Fake Reform Candidates

[Grumble]

Do they have to be wet signatures?

[Martin Y]

Do they have to be wet signatures?

I always understood they had to live in the constituency (though now I doubt everything I thought I knew) so that should make actual signatures straightforward. If you can get that level of engagement from ten local members of Party Ltd then it's a small step further to persuade a couple of them to allow their names to 'run' as candidates somewhere else.

[dyqik]

Do they have to be wet signatures?

I always understood they had to live in the constituency (though now I doubt everything I thought I knew) so that should make actual signatures straightforward. If you can get that level of engagement from ten local members of Party Ltd then it's a small step further to persuade a couple of them to allow their names to 'run' as candidates somewhere else.

Nominations have to come from within the constituency, but candidates and their agents do not. Getting on the ballot in a large number of seats needs a wide geographical spread of supporters to sign nomination papers, in a way that finding people prepared to be paper candidates doesn't.

[monkey]

If there is an activist in the constituency, they probably have at least 10 friends with similar views, because that's how friends often work.

If there isn't anyone,one person with time and a clipboard could probably get 10 signatures for just about anything on just about any high street in an afternoon. Give them a couple of weeks, and they can cover many constituencies.

10 signatures is f.ck all.

(But I still wouldn't be surprised if some of them were faked, it's also easy being lazy.)

[dyqik]

If there is an activist in the constituency, they probably have at least 10 friends with similar views, because that's how friends often work.

If there isn't anyone,one person with time and a clipboard could probably get 10 signatures for just about anything on just about any high street in an afternoon. Give them a couple of weeks, and they can cover many constituencies.

10 signatures is f.ck all.

(But I still wouldn't be surprised if some of them were faked, it's also easy being lazy.)

This is pretty much my position, with a side helping of "did the signer know they were nominating a Reform candidate".

[dyqik]

While we're looking at Reform candidates, they've also been using GoFundMe for donations - which allows for illegal overseas and anonymous donations. While the candidates could be checking residency and IDs outside the GoFundMe system, there's no guarantee of that.

https://bylinetimes.com/2024/07/01/refo ... ommission/

[Nero]

Supposedly Reform have fessed up:

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/244 ... ref=twtrec

ETA: Don't read the shite below the line.

[Woodchopper]

Supposedly Reform have fessed up:

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/244 ... ref=twtrec

Though they seem to have admitted that their candidates were not involved at all in the constituency or the election. But they still seem to have described them as being real people.

[snoozeofreason]

Supposedly Reform have fessed up:

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/244 ... ref=twtrec

Though they seem to have admitted that their candidates were not involved at all in the constituency or the election. But they still seem to have described them as being real people.

There is a big difference between fielding non-existent candidates and fielding "paper" candidates who either don't campaign in their own constituency or don't campaign at all. All parties will have tried to focus their efforts on battleground constituencies, and most will have fielded paper candidates in non-battleground ones. In many cases parties will have actively discouraged campaigning in non-battleground constituencies. The larger parties will have encouraged paper candidates, and their activists, to campaign in winnable constituencies close by. But smaller parties may find their isn't a winnable constituency in travelling distance.

It would be sensible to exercise a bit of scepticism over claims that candidates just don't exist at all. If they turn out to be conspiracy theories then Farage is going to milk it by claiming that every negative story about Reform is a conspiracy theory.

[Tristan]

It would be sensible to exercise a bit of scepticism over claims that candidates just don't exist at all. If they turn out to be conspiracy theories then Farage is going to milk it by claiming that every negative story about Reform is a conspiracy theory.

Yes, I'd be staggered if any of the candidates actually didn't exist at all.

[Stranger Mouse]

It would be sensible to exercise a bit of scepticism over claims that candidates just don't exist at all. If they turn out to be conspiracy theories then Farage is going to milk it by claiming that every negative story about Reform is a conspiracy theory.

Yes, I'd be staggered if any of the candidates actually didn't exist at all.

