[satnav]

I think he was a Corbyn supporter for a while but he left Labour after being investigated over allegations of racism. I don't think he has any firm principles he just says what he thinks will play well with the electorate at any given time.

I think Anderson joining Reform might actually backfire on the Reform party because they are trying to position themselves as an alternative to the Tories and Labour, but if a lot of their candidates turn out to be former Tories it makes it a lot harder to portray the party as a clear alternative to the current status quo.

GB News is increasingly looking like the Reform Party TV which is not good news for the Tories who were probably relying on the channel to run plenty of smear storis against Labour in the run up to the election.

[Crabcakes]

Lee Anderson ‘biography’

1. Had some opinions, decided he knew best so thought he’d get into politics to tell people how to live their lives proper
2. Is working class, so without checking (because he’s a lazy, arrogant twat), he assumed Labour would have him and be his fast track to bossing people about. At this stage - as there wasn’t much evidence of what a shit he was in the public domain, and he’s clearly not above being a suck-up if he reckons he’ll benefit - they regrettably let him in
3. Throws his weight around, acts like a shit, bails before he is booted, joins the Tories
4. Throws his weight around, acts like a shit, gets used but is too stupid to realise/too greedy to care as he quite likes the
5. Pushes his luck, gets turfed out
6. An even bigger cunt with a lot of money spends 0.5 seconds persuading Lee to defect in exchange for some cash, continued attention from the media and the opportunity to continue to gob off. This relationship will last precisely as long as Lee remains an MP before his usefulness is expended - but again, he’s too stupid/greedy to care and REALLY needs to tell everyone about what a colossal turd he is.
7. In some years time, he’ll be found in the corner of a local pub pestering anyone who talks about their life within earshot with an ‘I was an MP you know, man and boy. Hardest job in the world it was.’ routine.

[Tubby Isaacs]

There've always been "local characters". socially conservative people who want to nationalise the Commanding Heights. Maybe that was Lee, and Corbyn persuaded him he wasn't "left on the economy" at all. It's odd that he didn't join UKIP before Corbyn was leader, but I suppose the tipping point can come at any time.

So the break with Labour might have been sincere (if utterly nasty). After that, he's a man looking for a role, first with Ashfield Independents, then the local Tories. Even then, Lee probably just expected a seat on the council and some local attention, and when made candidate may not have even expected to win. I don't particularly have memories of him as a new MP. I think it's GB News that alerts Lee to grifting opportunities. Incompetent Sunak promotes him. And here we all are.

[kreuzberger]

'bout time he found himself demoted to the Other Political Discussion section. He would have the likes of Carswell to keep him company, were it not for the Great Fire.

[satnav]

I live about 10 miles away from Lee Anderson's constituency and from what I know about the area I think he probably does have a better chance of holding the seat as a Reform candidate than as a Tory.

Sutton in Ashfield used to be a very vibrant town with lots of good shops etc. But over the last 30 years it has been in terminal decline. It had very close links to the mining industry and the hosiery industry but with all the pits and clothes factories closing the town has gone downhill of late.

During the miners strike most of the local miners like Lee joined the UDM so they continued to work while most other miners went on strike. Many locals might vote for Anderson to stick up two fingers to the establishment.

What is quite funny is the fact that Anderson bangs on about immigration because it doesn't really seem to be much of an issue in Sutton in Ashfield. Because of the loss of jobs in the area in the last 30 years the area has not been particularly attractive to migrants coming to the country looking for work. There are no big hotels in the town so migrants have not been placed in the town.

A vox pop by Channel 4 News this evening seemed to split 50/50 with half the respondents saying they would vote for Lee regardless of which party belonged to with the other half saying they would never vote for him. If it becomes a three horse race between Labour, Conservatives and Reform he could scrape home with around 34% of the vote.

[davidjay]

Is there anyone better versed in Anderson’s personal history who knows whether he was always like this? I know he took the ‘I have supported Labour all my life, but under the dread regime of Comrade Jeremy, Fount of All Evil and Father of All Lies, I find that I can no longer in good conscience…’ route to defection, but nothing he’s said since suggests that he should have been any more comfortable under Milliband. Or Brown. Or Blair for that matter. I’m not naive enough to believe that reactionary Labour members don’t exist, but was it simply a case of him not being important enough for anyone to notice?

