WHY I RAN IN CLACTON
A month ago I was a non-voter and a self-confessed sofa warrior. Then, to the surprise of almost everyone who knows me, I stood for Parliament. This is why.
Why I ran
I had given up on politics.
I was a non-voter, avoided political conversations and spent far more time shouting at the television than actually doing anything about it.
If you had told me a month ago that I would stand in a parliamentary election, I would probably have laughed at you.
It surprised my friends, my family and, more than anyone, me.
I am probably the least politically minded person in my network. I have actively avoided conversations about politics for years and I had not voted for a very long time.
I am one of the millions of people who gave up on politics a long, long time ago.
For years I was what I would describe as a sofa warrior. I watched television, saw something that annoyed me, shouted at it, probably complained to whoever was unfortunate enough to be sitting next to me, and then carried on with my life.
Conservative, Labour, Reform, one leader, another leader. Different colours, different slogans and different promises.
To me the term same difference often seems remarkably appropriate.
I am not saying every politician is identical or that every policy is the same. There are decent people involved in politics.
But when I ask who I genuinely trust to put ordinary people before their party, their career and their next job, I still struggle to find an answer.
Eventually I realised something uncomfortable. Complaining about politics while refusing to participate in it was never going to change anything.
Turnout at the 2024 General Election was 59.7%. Around four in ten registered voters did not vote.
Why Clacton?
Clacton was not somewhere I picked off a map because there happened to be an election.
My family
Most of my family are in the area. Three generations, ranging from the young through to those approaching retirement.
A possible opening
With several of the major parties not standing, I thought an Independent might have a small opportunity to get noticed.
Standing against Farage
Beating Nigel Farage was extremely unlikely, but standing directly against him gave me an extraordinary crash course in politics from inside.
Clacton deserves better
The campaign convinced me that the people and real local problems deserve more attention than the political circus surrounding the seat.
Clacton is not Nigel Farage
Clacton has a significant older population, areas of real deprivation, transport problems and the difficulties that come with being some distance from major hospital services in Colchester.
Yet the people I met were overwhelmingly decent, friendly and welcoming.
What bothers me is that the area has been tarred with the Nigel Farage brush.
Some residents support him strongly.
Many people I spoke to disliked him intensely and wanted him gone.
An entire constituency should not be portrayed as racist, bigoted or thick because of the politician who represents it.
Approximately 28% of the registered electorate voted for him. Figures rounded.
Clacton deserves to be known for the people who live there, not simply for its MP.
I genuinely believe I could do a good job for them if I can get enough people to notice.
What pushed me off the sofa?
There was no single moment. It was years of frustration piling on top of frustration.
Some of these subjects became stories in their own right, so I am keeping them deliberately brief here and expanding them separately.
Changing the person on the packaging
Watching parties repeatedly change leaders increasingly felt to me like corporate rebranding.
Andy Burnham’s rapid return to Parliament and then Downing Street reinforced that frustration.
Expanded article comingNO ANSWER? My view of Prime Minister’s Questions
Prime Minister’s Questions drives me mad
Somebody asks a question, the response often seems to avoid it, and then the chamber erupts into cheering, jeering and shouting.
It reminds me of an old boys’ club mixed with a public school debating society.
Expanded article comingFarage, Reform and the £5 million question
My problem is not ordinary Reform voters. Many people I spoke to had genuine concerns about immigration, housing and public services.
My concern is a style of politics I believe relies too heavily on anger and division.
Read related articleI am not alleging that Christopher Harborne bought anything in return. I have no evidence of a deal or agreement.
My point is that a political system should not leave ordinary people having to speculate about what influence a gift of that size might create.
Reform voters said to me that Labour and the Conservatives also accept very large donations.
My answer is simple. Then scrutinise those as well.
I do not care which colour rosette somebody wears. Political donations and gifts should be transparent and the rules should protect the public from undue influence.
What I learned
A few weeks inside politics taught me more than years of watching it from my sofa.
Some candidates were serious local candidates. Some represented political parties. Some were genuine Independents. Others were protest, publicity or comedy candidates.
I strongly support people’s democratic right to stand for Parliament.
But experiencing a 34-candidate election from inside made me wonder whether the system deserves another look.
I do not think simply increasing the £500 deposit is the answer, because that risks making politics something only wealthy people can afford.
But I do think it is reasonable to ask whether candidates should demonstrate a genuine interest or connection to the constituency they want to represent.
The media surprised me even more
I understood that Nigel Farage would dominate the coverage.
What I did not expect was how difficult it would be for serious, unknown Independent candidates to be heard at all.
I personally asked reporters whether they would interview me or some of the other candidates who had serious things to say.
The answer was repeatedly that they could not interview everyone.
Fair enough.
But the colourful and novelty candidates certainly attracted the cameras.
Attention matters.
Count Binface finished second.
Whatever anyone thinks about comedy candidates, he understood something I did not fully appreciate when I entered the election.
Having serious ideas is useless if nobody knows you exist.
I understand why.
But it taught me one of the most important lessons of the entire election.
It is not enough to have something serious to say. You have to make people listen.
What I would change
I am still a political novice. These are starting ideas, not commandments.
Some need much more research and thought, but these are the questions I came away asking.
Genuine local candidates
Candidates should demonstrate a genuine connection to the constituency they want to represent.
Proper constituency time
MPs should commit meaningful working time every week to local residents, businesses and organisations.
Fundraise for the community
MPs have contacts and influence. They should actively use them to help charities and community projects in their constituency.
Being an MP is the main job
I would not ban all outside work, but representing constituents must clearly remain an MP’s main responsibility.
Share MP-created income
Income created specifically because somebody is an MP should, in my view, partly benefit the constituency that gave them that platform.
Rethink the party whip
MPs are elected to represent constituents. I want to explore whether party discipline has become too powerful over how they vote.
Income created because you are an MP
I have no problem with successful people entering politics. In fact, Westminster probably needs more people who have actually run businesses, worked in professions or built careers outside politics.
But if somebody receives new television work, newspaper columns, speaking opportunities or similar income specifically because they became an MP, I think some of it should benefit the constituency.
My starting suggestion is a minimum of 30%. Perhaps 50% should be encouraged.
And the party whip?
I need to understand the consequences better before pretending I have the perfect answer.
But the basic principle bothers me.
We elect an individual to represent tens of thousands of constituents, then their party tells them how they are expected to vote.
What happens next?
Separate articles and further reading
Some of the subjects above deserve far more than a paragraph. Some already have their own pages and others will be published separately.