mockery of CMD plans for a re-negotiation when he won't have Euro sceptics anywhere near cabinet...
 
Carswell has a 12,000+ majority, apparently.

First challenge will be maintaining it this year, though. Fair play for seeking a confirmed mandate from the off but despite having to renew it next May anyway... It'll undermine his cause if his electorate bin him in favour of party before personality, regardless of popularity, though. Of course, CCHQ could parachute a complete spanner into what they see as a safe seat, on the basis it's one of those "people would vote for a donkey if it had a blue rosette on it so we'll win with whomever" constituency and then find the electorate there are a bit more savvy. On the other hand, they could drop Boris in (on the basis of what they think it their best shot at holding the seat, not what Boris wants to do)...

I imagine Carswell has tested the water with a bit of discrete polling and questionnaires, though. My own PPC for the Tories mailshot a questionnaire yesterday asking us all to prioritise on a scale of 1 to 10 certain local issues (of which she is even less clued up than the incumbent LibDem), which parties we'd be more or less likely to vote for (including UKIP) and so on. I imagine she'll be disappointed - most will indicate they're sticking with the absentee LibDem MP or voting for Mr. Farage. But I digress...

I imagine Carswell did similar and got enough of a pro-UKIP/anti-EU response to suggest jumping ship could bear fruit. I can't imagine it's entirely driven by principle and nowt else.

If he can maintain his majority this year and next, and Farage and a couple of others win seats, too, things are going to get rather interesting around Westminster (one would hope). Even if a lot of UKIP PPCs get majority-slashing second places in safe seats it will stir things up. For about two days, if the Euros were anything to go by...
 
Only one criticism. He should have delayed the announcement for a few days.

We need to keep the Rotherham abuse scandal front and centre on the news reports until plod can be embarrassed and cajoled into action and for the wasters and oxygen thieves to be chased from office..
 
If he wins the by election it will have a significant impact on the 2015 general election. The current mantra is a vote for UKIP is a wasted vote. Carswell demonstrating that a UKIP MP is electable will blow a hole through that argument and potentially lead to an increase in the UKIP share of the vote.

As geezer466 said earlier, dummies will be being spat...

Wordsmith
 
Interestingly he has just co-authored a book with the Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan, another Eurosceptic. Wonder if he's considering jumping ship?
Just what I was thinking! But found this comment on the Spectator link, so all credits to author.
Hannan would never join UKIP as it is today. A couple of years ago, maybe.Hannan is a Classical Liberal of the Whig mould. He just happens to be in the Tory party as they are the only major party in this country that has such a caucus.UKIP are morphing into the paternal Tories of the 50s. Very far away from Hannan.
 
We may see more of this. The big three parties don't have all the pull anymore, especially when they consistently fail in certain areas. If parties like UKIP can capitalise on that they could grow massively in the next ten years.
 
If he wins the by election it will have a significant impact on the 2015 general election. The current mantra is a vote for UKIP is a wasted vote. Carswell demonstrating that a UKIP MP is electable will blow a hole through that argument and potentially lead to an increase in the UKIP share of the vote.

As geezer466 said earlier, dummies will be being spat...

Wordsmith

Although I would love the credit for such a sweeping statement the accolade actually belongs to Jack Reagan (of the yard) :cool:
 
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