Sunday Politics...

I've just watched the Brexit Party candidate for my area, Faye Clements, on Sunday Politics. It was the first time I'd seen her interviewed or even heard her voice. She sounded very local. So I think the portrayal of her as being an outsider ..all the way from Thirsk no less (!) ..is a bit unfair.

It edged me further towards voting for the Brexit Party.

As anyone reading this blog will know I'm a little bit torn between my instinct (to vote BXP) and my worry (that I should simply vote for the candidate most likely to beat Labour and not risk splitting the vote).

My honest unbiased opinion is that it's a three way race in this seat at the moment.

Labour are the holders and favourites to win it.
The Brexit Party are (or should have been) the natural alternative.
However, the Independent candidate Antony High has a superb ground campaign underway and has placed himself quite prominently as the alternative to Labour.

So I would say that Labour are favourites, Antony High the second favourite. Then the Brexit Party third in the race at present..

As for the Conservatives, they simply cannot win this seat. If it's in the national interest to avoid a Corbyn government then it's not in the national interest that the Conservatives are standing here. That's just my appraisal of course, and hopefully I'm wrong, but it does look like that.

Shoulda..

I said the Brexit Party should have been the natural alternative. This is my main gripe. This is clearly a Brexit election. It's the whole point of the election. To decide this very important and difficult issue. In a seat like Middlesbrough, a majority leave seat, there should be a clear Brexit option.

The Conservatives can't win here. So can't be an option. So why stand.

To be fair to the Independent candidate he has said he'll respect the Brexit vote. However, it's pretty clear that he himself voted to remain, and that he sees Brexit as a hindrance to be dealt with. Rather than as a positive opportunity to be grasped.

So both these options aren't hugely attractive for Brexiteers. Yet they both stand in the way of a clear Brexit option.

It's turned what should have been a clear binary choice into a very muddy situation.

The fear of a Labour government is very real, but in a way it just highlights the problem with all the established parties. The Brexit Party have stood down in a huge number of seats ..for nothing in return. This is a seat they should always have been standing in. If anything it's their duty to stand here. As with seats like Hartlepool.

So, anyway, my general feeling now is that locally I'll be supporting the Brexit Party. After three and half years of a remain parliament I simply cannot bring myself to vote for anything less than a true leave candidate.

So now the battle lines are drawn let's get on with it.