He's an Old Labouresque bigot of the sort that operated colour bars at workplaces and social clubs until it became illegal, turned Tory once he bought his council house and has spent the past forty years moaning about immigrants, lefties and how his mate Chalky at work loved Alf Garnett.

[Killer Whale]

What is quite funny is the fact that Anderson bangs on about immigration because it doesn't really seem to be much of an issue in Sutton in Ashfield. Because of the loss of jobs in the area in the last 30 years the area has not been particularly attractive to migrants coming to the country looking for work. There are no big hotels in the town so migrants have not been placed in the town.

Historically, it's the working class areas with little immigration that have been the most fertile for the far right. The thought of 'them' always so much worse than the reality.

[Tubby Isaacs]

That's true of UKIP, but back in the day some of the worst NF-BNP areas had a fair amount of immigration. East London, most obviously.

[Andy McDandy]

Reason why integration is the key. It's harder to hate someone as a stereotype when you get to know them as a person. Or as filmmaker John Waters suggested, send prejudiced people travelling. They'll either have their horizons expanded, or, you know, natural selection.

[Youngian]

That's true of UKIP, but back in the day some of the worst NF-BNP areas had a fair amount of immigration. East London, most obviously.

BNP gained councillors in leafy Epping and Broxbourne. Don’t want them following us out here.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Epping Forest borough, but I think it was the non-leafy part, Debden/Loughton.

[Crabcakes]

What is quite funny is the fact that Anderson bangs on about immigration because it doesn't really seem to be much of an issue in Sutton in Ashfield. Because of the loss of jobs in the area in the last 30 years the area has not been particularly attractive to migrants coming to the country looking for work. There are no big hotels in the town so migrants have not been placed in the town.

Historically, it's the working class areas with little immigration that have been the most fertile for the far right. The thought of 'them' always so much worse than the reality.

If you have very little to start with, it’s very easy for manipulative types with ulterior motives to scare you into thinking a boogeyman is coming to take what little you do have away, and very likely that many people in the group feel angry and powerless.

The appeal of the far right outside of directly aligning with bigots has always been a quick fix to get YOU off the bottom rung rather than longer, harder fixes to society to make everyone better off in the long term. But the quick fix is at the expense of someone else. Usually someone with different coloured skin.

[Killer Whale]

That's true of UKIP, but back in the day some of the worst NF-BNP areas had a fair amount of immigration. East London, most obviously.

Even there, my experience (lived both sides of the river during the 80s) was that the strongholds were the still white areas of Canning Town and Millwall. The much more diverse New Cross/Lewisham united and kicked the National Front's arses in 1977.

[Bones McCoy]

Epping Forest borough, but I think it was the non-leafy part, Debden/Loughton.

I attest that the Debden skins were no laughing matter.
The only thing they were good for was my 100 metres time.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Even there, my experience (lived both sides of the river during the 80s) was that the strongholds were the still white areas of Canning Town and Millwall. The much more diverse New Cross/Lewisham united and kicked the National Front's arses in 1977.

Millwall is very near to other places that were diverse though- Shadwell is only 2.5 miles away, which wasn't far even pre-Docklands transport improvements. Talking of which, one of the things that helped kick off the election of Derek Beackon in 1993 was rehousing Bangladeshis on the Isle of Dogs after their homes had been demolished for the Limehouse Link road. I can remember an old Eastender on Newsnight saying that Asians were getting the new houses. There was a reason for that.

[mattomac]

You have to throw Ashfield Indies in any election campaign.

A voxpop that is 50/50 is probably bad news for him.

Anyhow he seemed to work for the CAB before he was a councillor

[Andy McDandy]

You sure that's worked for and not drove?

[Abernathy]

I see 30p was cosied up next to the Twat in the Hat on the opposition back benches at PMQs today.

[Youngian]

Lovely couple

[Bones McCoy]

When you shave one bollock.
Then the doorbell rings before you've done the other.