David Cracknell, the former political editor of the Sunday Times, is now based in Rye. Rye News asked him for his take on the general election in Rye – or what he could find of it.
In recent weeks I have been wondering if there really is an election going on at all in this (very marginal) seat, first created in 1983 and proven itself a two-way marginal ever since.
I wouldn’t bet on it. (And not because I am worried about the Gambling Commission finding out!)
I certainly looked for inside information. Yes there are the placards, but where are the people with leaflets? Is anyone knocking on doors? I wonder as I walk down the High Street on a sunny June lunchtime, mid campaign. Is kissing babies no longer allowed?
I asked in the shops, asked a few people if they had seen any activity. “No, no one’s been in,” said the woman behind the deli counter. I asked my hairdresser. “Nope, not a snip,” she replied.
I received a text; but not from anyone who wanted to couple up politically. No, it was from Southern Water telling me to expect disruption to the mains supply. A local issue! Excellent. Perhaps there will be some election argle-bargle over it.
Let’s turn to social media.
I was told it was the Tik Tok election, but all I found under the hashtag was a video with tourist tips and a bloke who was going on random train journeys around the UK.
The sitting MP hasn’t given an X to her 7,000 followers since May, while the Labour candidate has been reposting a lot of central PR memes and wishing England well in the Euros to her 3,800 followers. (To be fair both do claim to have been doing their bit to improve water supplies in the local area.)
I am told that the Tories have been putting money into Facebook, and Labour has certainly revived the placard.
I found a few debates on Facebook and Next Door apps alongside the ads for plumbers and handymen.
Remember Worcester Woman, Basildon Man, Mondeo Man, all ciphers for Middle England flavours? We as a marginal seat deserve our own set of appellations.
Well, the real battle for Hastings and Rye, it turns out, is between reasonable Icklesham Man and the Beckley Faragists.
Rob from Icklesham fairly innocently noted the amount of Labour banners, and a few Lib Dems, but not much else. “Is it a shoe-in?” he asked. Bloomin’ good question, Rob!
Rob later sagely commented that perhaps the Conservatives were “too ashamed” because of the gaffes over D-Day. And this was before this week’s betting scandal.
Of course his post provoked a tirade of contributions, but at least we had some debate – of a kind. Nearly 200 reactions and counting, although still not much about local issues.
A contributor from Rye suggested Tory voters were “too scared” to put their posters out, which prompted “Beckley Man” to declare he was voting for Reform. which inevitably opened the flood gates.
Words were exchanged and someone called Tarquin didn’t like Reform. Accusations and phrases were knocked into the box at quick pace like a (non- England) Euros match: “literally Neo Nazis”, “extremism on the rise”, “the party of common sense”.
Beckley Man stood his ground, perhaps looking to prove he was the real opposition now.
Others point out that the country needs immigrants to do all the jobs British people aren’t prepared to do anymore, like serving the tourists in the tea shops and restaurants of Rye.
“The Greens did well in the locals, why can’t they keep up the momentum?!” said another.
“They are all the same, only interested in themselves.”
This, then, is what a modern election campaign looks like.
There are real local issues in the town. I wanted some proper mature debate about them. Let’s hope the arrival of former Undertones frontman turned sewage campaigner Feargal Sharkey with Labour in Hastings on Thursday, and the forthcoming Rye hustings provide that.
Disclaimer – the writer does accept that some people in Beckley are not supporters of Reform.
Image Credits: James Stewart .
Fascinating. I was thinking the same about the lack of canvassers from all parties except the Conservatives. I’ve seen Sally-Ann Hart, our MP twice in the town. She has been around and about quite a bit. She knocked on my door and has engaged with a lot of other people I know too.
Just pointing out that ‘Beckley Faragists’ will have zero effect on the election result in Hastings and Rye as Beckley is in the Bexhill and Battle constituency.
We’ve had both a door knock and a person with leaflets, more than once, all Labour. I’ve seen Sally-Ann in the Citadel, but the Tories never seem to get to my side of the tracks, the bit of Rye where most people actually live (needs a name: the West Side? The Flood Plain?)
I agree with you, Mr Cracknell, that we could do with some mature debate about the issues, but experience has shown me that a mature comment on any Rye social media (including Rye News) tends to draw a barrage of rather less mature rejoinders, although I’ll admit the RN moderation has improved of late. I have hopes for the hustings but they are faint hopes, given the event is competing with the play and the opera. I’d like to see more of Mr Cracknell’s take on Rye politics, please.
