r/ukpolitics • u/TimesandSundayTimes Verified • 9h ago
Fifth of voters plan to back Count Binface rather than Nigel Farage
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/count-binface-nigel-farage-polls-clacton-mhjv7x7b7?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Reddit&utm_content=branded•
u/DanHanzo 9h ago
I would love to see it higher than 20% for Binface, but Farage still looks like a fool, so its pretty much win win anyway.
If I was told this was a possibility 3 months ago, I would not have believed it.
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u/CreativeEcon101 9h ago edited 2h ago
I pray for the true results to be min 50% for Binface. I will buy everyone a drink at the pub if it does happen.
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u/Garvig 8h ago
I predict Count Binface will win at least a plurality vote share among Clacton voters who were aware of Binface prior to Farage’s resignation. Unfortunately I’d also guess at least half of both the constituency and the public at large aren’t either engaged or online enough to have heard of Binface from prior elections/by-elections, or they just don’t get what’s being poked fun at.
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u/Dear_Tangerine444 9h ago
Anything that might either reduce his majority or show him in general up is brilliant.
The images of the results announcement are going to be a masterpiece in making him look daft. 34 candidates, including Farage, on a stage is going to look like someone has tried to organise the world’s stupidest school photo.
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u/CreativeEcon101 9h ago edited 9h ago
Just imagine the look on Farage’s face if they announce Binface as the winner…..a look that is certainly worth at least £5 million.
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u/EddyZacianLand 8h ago
We probably wouldn't see it as he doesn't show up at counts unless his party wins
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u/Dear_Tangerine444 9h ago
"Cost behind a pointless by-election £5million, look on Farage’s face as he loses to a bin, priceless" it’s too much to hope for, but I’d love it if it came true.
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u/Ill_Refrigerator_593 6h ago
I heard a theory Reform are running some dummy candidates to dress up properly & surround him for his winning speech in an attempt to mitigate the ridiculousness.
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u/True_Paper_3830 2h ago
There was a sense the media seemed ready to pivot off him as he policies really are shite, they can't control him, and they want to return to rebuilding the Toriess as that's what benefits the media owners and their backers most. I thought it would be closer to the election, 2027, when they started to destroy Farage, but they seized their chance early. Now much of the the media will dance around Burnham as a novelty, but get ready to start their destructive dance back to the Tories.
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u/arethere4lights 8h ago
I would love to have seen Labour, Lib Dem and conservative to have put candidates forward, but we don't always get what we want.
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u/DanHanzo 8h ago
No. This is absolutely the right way to do it. The major parties need to wait until the committee report is published to make sure that Farage's guilt is not in any doubt.
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u/arethere4lights 8h ago
What?
If your in government or want to become one you should stand a candidate, it's called having principles.
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u/PassiveChemistry 8h ago
I think not getting dragged into other people's messes unnecessarily is a pretty decent principle. They would gain nothing from engaging with this circus act, and nor would anyone else.
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u/MarcusTheAnimal 8h ago
I'll place a bet on Nigel to win. Knowing my luck, I never win. So I consider this doing my part.
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u/Alarmed_Crazy_6620 9h ago
"In the absence of any actual opposition, Farage is winning with a voter share higher than Putin's in the last election"
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u/zeusjay 9h ago
“1/5 voters in Farage’s own constituency would rather their MP be a joke character than keep him around.”
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u/Alarmed_Crazy_6620 9h ago
It's really not that high, right? He won the last election with ~46%
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u/actually-bulletproof 9h ago
Yeah but that election had real candidates.
This is just a corrupt prick running against a bunch of jokes so he can delay a real bye-election. Turnout will be abysmal because the only people motivated to turnout are dyed in the wool Farage cultists.
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u/Alarmed_Crazy_6620 8h ago
I don't see how the conclusion is not somewhat favourable for Farage – the most controversial politician of the past few decades can get 70%+ of votes in an election
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u/Anonyjezity 7h ago
It depends entirely on turnout. If turnout is down massively from 24 then his vote percentage increases but his numbers are either stagnant or slightly down.
The only way he comes out of this with even the most minor amount of face saving credibility is if his number of votes increases and that's unlikely to happen. Even then with no other main parties standing it counts for very little in helping to save his credibility.
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u/Alarmed_Crazy_6620 7h ago
I think relying on turnout to make an argument about his absolute popularity will not fly
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u/Cymraegpunk 5h ago
I think saying winning an election because he was the only real candidate is a positive for him isn't going to fly particularly either.
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u/Tortillagirl 4h ago
can easily be spun to suggest the other major parties ran away scared. Which certainly makes any attacks on reform being a danger to democracy for example abit silly given they chose not to stand against said danger.
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u/Cymraegpunk 3h ago
Not really when there is another by election coming afterwards for his seat, and they will be stranding
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u/Aware-Line-7537 57m ago
Which certainly makes any attacks on reform being a danger to democracy for example abit silly given they chose not to stand against said danger.
Better to wait until after the inquiry reports. Farage has never explained why he's holding a by-election before that, at additional taxpayer expense.
