UKIP and Green Party (of England and Wales) leadership elections, 2016

[Phony Moderate]

Yes, there's more! Farage has just announced that he's quitting (let's assume that it's accepted this time) and Bennett announced her resignation some weeks ago.

This thread can probably become the general 'secondary UK party leadership elections' thread in the future.

Anyhow, check out all the nonentities (with one exception) running for the Green leader and deputy positions here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Party_of_England_and_Wales_leadership_election,_2016#Candidates

[Phony Moderate]

Wait, what the heck happened to Natalie Bennett?

See opening post...

[Phony Moderate]

If I was to be pedantic I'd say that the thread title is wrong; its the Green Party of England and Wales that's having a leadership election and the other Green parties in the UK don't vote because we are separate parties, although naturally parties that work together quite regularly.  I'd be stunned if Lucas didn't win that election though; although that's probably a name recognition thing...

Amended.

[Phony Moderate]

What's Kilroy up to these days?

[Phony Moderate]

In a few months' time we could possibly have all of the following parties led by women: Tories (May or Leadsom), Labour (Angela Eagle or possibly Lisa Nandy), UKIP (Suzanne Evans or Diane James), Greens (Lucas, albeit with a joint-leader who is male), SNP (Sturgeon) and Plaid Cymru (Wood).

Could this lead to the Lib Dems picking up the 'wimmin in the home!!!!11111' vote?

[Phony Moderate]

Calling it now: Farage is going to return. Or maybe they'll bring back the extremely effective Lord Pearson.

[Phony Moderate]

Diane James MEP now appears to be the clear favourite. She is essentially the candidate of the Farage/Banks faction and was the candidate in the by-election (Eastleigh, 2013) that marked the real beginning of the UKIP surge.

[Phony Moderate]

Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley win the Green leadership with 86% of the vote.

[Phony Moderate]

The UKIP leadership election result was declared yesterday btw, and Diane James won with 46.1% of the vote. Turnout was quite poor.

[Phony Moderate]

Besides, notwithstanding Aleppogate, the present presidential "Johnson\Weld Libertarians" seem to be positioning themselves as more of a US version of the middle-straddling Lib Dems than anything UKIP-like...

Both people on the Libertarian ticket this year would get along very well with David Laws I imagine.

[Phony Moderate]

This is a country that voted for Thatcher three times, a figure that UKIP adopted in No True Scotsman like manner. I know there is a great deal of mythology about Thatcher reducing state expenditure (when she did so only sparingly), but her support in places like Essex stemmed from the core classical liberal message, that coincidently happens to be UKIP's strongest performing area, and where their only MP, a libertarian, was elected. Perhaps based on his name, yes, but elected nonetheless.

Thing is that UKIP are arguably less 'libertarian' on economics (let alone other matters) than the Tories nowadays. And I doubt that even 10% of UKIP's voters vote for them for their economic policies anyway...

[Phony Moderate]

Hopefully they view this as a time to bring back Alan Sked.

[Phony Moderate]

And it gets weirder: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37572377

[Phony Moderate]

He has bleeding on his brain apparently, which would explain why he collapsed.

[Phony Moderate]

Christ, one of the other UKIP MEPs might have a good right hook

Reports suggest that the person responsible is Mike Hookem MEP. No, I'm not even joking.

[Phony Moderate]

Ahahaha I probably shouldn't be laughing but that is just funny.

Well, it is until you remember just how much damage UKIP have done

I suspect Remain would have won if UKIP had played a bigger role in the campaign (as in if Farage had been made the official Leave leader etc).

[Phony Moderate]

Woolfe has both withdrawn from the leadership race and resigned from the party. That leaves the following four political heavyweights:

Andrew Beadle - Candidate in the very UKIP-friendly Bermondsey and Old Southwark in 2015.
Bill Etheridge - Candidate in Dudley North in 2015; posted a picture on Facebook of himself next to golliwogs to make a point about political correctness; praised Hitler in a UKIP youth wing seminar
Raheem Kassam - Editor of Breitbart London
Peter Whittle - UKIP leader in the London Assembly and their candidate for Mayor this year. Openly gay.

[Phony Moderate]

Result of the UKIP 2016 leadership election 2.0 was announced a couple of days ago:

Paul Nuttall - 9,622 votes/62.6%
Suzanne Evans - 2,973 votes/19.3%
John Rees-Evans - 2,775 votes/18.1%

Nuttall (like Diane James and Steven Woolfe - both of whom have now quit the party) was essentially the Faragist continuity candidate.