But I wouldn’t be surprised if some people deny they knew they were candidates.

[Grumble]

I think it shows that there are plenty of people with no visible online presence. Online people find this surprising, but maybe we shouldn’t.

[Tristan]

Surpriiiiiiiiiiise..... (not really) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckv ... QZU2JTAc6A

[Stranger Mouse]

Surpriiiiiiiiiiise..... (not really) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckv ... QZU2JTAc6A

Once again answering the question always asked by Byline Times fans “why isn’t the mainstream media covering this?”

[bjn]

Nigel is throwing his weight around in the party he owns. Fires Ben Habib as deputy leader and slots Tice in for the position. Apparently…

”I have long held concerns about the control of the party and the decision-making processes,” said Habib, in an apparent reference to the unusual structure of Reform UK, which means there is little or no input from members, nor brakes on Farage’s decisions.

No sh.t, it’s not political party it is a privately owned company. What did he expect?

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ar ... s-deputies

[Stranger Mouse]

In other news watch this Farage clip with the sound up. Apparently and amazingly it’s not AI.

https://x.com/frankwiedemer/status/1811 ... 20677?s=61

[Grumble]

In other news watch this Farage clip with the sound up. Apparently and amazingly it’s not AI.

https://x.com/frankwiedemer/status/1811 ... 20677?s=61

No thanks. Admittedly I watched the first few seconds but Farage will do anything to get in front of your eyeballs and this just proves that.

[Stranger Mouse]

In other news watch this Farage clip with the sound up. Apparently and amazingly it’s not AI.

https://x.com/frankwiedemer/status/1811 ... 20677?s=61

No thanks. Admittedly I watched the first few seconds but Farage will do anything to get in front of your eyeballs and this just proves that.

So you didn’t get to “Mo Lester”

[Grumble]

In other news watch this Farage clip with the sound up. Apparently and amazingly it’s not AI.

https://x.com/frankwiedemer/status/1811 ... 20677?s=61

No thanks. Admittedly I watched the first few seconds but Farage will do anything to get in front of your eyeballs and this just proves that.

So you didn’t get to “Mo Lester”

I’m sure you can get Farage to says all sorts of wacky things, all it does is increase his profile.

[Tristan]

Surpriiiiiiiiiiise..... (not really) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckv ... QZU2JTAc6A

Once again answering the question always asked by Byline Times fans “why isn’t the mainstream media covering this?”

Byline Times is just The Canary for Waitrose shoppers.

[Gfamily]

Nigel is throwing his weight around in the party he owns. Fires Ben Habib as deputy leader and slots Tice in for the position. Apparently…

”I have long held concerns about the control of the party and the decision-making processes,” said Habib, in an apparent reference to the unusual structure of Reform UK, which means there is little or no input from members, nor brakes on Farage’s decisions.

No sh.t, it’s not political party it is a privately owned company. What did he expect?

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ar ... s-deputies

And now appointed Zia Yusuf as Chair of the party/company (delete as appropriate), leading to lots of Islamophobic comments from members/subscribers (delete as appropriate) who are saying they'll leave.
Probably reduces the democratic deficit inherent in running Reform that way.

[Martin Y]

That's curious. Why would you appoint someone whose name or appearance would make the most embarrassingly overt and shamelessly racist bigots quit your party, immediately after you stop needing their votes?

[monkey]

That's curious. Why would you appoint someone whose name or appearance would make the most embarrassingly overt and shamelessly racist bigots quit your party, immediately after you stop needing their votes?

Yes, why indeed...

And just in case anyone needs to know he's qualified for the job -

"Yusuf was the largest donor to Reform UK in the run-up to the 2024 general election.'

wiki clicky

[Gfamily]

That's curious. Why would you appoint someone whose name or appearance would make the most embarrassingly overt and shamelessly racist bigots quit your party, immediately after you stop needing their votes?

"We can't be racist, some* of our best funders are ..."

* 1