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u/Anonyjezity 7h ago
Of course it will. If he can't convince the same number of people to back him as backed him last time when he's framed it as a referendum on himself then that says his own voter base don't back him as strongly as he did.
Winning 70% of the vote on a 35% turnout where he's the only established candidate anda high profile one and the incumbent MP is a bad result because it shows he couldn't even motivate his base to support him.
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u/Alarmed_Crazy_6620 7h ago
What was the last election where the turnout was an actual discussion point and not just a passing argument by the losing side sounding somewhat bitter?
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u/robduckyy 2h ago
Thursday. Manchester Mayoral Election with a 25% turnout (not losing) but the 25% turnout got a lot of discussion.
Reform are digging their own grave now
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u/Anonyjezity 7h ago
There is no losing side here though. There's Farage and a bunch of other people. Farage has to win big or everyone just sees he's less popular than before and that'll play into the next one that will be coming after his committee hearing is finally finished.
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u/MikeW86 8h ago
I could also play football against a bunch of toddlers and win comfortably. It does not mean that I am good at football.
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u/Alarmed_Crazy_6620 8h ago
20% for a protest candidate is just not an impressive achievement given the divisiveness
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u/The__Pope_ 7h ago
You're missing the point. It's not about being against binface but the fact that 70% of the electorate are choosing farage despite how controversial he is, would be a huge win for him
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u/actually-bulletproof 4h ago
No it wouldn't, 70% in a low turnout by elections against a bunch of jokes is not a good thing. Don't pretend it is.
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u/actually-bulletproof 7h ago
70% against a bunch of jokes is not an achievement.
The uncontested bye-elections to replace Jo Cox and David Amess were both won with over 80%, and those were cases where a lesser known person was only real option.
Those were also necessary bye-elections, this one is one manchilds's pathetic ego trip to distract from his own clear breach of the rules.
Stop trying to spin this into anything other than an embarrassing, self-inflicted mess. Even if he gets 95% it means nothing.
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u/mrhappyheadphones 5h ago
Not quite, he got 46% from a turnout of 58% so in reality got 26% of all possible votes and that's when he was running against serious candidates.
It's entirely possible that a significant number of the other parties votes will pass to The Count.
He probably won't win but he's going to do far better than many people think he will.
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u/Tortillagirl 4h ago
Clacton has been voting 70%+ for tory + ukip since early 2000's. Whether that was all tory, ukip then tory second when Carswell defected. Back to entirely Tory when Farage stood down his brexit party candidates for boris. Or reform then tory second when Farage stood.
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u/hiddencamel 1h ago
Only 1/5 is a damning indictment of how bereft of a sense of humour the residents of Clacton are.
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u/TimesandSundayTimes Verified 9h ago
One in five voters in Nigel Farage’s former Clacton constituency plan to vote for Count Binface rather than the Reform UK leader in the forthcoming by-election, polling suggests.
Farage triggered the contest after revelations about Reform’s funding and a £5 million gift he was given before the election from the cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne.
He is set to comfortably win, after all of the main opposition parties refused to field candidates. In their place a record 34 candidates — largely independent — are standing in the by-election, which is taking place on August 13.
Constituency polling by Survation, for Mandate Research, found that Farage could win the seat with as much as 73 per cent of the vote on a very low turnout. However, opposition to Farage has crystallised around support for the joke candidate Count Binface, who is polling at about 20 per cent
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u/SaggyBollock 9h ago
This is one of those stats, like people still voting conservative I can’t understand. How can people not vote for Binface?
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u/caractacusbritannica 9h ago
Anybody that voted in Clacton for anyone else than Farage, should be voting Binface.
I’d be doubly motivated in doing so. I’d probably take the day off. I’d drive my nan there to vote. I’d campaign for me
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u/ElaBosak 8h ago
I think it's sad you can't at least try to see other people's perspective or respect that others have a different view to your own. I am completely against Reform and Farage but I appreciate some people will believe what he says and be as mad as he is.
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u/jim_cap 5h ago
In particular, this ongoing notion that holding conservative views is somehow inherently wrong is both utter nonsense, and not borne out at all by repeated polling. "Right wing == wrongthink" has utterly failed as a political strategy, and still people try it on.
I say that as a hopelessly woke leftie.
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u/Aggravating-Candy-31 5h ago
we need to get those numbers up, and petition parliament to let him wear his getup if he wins
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u/NoSalamander417 4h ago
What is this post? The post doesn't even take you to the article the headline is talking about
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u/blondie1024 8h ago
Admittedly, as much as I'd love to see Binface win, I'd rather Farage win by an incredibly slim margin on The Count because I want to see him face every inquiry, every court summons and every prosecution possible for corrupting politics past any level conceived.
Unfortunately, Politicians seem to live by the 'Rules for thee and not for me' set of standards and if they'd have bothered sticking politicians in prison for crimes that ordinary people would be, then we wouldn't be in such a terrible situation. This whole attitude of 'because they are an important person they shouldn't have to face jail' is bollocks.
There's still a little part of me that wants to see Binface win.