Sally-Ann Hart is the only candidate we have seen. Perhaps she is the only one who really cares about her constituents in Rye.
To be fair to all candidates, they have huge areas to cover for canvassing. However, I have found that most of the leaflets through the door to be quite basic, with one exception, this was for the Liberal Democrats candidate, Guy Harris, which was extremely informative and worth a careful read. It gives a comprehensive interview and some of the Liberal Democrats policies, clearly set out. Their vision is clear and fair for all.
Yes, I agree with Sandra Sarkies. The Lib Dem leaflet was well set out and listed the Liberal Democrat policies very well. So well, that I realised I most definitely would NOT want to vote for them!
Beckley-Man might start by realising his choice of candidates are in the Battle & Bexhill constituency and always have been!
I think in part this election campaign reflects the dissemination of our ‘news’ across so many media platforms. A facebook user might well feel that Sally Ann Hart has had a very active campaign, an instagram user might feel similarly about Helena Dollimore or Guy Harris.
Rye Chamber of Commerce approached all 8 candidates with a list of ten questions about the issues most challenging businesses in our town and have received responses from 6 – you can find a link to those answers in full on my piece in this week’s Rye News ‘Talking Business’.
No offence intended but I wasn’t sure if this was a tongue in cheek observation or a serious piece of journalism. It touches on the arrogant but again, no offence intended. We have received leaflets from candidates from all the parties including the Communists but not the Conservatives. One of our Labour councillors has been knocking on doors and talking to people about Helena Dollimore as well as being on the High Street several times. Ms Dollimore has been in Rye several times as has Guy Harris, the Lib-Dem candidate. I have also never seen so many Labour window posters or placards, all indicating interest in this election. There are also many hustings across the constituency in which to hear directly from the candidates.
There’s nothing that gets me more cross than when I hear the comment “They’re all the same”. Clearly ‘they’ are not, for one, they stand under different party banners. If only the electorate could rouse themselves to read the literature. Further, they are people willing to do a high pressured job, on our behalf, knowing they will be scrutinised, criticised and abused for doing so. Every leaflet I have seen has contact details on it – so rather than wait for the door knock – get on the phone and speak to the people who are prepared to speak up for you and then do them the service of putting an X in your chosen box.
Looks like a good, well balanced and interesting report to me!
It’s not an easy balance to strike, I recall months before the election was called canvassing locally regularly and Labour have certainly been out and about, in fact very quickly after the election was announced we were joined by many volunteers and called on every area of Rye and Winchelsea. Equally we don’t want to swamp people with too much attention!
I will be canvassing all day again today with some amazing volunteers from Labour but also some who aren’t members of any party who give up their time to help this fantastic democratic process and genuinely listen to what matters to residents of our corner of the constituency. Helena has been to Rye frequently of course, not just in this campaign but regularly before that. We have the Rye Hustings tonight and I’m really looking forward to witnessing another aspect of our local democratic process.
Personally, I would have really liked to see other candidates in town but, unfortunately, I have just seen one, so I cannot comment on the others. I like to discuss and engage face to face with would-be MPs to see who would be most appropriate for the good of our town. It is not the same attending the hustings as having a personal interaction.
One quick anecdote about Sally-Ann who was in Tillingham Avenue on a rare rainy day. I asked her if she was going to take up being a solicitor again or had she got something else lined up? Optimistic to the last she said ‘Why would I, we’re going to win!’
Visibility and interaction during the election depends on time, alas. One of the many flaws in our broken system includes the absolute impossibility of most people ever having the time or resources to stand – though they might make brilliant representatives: I can think of many in Rye! If you have kids, work, financial, family or care obligations, it’s almost impossible to participate as a candidate in an election. And that further limits our political representation. I wish I could speak to every voter but I can’t, least of all in six weeks. Social media (@Guy_Harris_LibDem) helps a small party compete with the Westminster machines, but it’s still a David and Goliath scenario. As for the hustings, it’s purely a public spectacle, frankly, and often the advice is not to attend bcs there’s more to lose than to gain. Moreover, it takes an awful lot of prep time to be able to slickly disgorge the political marketing-speak. Which, ironically, turns most people off, bcs the better you are at it, the less sincere you sound…
Do we ever need change…