Harold Wilson was bang on the money when he declared that a week is a long time in politics.

No sooner had UKIP leader Paul Nuttall announced his intention to stand for the Boston and Skegness Westminster seat – thought by many because it would provide the most likely shoo-in given that the constituency produced the highest vote for Brexit in the country – than UKIP councillors in Lincolnshire were wiped from the face of the earth.

Closing day for nominations for the 8^th June election was last Thursday – and for once, Boston Borough Council displayed it promptly and with some prominence after almost ignoring the county council elections – and we have a  sextet of candidates to choose from. They are:

• Mike Gilbert – a former Conservative Boston Borough councillor and cabinet member who has set up his own political party named Blue Revolution which seeks to enable as many people as possible from as wide a variety of backgrounds as possible to stand for elections at every administrative level from Parish to Parliament so long as they endorse the party’s “core values” and five manifesto pledges.
• Paul Kenny – Labour’s “never say die” candidate, now fighting his fourth consecutive general election.
• Paul Nuttall – MEP for North West England, and leader of UKIP – although  he stood for the Conservatives in a council election in Sefton in 2004. Despite the rumpus over living in the constituency when he stood for Stoke on Trent in February, his address appears as “in the Congleton constituency.” He has been quoted as saying: "Will I be staying in the constituency? Probably at some point, yeah.”
• Victoria Percival is standing for the Green Party for the second consecutive election.
• Phil Smith is the candidate for the Liberal Democrats. He runs a business in Ashfield, Notts and took fourth place in the 2015 general election battle for Ashfield.
• Last but not least we have Matt Warman, who was elected as Conservative MP in 2015 replacing the not-much-missed Mark Simmonds is seeking re-election.

And before anyone starts moaning about Mr Warman being placed “last” – the list is in alphabetical order. We say that because the local Tories apparently started bitching at the Boston sub-Standard for putting the photo of Blue Revolution’s Mike Gilbert top in a list with Matt Warman second. Again, the parties were listed alphabetically. We note that the final list on the Bs-S draws attention to the fact – presumably to deflect any more whining.

Talking of Mr Warman, students of political funding may be interested to know that at the weekend, his Crowdfunder appeal for £5,000 “to keep Boston Conservative” stood at £710 from eight supporters  ... which must be very disappointing with so little time left to election day. 

Having said that we would have thought that someone who for the past two years has been paid the very thick end of £75,000 a year plus expenses might have planned ahead a little better and put some of his own dosh aside as a war chest for a rainy election day. 
As it is, Mr Warman set the crowdfunding ball rolling on 29^th April with a stonking £50 starter ... just 1% of the total needed. There are now less than three weeks to go to meet the target –  but who knows ... miracles have been known to happen!

***

Despite a 4,336 majority over UKIP in 2015 Boston and Skegness has more than once been described as marginal in the run up to 8^th June – including by Mr Warman’s former masters at the Daily Telegraph.

 

But the closest we came to parting company with the Tories was in 2001, when Mark Simmonds’s victory coincided with the second Labour landslide and he squeaked home with a majority of just 515 over Labour rival Elaine Bird.

Now that’s what we call marginal!

***

At least choice will be easier this time around – with only six candidates to choose from – instead of the horde that threw their chapeaux into the ring two years ago.

The extras last time comprised an Independent, a BNP, an Independence from Europe, and our then local equivalent of the Monster Raving Loonies … the Pilgrim Party.

We were going to say that our MP for more than thirty years between 1966 and 1997 – Sir Richard Body – would be turning in his grave at some of the recent candidates … but for the fact that the old gent  (pictured left) will be 90 years old on Thursday. We wish him many happy returns … but doubt that parliament will be among them!

*** 

Mr Nuttall’s arrival in Wainfleet just after the local elections prompted coverage in the Guardian to declare “Paul Nuttall struggles to galvanise UKIP in former stronghold” and quoted Boston Councillor Brian Rush “the incoming UKIP mayor” as “scathing – not just about Nuttall’s leadership but the direction of the party itself – quoting him thus: “I think there is no connection between the grassroots of the party and its leadership.

