Is the Brighton Politics Blogger becoming the Darling of the Tory Right? Perhaps not.

What a reaction there has been to two recent posts about young Conservative hopefuls, Robert Nemeth and Rachael Bates.  I think that, in spite of my fundamental disagreement with the politics of Nemeth and Bates, I seem to becoming something of  ‘the Darling’ of the Conservative right!

Rachael herself has taken me to task for failing to mention that Robert Nemeth is a Conservative candidate in Withdean where he “has been running a solid campaign there for months now.  Paragraphs and paragraphs could be written about Robert … but perhaps the best story that I know about him was the time when he chased and successfully caught a thief on a bike who had tried stealing his phone. I wouldn’t have wanted to be that guy on the bike!”  So there we have it, Momma Grizzly and Batman, one in Hollingdean and Stanmer, the other in Withdean.  What can the people of the Brighton Metropolis have to fear.

Lionel Crabb says we should forget about Batman’s membership of the Sir Winston Churchill 50 Dining Club, suggesting that Mr Nemeth is also a member of the exclusive Bilderberg Group.  I personally find that improbable given the exclusive nature of this exclusive club.  Perhaps Robert will let us know.

‘Clive’ has been doing some digging on Robert Nemeth. He quotes from Robert’s Latest Homes column: “I bought my first property over ten years ago as a student back when property was actually affordable.”  That prompted this response from Clive: “Property was a lot cheaper in the late 90s but nonetheless, but even the smallest flat in B&H was still beyond the sole means of most students. Which reinforces the notion that these people live very different lives to most of the rest of us.  Apparently he gets paid absolute peanuts for that Latest Homes column too – again, a luxury that most people who make a living by writing could not afford”.

When it comes to Rachael Bates, support for her and her right wing views have poured in.  ‘NG’ takes me to task: “Your rather childish attack on Rachael Bates doesn’t really enhance your reputation does it?”  (I didn’t think I had a reputation worth enhancing!  Have a look at what people say about this blog!)  NG continues that Hollingdean and Stanmer “does have a problem with parking and travellers. Isn’t she right to highlight this?”  And finally, NG asks: “Come on BPB you can surely raise your game a bit.”  If I was to raise my game, become erudite, I would lose the majority of my readers who seem to like, or at react against, the personal nature of this blog.

HP offers Rachael the hand of friendship, or the hand of something …  Judge for yourself: “Speaking as a H&S voter myself, I say she can certainly have my vote…..  She’ll just need to come and take it from my cold dead hand.  Seriously though, is there anything worse than a young conservative? It borders on being creepy, like being a young born-again christian. I believe I’m right in thinking that all young male tories grow up to be Michael Gove – is that really the future they want for themselves????”  But he is wrong about Michael Gove, as William Prothero reminds us, “At university, Gove was in the Labour party!”  And it is worth remembering that Ed Balls is rumoured (according to Wikipedia) to have been, for a very short while, a member of the Oxford University Conservative Association.

A particularly disturbing (should it be disturbed) comment comes from a website calling itself  keeptonyblairforpm which says: “Rachael is some smart girl as regards Tony Blair, and no, she is not one of a kind.  Tony Blair was, is the most inspirational leader this country has had for decades. A pity so many in the mainstrem press don’t like him – for one reason or another.”  I just don’t get it myself.  It’s like putting pins into your eyeballs.  Some people just don’t get the enjoyment you can get from bleeding eyeballs. 

Finally ‘Nick’ rejects my criticism of Rachael’s apparent lack of vision for Hollingdean and Stanmer and her obsession about seeing the Council Tax in Brighton and Hove becoming amongst the lowest in the country. “Isn’t it possible to make “Brighton & Hove’s council tax one of the lowest in the country” at the same time as making it a “better, fairer place to live”?  I doubt it, but let me know what you think.

And finally finally!  Dan Wilson, fast becoming the Beast of Regency, springs gazzelle like to the defence of the Legend that is Brian Fitch in response to my comment about the oft deselected former councillor:  “to be selected so many times! Such love! And he in like Flynn once more. A true fighter. Not a “gap year” councillor like so many Greenos who chuck it in after one term.”  All together, now Ooooooh.  Cutting.  The Beast says: “Brian Fitch is a legend and much loved by Labour people. I would happily join a fan club.”  Please form an orderly queue behind Dan Wilson.