Election day is normally a time when voters get to make their voices heard. In Clacton, England, however, voters were denied that chance in the by-election that saw Member of Parliament (MP) Nigel Farage win re-election in a landslide. The other major parties refused to run candidates, dismissing the by-election as a political ploy. By refusing to stand in the by-election, Britain’s political parties are failing to provide voters a choice and missing an opportunity to pressure a political adversary.
The impetus for the Clacton by-election stems from a £5 million gift to Farage from a Thailand-based crypto-millionaire. While he claims nothing untoward happened, many of his colleagues in the House of Commons weren’t so sure. Feeling the heat of an impending investigation over the gift, Farage instead resigned his seat in Parliament, thus forcing a by-election. By Farage’s reasoning, if his constituents think he’s corrupt, let them decide whether or not he should remain an MP.
The other parties, primarily the Conservatives and Labor, refused to participate in what they viewed as a cynical political move by Nigel Farage. In their view, Farage would be such a favorite in the election that leaving his guilt or innocence up to voters who overwhelmingly elected him to begin with is an insult to the justice system. Better to ignore the election and subject Farage to the investigation that would have happened anyway.
Indeed, it’s hard to see what Nigel Farage gains from his victory. The ethics investigation into his gift will be waiting when he gets back to Westminster. In addition, because he faced no legitimate challenger, Farage gained little politically from his victory. In summary, Farage neither cleared his name nor can he claim victory over the Conservative and Labour Parties.
As expected, Nigel Farage won re-election in a landslide. Farage won more than 60% of the vote; his closest competitor was Count Binface, who finished with just over 20%. Who is Count Binface, you may be asking? He’s a perennial joke candidate, donning a cape, armor, and a trashcan over his head. He runs in elections as a protest against mainstream politicians. His finish in the Clacton by-election is his best showing so far, demonstrating the desire for real competition in Clacton.
Although Farage’s political adversaries will still investigate him, they made a mistake by not running candidates in the by-election. For starters, while the major parties say they want to hold Farage accountable, they sure missed an opportunity to do so. For someone running against no serious opposition, almost 40% of the electorate voted for someone other than Nigel Farage. Including almost 10,000 who voted for a trashcan.
Both the Conservative and Labour Parties had something to gain by contesting the seat. For the Tories, unseating Farage removes the leader of their biggest rival for right-wing voters. For Labour, it offers the chance to take out their most notable opponent. Even forming a temporary alliance between the two would have achieved these goals. Instead, they squandered this opportunity.
More fundamentally, both the Tories and Labour denied the people of Clacton a real choice in the election. Elections are a way for the voting public to make their will known about how they want the government to govern. Political parties exist to offer people different choices in governing philosophy. By refusing to stand candidates in the by-election, the other parties failed in their duty to give voters a choice.
Nigel Farage called the by-election to serve as a public referendum on his guilt on corruption charges. While the legal ramifications will still play out, the other political parties missed a chance to make Farage pay a political price. Going forward, the other parties need to remember that their first duty is to serve the voters' needs. Refusing to stand in elections, even those called for cynical reasons, is doing the opposite.
