Anyone think houchen will get back in?

JackG said:
His FB page has minimal engagement. This is where he'll lose it - people don't know who he is.
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You're probably right, but I'm sure it was similar on Houchen's page in 2017, he was a 30 year old Yarm councillor, largely voted in because of a backlash towards Labour and a 21% turnout, he's been mayor for 7 years now.

He's bound to have a much higher profile and engagement than a new candidate who's also "only" a Councillor.
 
I don't follow.any of them but there's not a few hours goes by where I don't see something from Houchen on my Facebook feed shared through other accounts.
 
I doubt many in opposition to Houchen will attempt to use Facebook much in campaigning. Houchen's "followers" will just spend their entire time slinging mud at it and bringing any debate down to the bottom of the barrel they like to scrape.
 
Unrelated to the election, but I've just found out that Ben Houchen's uncle scored for Coventry in their 1987 FA Cup final win, watched his goal at half time of the football today.

A Coventry fan was showing me his match ticket for the final the other day, I didn't even realise one of the goalscorers was from Middlesbrough or that he was related to Ben Houchen, the final was over 5 years before I was born, I'll mention that to him when I next see him.
 
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TeaCider said:
Unrelated to the election, but I've just found out that Ben Houchen's uncle scored for Coventry in their 1987 FA Cup final win, watched his goal at half time of the football today.

A Coventry fan was showing me his match ticket for the final the other day, I didn't even realise one of the goalscorers was from Middlesbrough or that he was related to Ben Houchen, the final was over 5 years before I was born, I'll mention that to him when I next see him.
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I played against Keith Houchen at St Mary’s College in the 1970s. He was a year younger than me but about 6 inches taller. His older brother, Dennis, played for our football team.
 
m3t4tr0n said:
It usually is, Tories typically turn out ☹️ ... Absolute madness anyone would even consider thinking yeah, absolutely, he's got my vote, he's the one I can relate to and trust 🙄
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I can't believe you're surprised. The dodgy f##ker is brilliant at self promotion, has had the Prime Minister in the area several times and makes out he's working hard for the area. Most people don't look at the detail unfortunately.

But if someone wants to challenge then they need to play the game and accept that, rather than being angry people don't take much notice beyond the headlines.

I don't like it one bit. Especially the way he seems to have some local press in his pocket, but you either adapt or you get walked over.

I hope when Labour get in, that they deliver some form of Leveson. The rotten press we have are pernicious and disgusting.
 
Teesside got to the point after the steelworks disappeared that it had nothing to lose anymore so started to be adventurous about who it was voting for and embraced those who were promising investment like Johnson and Houchen and excusing the corruption by saying ‘well they are all corrupt aren’t they?’
 
TeaCider said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1781625502618226937

Not specific to Houchen, and he's trying to distance himself from the Conservatives, but that's promising for the coming General Election.

Houchen is retaining a lot more of the previous vote compared to the party itself.
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Just looking at that poll, the greens are not even standing.

Just had my postal vote through, the options are for the tees valley:

1. Labour
2. Tory
3. Lib Dem
 
Tomorrow is the last day when you can get a proxy vote if you are going to be away from home. You can do it all online and it just takes a few minutes to sort.
 
Redlips said:
Just looking at that poll, the greens are not even standing.

Just had my postal vote through, the options are for the tees valley:

1. Labour
2. Tory
3. Lib Dem
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It's a poll for a hypothetical general election, not the mayoral election.
 
Hopefully those who have been duped by Huchen or those who cannot join the dots, at least understand that the Tories have next to zero chance of winning a general election. From that, it makes absolutely zero sense to have a Tory mayor with a Labour PM, and Labour MP's. He just will not get the same support or lying on his behalf from Labour, and why should they when they can back other areas which have the sense to vote in Labour mayors or other representatives. He'll be off down London literally lording it up more than he's here.

Sure, the airport is quite good, it's really quick going through security and easy parking, but it's just not attracting the airlines or the passenger numbers, it must be losing a fortune, at a time when there is no spare cash for things which lose money. I just don't see how this is ever going to work long term, it never even worked when it had everything going for it.

Sure, it's great that Teesworks will create some jobs, I don't believe it will meet the quoted numbers but anything is better than nothing, but the way the deal was done was terrible business for the local area financially, never mind what the UK government chipped in, but fair play on him getting them to chip in. The would have chipped in on something anyway mind, as they need votes in the area and they've took the **** for 14 years too long.

Chasing steelmaking again is F***ing stupid idea, we're never going to be able to compete on cost with foreign steel. That industry has been and gone in the UK and things don't last forever, it's always in cycles, we need to be looking for what is coming next. At least we're doing that with some of the Teesworks plans, but a lot of them are still plans. Plans are doing a lot of heavy lifting at the minute.

I think he's still going to win and we're going to see another painful example of you will reap what you sow. It's going to be another expensive lesson I think, and I can see a lot of "I told you so's" needing to be said in the next decade or so, which Labour will probably be running the country for.

Half of the reason Huchen got in was because the area was left to rot by the Tories, when they didn't want to help any of the local Labour leaders, which most people stupidly blame on the labour leaders who had their hands tied and pockets emptied. If he does get in I kind of want Labour to give him a bit of an easy ride and help him out, as he's incredibly naïve, either that or get him kicked out for corruption or gross negligence.
 
This is the dangerous thing:
1713884362472.png

That's from 2021 voters, and they will likely all be voting again.

Last time he got 73%, and 75% of that is 55%, that's enough to win.....I think that's how to extrapolate from that. A lot of don't knows there also, beware the secret Tory.

Just got to hope his voters have got less conviction this time, and those against have more conviction to vote against him, and vote against him tactically.

Seems a bit of a tall order that.
 
Andy_W said:
Hopefully those who have been duped by Huchen or those who cannot join the dots, at least understand that the Tories have next to zero chance of winning a general election. From that, it makes absolutely zero sense to have a Tory mayor with a Labour PM, and Labour MP's. He just will not get the same support or lying on his behalf from Labour, and why should they when they can back other areas which have the sense to vote in Labour mayors or other representatives. He'll be off down London literally lording it up more than he's here.
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If they have already been conned by Houchen, there is zero chance they'll have the cognitive capacity to work this out.
 
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