Nick Bye, the third-placed Tory candidate in their Totnes ‘open primary’, writes a cheerily self-deprecating account of his experiences in today’s Times, A popular raspberry against yah-boo politics:
Matthew Parris chaired the big hustings meeting, which I reckoned would be a walkover for me — it was very much my home territory. I’m a mayor and used to traditional, on-the-stump speeches. But this is where the open primary system really worked for Dr Wollaston. She had the good sense to appreciate that party political point-scoring was just not what this audience wanted to hear.
I, however, made the mistake of using one of of my favourite lines of attack. “The biggest myth in British politics is that Liberal Democrats are such nice people” went down a storm in front of the party executive. But in front of a wider audience, it fell as flat as a pancake.
The victory of Dr Wollaston, despite the news headlines, was not a victory for anti-politicians or anti-politics. Rather, it was a victory for a different style of politics. Voters clearly want their MPs to be much less partisan, much more open-minded and pragmatic in the way they deal with issues. Certainly, the yah-boo politics that flourishes in the chamber of the Commons and many council chambers across the country is unappealing and won’t work for any aspiring MP in a primary system.
Now frankly this isn’t surprising. That the public is turned-off by politicians living down to their tribal stereotype is a fact universally acknowledged. At various times, various politicians of various hues promise the electorate that they ‘get it’ – for example, after John Smith’s untimely death, and during David Cameron’s first PMQs. They promptly return to type.
Parliamentarians frequently explain away the combative nature of British politics by arguing that the very shape of the Commons – opposite sides ranged against each other, separated by the regulation two swords-lengths – encourages such bickering. Well, perhaps, though I’ve also seen plenty of nastiness in council meetings, even when members are cosily gathered round a horse-shoe table.
Personally, I think it’s because most democracy is so separated from the public: those meetings which I’ve seen working best – most constructively, least partisanly – have been when the public is not only in attendance but also allowed to participate. Politicians soon learn to behave when they’re in front of their voters on more level terms.
The ability of politicians to speak plainly but courteously is, incidentally – as Jonathan Calder notes at his Liberal England blog in response to a rather trite article by Jeremy Warner in the Telegraph – the biggest reason for the runaway success of Vince Cable. Whenever Vince speaks he talks calmly and authoritatively: he never loses his temper or appears ruffled. It’s a rare, reassuring technique.
With luck politicians, both current and aspiring, will look at the failure of Nick Bye and the popularity of Vince Cable, and draw their own conclusions about how best to succeed in politics.
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8 Comments
Silly old man.
Its not that people don’t want partisan politics. I’m sure people appreciate partisan language if it’s based on important issues, but lines like “The Biggest myth in british politics is that the Liberal Dems are such nice people”.. lines like that just show how low the standards are to qualify as a Mayor in Britain.
Yes, quite. Just because both the Labour and Tory campaign manuals now suggest that activists keep repeating this bollox line doesnt mean that a) it’s true; or b) the public agree.
Unfortunately because of people like Lembit Opik and other ‘wets’ the Party gets a bad rep. The PR machine is not working and the front benches need to start playing tough and a little more dirty. Politics is no place for the feint hearted and the Libdems need a bigger set of cohonas.
Most likely the local Lib Dems appearing on the BBC saying they would vote for Nick Bye, as they thought he was the candidate they could beat had the desired effect ,nice one,backfired big time,now they needn’t bother campaigning in Totnes.
Maybe they can transfer their GE funds from Totnes to trying to save some seats in the south West ?
“the Libdems need a bigger set of cohonas”
That word should definitely be avoided, considering what William Hague did with it.
With 4 in 10 households in the Totnes constituency receiving services from Tory Torbay Council – a council selling off assets, building on greenfield sites and cutting the budget for children’s’ services, and the rest from new Tory Devon, about to engage in a round of public service cuts starting with fire cover in South Devon, Julian Brazil’s chances of winning are very high indeed. No matter how attractive a prospect the GP lady may look as a new MP, she is a Conservative Party Candidate, and the Lib Dems need to campaign against what the Tories are doing in local government and failing to do nationally, in order to win.
Nick Bye came a very poor third because he heads Torbay Council as the elected Mayor and is far more unpopular than many of us imagined. Perhaps this site explains more http://www.torbaypetition.blogspot.com/ or this one http://westphalia-on-sea.blogspot.com/
There are no Lib Dems behind either site, nor with the plethora of ‘I hate Nick Bye’, ‘Bye must go’, ‘Bye by Bye’ Facebook groups that simply confirm his status as probably the most unpopular politician in local history.
As for his line on Lib Dems at the hustings, you should remember he used to be one and would have used this as part of his self deprecating manner that can be very engaging and likable when deployed in the right environment, but gets right up the noses of most people who expect something more serious from an elected Mayor and aspiring MP.
I disagree and believe Brazil is the wrong man for this seat and here’s why:
– He is a priviliged old Etonian former Londoner – selling himself as a local man of the people
– He has been suspended for bullying and misconduct
_ He has refused to to apologise to those he bullied as directed by the standards committee leading to an extension to his suspension.
Has he taken the course on understanding the standards of conduct as a councillor- as directed by the standards board – If he hasn’t, this is all ammunition for the opposition. No one likes an Old Etonian bully, who won’t say sorry or admit their mistakes. Surely we can find a better candidate than this so this will be a closely fought election.
Perhaps Mr Bye really does think that it is the biggest myth in British Politics. I can think of a lot more more myths.
Perhaps his problem isn’t that people don’t respond to negative campaigning – just that he choose such a poor negative attack to use.