Not a great day for our country. It is poignant that on the very day that David Attenborough reaches 100, we are getting news of massive swings to Reform in the local elections. I will say this now – if there is anyone reading this who supports Reform, Hastings Battleaxe doesn’t want to know you. Please do not follow me, be my friend on social media, and I don’t even want you buying or reading my books. If I identify you, I will block you. Phew. But I’m also going to try and concentrate on some nice things in this post… Where shall we start… look at the magnificent pink azaleas outside our house. They are the best they have ever been…
Back to less nice things. According to this BBC report from Sir John Curtice, Reform are doing best in areas that voted for Brexit in 2016. Well, there’s a surprise, but so depressing – it shows that far too many people learn nothing. Endlessly surprising – this morning Philosopher and I were walking in the Country Park. It was looking gorgeous… and we met this youngish couple who were enthusing about how lovely it was. Then they said they’d lived in Hastings all their lives and never been up there, never knew about it… Eh? While poor HBC bankrupts itself trying to keep the place going…
Politics is just so awful. As I write this, we are still waiting for the local election results for Hastings and East Sussex. For the first time iin my adult life, I voted Green – it was the recommended tactical vote. We have a very good Green Councillor in our Ward, Jo Walker. East Sussex County Council has been Conservative for years – the best we can hope for now is no overall control. I have no idea how Reform have done in our area…
Talking Of Green, last week I went to have a look at Zack Polanski, who was making a quick guest appearance in the town. It was a very hot day and the event was held in a below-ground courtyard whcih was absolutely packed, rammed with Greenistas, mostly, I guess, the same young St Leonards types I’d seen at the recent Hastings Flea. Think, once again, man buns, waistcoats, flowing garments, sandals, and many, many dogs… can’t see any of those things in this pic, but believe me, they were there…
We had to sing a Green song while we waited for Zack – as you can imagine, absolutely not Battleaxe’s cup of green tea. Yuch. Horrors. When Zack finally appeared his followers screamed and howled and cheered like maniacs… you could scarcely hear a word he said – amid also, the accompaniment of a fortunately small group of extreme right-wingers shouting down from the top of the courtyard. Here’s one, with a megaphone…
By a process I won’t go into, I ended up at the very front of the crowd, literally face-to-face with Zack, sizing him up. I hate to say this, but I was not impressed. Sorry, he’s a lightweight – and let’s be honest – a bit wet. No way, in my view, would that man make a credible Prime Minister. I fear his following is a bit cult-like, a bit similar to the Corbynistas…
Probably rather rudely I left in the middle of his speech – just before they did this photo shoot, which appeared in the Guardian.
Sadly, I think his appearance in Hastings would have done the Greens more harm than good and undermined the credibility of our good Green councillors,but hopefully, not many people knew about it. I wasn’t going to post anything about it until after the polls had closed!
Basically, folks, there is nobody in politics right now who woould make a credible Prime Minister, and actually no party besides Labour that that could form a credible government. Say what you like about Starmer but he’s probably the best of a very bad lot. It drives me and Philosopher insane to read the constant media frothing about Starmer replacements. Rayner? No way. Streeting? Forget it… Andy Burnham – he’s not even a bloody MP. Then, Reform are obviously a horrible farce led by a charlatan, the Tories are finished and serve them right, Lib Dems? They never quite seem to cut it… Greens I’ve mentioned… and that’s it.
Ah well. Battleaxe went for a lovely walk round the Combe Haven Countryside Park with some WI chums on Wednesday. Part of the site used to be a huge land-fill tip, all now filled in and landscaped – you’d never know it had been there… Finally nerdy note, our Bird apps identified a Cetti’s warbler in the reed beds – rare.
STOP PRESS. RESULTS NOW COMING IN FOR EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL AND HASTINGS Greens doing well, Our Ore Jo Walker is now a county councillor… HBC Ore seat also gone Green. Labour stalwarts James Bacon and Judy Rogers have lost their seats – both to Greens.
I am still very much on the same page as you Stephanie. Indeed my youngest daughter (now 60 !) is a Stephanie too ! I can`t bear Zak thingy.. My idealistic grandson, Steph`s son Seth, stood as a novice candidate for the Greene in Barnes and Mortlake, and polled the top amount of votes for the Greens. We were sad that he had rejected the family history of Labour loyalty, but delighted for his personal success.. It was a hard introduction onto the crazy world of politics, and he was exhausted ! Lib -dems retained the seat, as expected, but they ar good and efficient. Fingers crossed for Hastings. sylviaeashby@gmail.com