Conservative/UKIP/Goldsmith Beaten by People Power in Richmond as Liberal Democrats Win the Seat
December 2, 2016 10:05 PM
In an unusual Parliamentary by-election
- where the sitting Tory MP resigned to fight as an independent,
- where the Tories (wisely) did not dare to stand against their rebel,
- where UKIP failed to stand at all but the man who bankrolls them supported the maverick ex-Tory candidate,
- where the Labour Party was eclipsed and lost its deposit,
- where the Greens strategically supported the Liberal Democrats,
The newly elected Liberal Democrat MP, Sarah Olney said in the early hours of this morning,"A year and a half ago I wasn't involved in politics, I wasn't a member of a political party, I had never been involved in a political campaign, I had never thought about being a politician....But I knew I was a liberal.
The people of Richmond Park and North Kingston have sent a shockwave through this Conservative Brexit government, and our message is clear - we do not want a hard Brexit.
We do not want to be pulled out of the single market, and we will not let intolerance, division and fear win."
Lib Dem County Councillor for Tring, Nick Hollinghurst, congratulated Sarah Olney, saying,
"This was a well deserved win for a local campaigner in touch with local people."
"Zac Goldsmith clearly made two wrong calls. From my limited canvassing in Richmond two things were clear. First, Heathrow was not a clear-cut issue for most people. Second, a great number thoroughly hated the idea of Brexit. They rejected the sheer cost and waste of leaving the EU - the largest free trade bloc in the world - but also the isolation and the breaking of ties of culture and friendship with our near neighbours that goes with it."
He concluded, "This was as much a victory for people power as it was for us - support poured in from all sides. Certainly this was a verdict on Brexit, but there is great resentment at the way Theresa May's clique of eccentrics exploited the referendum to take over the government. This is a turning point - the decent people of Britain are realising that they must take back control of our politics from the weird rightwingers who are debauching our currency and selling us into the hands of a trio of superpowers who just cannot believe their luck."
