So the idea that Johnson may look for a safer seat is back on the agenda. And one possibility is Henley, the first seat he represented before resigned to be London's elected mayor and whose current Tory MP has said he will stand down at the election.
Hence this report in the Observer:
On the off-chance that Johnson decides to head for safer ground on his old turf, local activists are already preparing for an anti-Johnson campaign. Leaflets are being designed and the launch of a "beat Boris" fundraising campaign is set to be unveiled by the local Liberal Democrats, who are the main challengers in the seat. ...
Enthusiastic local Lib Dem activists have dubbed their campaign, which is being aided by the central party, "Operation Yellowhammer". They believe that despite the 14,000 majority, the big Lib Dem increase at the last election – combined with Johnson’s increasingly divisive reputation – could make him vulnerable to an appeal to "kick Johnson out of parliament once and for all".
South Oxfordshire council is already one of the party’s targets in May’s local elections, where it is fighting to take overall control.
An unnamed and inevitable "party source" says:
"If Boris Johnson thinks doing a chicken run to Henley will help save his skin, he’s got another thing coming,"
The expression the source wants is "got another think coming". Either the Observer journalist's shorthand has got rusty or this source has revealed themselves as the agent of a foreign power.
No doubt they are committed to an admittedly long-term strategy of overthrowing the British state from within by seizing control of the Liberal Democrats.
Anyway, my money is on Nadine Dorries laying down her life to create a vacancy for a Conservative candidate in Mid Bedfordshire and Johnson sliding in there instead.
What a pity the Lib Dem PR/Strategy interface is so poor. They should be lulling Johnson and the Conservatives into a state of general complacency. They should say, “The local Lib Dem’s are almost as bad as they were at the time of that ghastly by election in 2008! Their local election successes are down to pure luck, not campaigning, and anyway, it’s not one of our target seats.” No, instead, they tell the whole world exactly what they are going to do. Silly billies.
ReplyDeleteOn a non-political point, if a head-to-toe chicken suit is what passes for adult clothing in Henley these days then culturally it's lost its way as a town. You can keep your large expensive houses with manicured gardens and pleasant views of the river!
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of Lib Dems in Henley, but also a lot of very right wing Tories too. There might be better prospects elsewhere close by
ReplyDeleteDavid: My photograph was taken in Leicester not Henley, but I feel it conveys the essence of Boris Johnson.
ReplyDeleteAs a well-respected political diarist it's probably good that you know where all the adult shops and naturist resorts are in your area, maybe even keep track of where nudist clubs have sessions in public pools so you know how to get away from them and keep your reputation spotlessly clean.
ReplyDeleteAt my very first committee meeting at Harborough District Council, I was one of two councillors to vote in favour of allowing a nude swimming group to hire the swimming pool for private sessions.
ReplyDeleteWe still don't know whether this photo shows one of Labour's chicken suit campaigners or a bloke standing around before he hands out fliers for a takeaway.
ReplyDeleteIt's the latter, of course, but the fact he's standing outside an, er, adult shop put me in mind of Mr Johnson for some reason.
ReplyDeleteReturning to point one on this thread.
ReplyDeleteThe worst thing that you can say is that you are a loser. It is not possible to win from a campaign based on the proposition that it is run by useless idiots with the right policies.
One may argue that some SDP campaigns in 1983 operated that way.
Blustering about how prepared a campaign team is for the next general election is normal, or essential. They're not really writing leaflets for next year, because they'll look a bit daft if they met letterboxes. They might have found a few supporters with a tasty spot for a big sign.
The Conservative Party will lose loads of seats in forthcoming local elections. Converting local wins into parliamentary seats is more difficult. Highly likely.
Thank you Phil Beesley for addressing the mildly flippant point I made above. I get your point, I really do, but I am just a bit concerned about "showing our hand". I remember the "Decapitation Strategy" of the 2005 General Election, and it didn't seem to do us much good (pace Mr Farron!) I bit of subterfuge might go a long way - but I suppose that in our Zero/Sum political system, we have to show a bit of bravado. Well done Henley Liberal Democrats for getting prepared - but it might have been fun to surprise the Tories with the extent of our readiness.
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