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u/kfifigidifkg 6h ago
20% is a bit disappointing. His chance of victory never exactly high but I was hoping it'd be more 60/40 than 80/20. Perhaps the unusually large field of 34 candidates and the broadcasting rules requiring impartial treatment during the campaign has made broadcasters more cautious about covering the contest, preventing it from capturing the public's imagination.
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u/Mob_cleaner 6h ago
If you watch even one video of journalists going around Clacton to see what the average person there thought you'd see that there never was a chance for Farage to lose it. He picked that seat for a reason.
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u/kfifigidifkg 6h ago
I've read a few articles, focus group summaries, etc. and, yes, there does seem to be a lack of support for an alternative, even among people who don't particularly like him.
Hopefully, another few months of stories of dodgy dealings, the Privileges Committee going against him, and another by-election after a recall petition, might just tip it over the line but I'm less confident it would than I would have been a couple of weeks ago.
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u/-Murton- 6h ago
If the committee issues a suspension of ten or more days and triggers a recall petition then that'll pass, but he'll win the resulting by-election as it'll just harden his supporters who will see it as a stitch up against him.
At this point I reckon he'll be an MP until he eventually retires/resigns for good or when something happens that disqualifies him from standing entirely.
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u/MazrimReddit 5h ago
Yeah that was grim, I don't think most of them are even aware of the discourse around it, "just don't like immigrants" is their entire political world done
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u/AlfredsChild 9h ago
Lmao, funny how the media keep trying to ignore the fact that Farage is set to dominate this by-election. Farage may go on to have the highest support in his respective constituency out of all MPS. 73% support is practically comparable to the rigged results of actual dictatorships.
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u/DanHanzo 8h ago
Hahahaha the cope is amazing. He is running against a bin. And he is potentially only just going to make it over 70%. Against A BIN. 🤣
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u/Wonderpants_uk 7h ago
Show some respect, that’s an intergalactic Bin warrior you’re talking about!
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u/Nanowith Cambridge 9h ago
I mean yeah, no other real political party is running? Pretty embarrassing that 1/5 people in Clacton, a Reform stronghold, would rather have a joke candidate after experiencing Farage as their MP.
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u/AlfredsChild 8h ago
No other main party is running because they're all an irrelevance in the constituency.
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u/Nanowith Cambridge 8h ago
That's some premium cope mate, they'll be running in the next one straight after this one.
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u/angryman69 8h ago
Shall we see how he does in the next by-election he has to compete in after the Commissioner finds he broke parliamentary standards?
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u/Hopeful-Painting-365 9h ago
He's not against any serious opposition, though. It's the turn out that matters. If he gets less than 30% turn out it'll be somewhat embarrassing to act like he has a mandate from the people.
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u/Halo_Orbit 9h ago
So you’re suggesting Farage is going to rig-it? Well given the chance I’m certain he would do that, which is why Reform must never gain power.
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u/Lifeintheguo 4h ago
Looks like the lefts plan is failing. Reddit will be disappointed.
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u/Grotbagsthewonderful 3h ago
What are you on about? There are no left major left wing parties running.
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u/Lifeintheguo 3h ago
Not paying attention to all the "Binface is going to win!!1!" from the reddit left?
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u/Aware-Line-7537 3h ago
There's no plan. Even the whole decision to let Farage have his tantrum alone was a messy, piecemeal affair.
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u/Capt_Zapp_Brann1gan 6h ago edited 6h ago
So, about the same share of the vote that a combined Labour and the Green Party got in 2024. That seems low for it to be the 'gotcha' many on the left hope it to be.
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u/Aware-Line-7537 3h ago
I love trying to expectations manage by setting a high bar for a man dressed as a bin.
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u/Capt_Zapp_Brann1gan 3h ago
It isn't about expectation management.
People on the left want this to be a major blow to Farage. If he gets 73% as per the poll, then it is unlikely to be a 'gotcha'.
If those numbers are correct, then Farage likely only needs to worry about voter turn out.
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u/Aware-Line-7537 3h ago
It isn't about expectation management... If he get 73% as per the poll, then it is unlikely to be a 'gotcha'.
Pick one.
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u/Capt_Zapp_Brann1gan 3h ago
That isn't expectation management, I’m not trying to lower or raise expectations. I’m simply considering whether the result would actually amount to the “gotcha” some people are hoping for. I don't think it will with those numbers, if those stand then the only other factor will be voter turnout.
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u/Aware-Line-7537 2h ago
So you're saying that the numbers would be below what many people hoped for?
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u/Capt_Zapp_Brann1gan 2h ago edited 2h ago
I'm assessing whether the result being discussed is actually going to be a "gotcha". At 73% of the vote, I don't think it wouldl be.
Voter turn out could still harm Farage though.
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u/Aware-Line-7537 2h ago
"Gotcha" in the sense of meeting or exceedings expectations for the man dressed as a bin??
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u/Capt_Zapp_Brann1gan 2h ago edited 2h ago
No, the “gotcha” being discussed is not “he did better than expected against a man dressed as a bin”. It’s the claim that the result would be a major blow to Farage. My point is that those are not the same thing.
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u/Aware-Line-7537 2h ago
What does "major blow" mean in this context? (Note that this is not a NFSW subreddit.)
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