“Paul Nuttall, as far as I am concerned, was a bad choice as leader. He already failed to get elected in Stoke-on-Trent. His presence is not good.”

Councillor Rush told Boston Eye: “The call from the Guardian was unexpected, and as I think might be clear from my 'quote', was possibly not exactly what I thought I had stated, but hey ho, I am not going to worry too much about that.

“However the reporter seemed to me to be chasing an opinion on whether or not I thought UKIP had completed its mission, despite the catastrophic showing in Boston and nationally so to speak.

“I believe the first part of the question was partially answered, and the second part will most surely be addressed, by the outcome of the forthcoming General Election ...

“However, no matter what that outcome is, I am not very confident that it will be positive. UKIP must, at the very least, be applauded for getting us all thus far.

There is no doubt in my mind however that Farage was our sacred as well as our 'secret' weapon!

“No-one ever even came close to challenging his audacious performances, and not even battle hardened politicians could match his gift of singlehandedly standing up to the EU.

“No one will have cheered and thumped the air with more vigour than I every time his eloquent, fearless exposé of the expansionist ideals, of what were, and indeed still are, the financial basket cases of France, Italy and many others!

It is not for the likes of me, to pontificate about who or why it was that the election was lost.

“It is beyond question, that this 'election' was earned by, and belonged to, UKIP.

From the moment the result of the referendum was known, UKIP had won.

“But ... if there is a lesson to be learnt here, it is this.

UKIP, under Nigel Farage was an almost lone protesting voice in Europe. It was he who slammed shut the doors of the UK against the closed Euro-politics and flung open our own doors to the rest of the world both locally and nationally.

“It has given the common man, and woman, a tiny taste of democracy in action, and the two former main protagonists will never again dare to be so politically complacent.

“In truth of course, there is little, if anything, for UKIP councillors to do now ... and frankly most were elected because only they offered a way out of Europe.   

“So like it or not, the referendum victory in June may well have rung the final bell for UKIP and its councillors, but Nigel Farage has booked his place in British political history, and in my opinion should be honoured for that at least.”

***

We must agree that Nigel Farage has earned his place in the history books.

But so has councillor Rush.

When he is elected Boston Borough Council Mayor at tonight’s full council meeting, he may well become the first UKIP mayor in the country – and possibly the last!

***

Last week’s Boston Eye coverage of the County Council election results prompted more than one comment.

Regular reader Robin wrote in to say: “Thank you, I now know who my new Boston West councillor is and where to find her if required, at flipping Langrick.

“Out of the five candidates standing only one sent any leaflets and she was not the one.

“How do these buffoons expect us to vote for them without any information to make a choice? Perhaps by telepathy?

***

And former Independent councillor Carol Taylor e-mailed: “As usual NBE, spot on with this week’s blog.

“I understand exactly what you mean by people voting for political parties rather than an independent candidate. When I left the Blueys to become just that, I worked really hard to address my ward issues.

“But it meant nothing when in 2015 I was voted out in favour of two UKIP candidates.

“Whilst I was canvassing, one chap said "I'm going to vote for Neil Farangle" he meant Nigel Farage.

“I told him that this wasn't a general but a local election, and. he then replied: ‘mark my words, Neil will be prime minister this time tomorrow.’’

“In the 2017 elections I was bitterly disappointed to see Paul Skinner elected but I was glad to see Mike Brookes and Aaron Spencer get in – the former because of his experience and the fact he is a really nice bloke and the latter because I think Aaron improves with age and is a potential future parliamentary candidate.

“The sad thing was seeing Peter Bedford only get 300-plus votes.

“Whatever our opinions of him, he deserved more.

“Peter and I never got along, but he gave me many opportunities which I chose to relinquish in favour of independence – not like the Austins who are not Independent and agreed to vote with the blueys to keep chairmanships of committees  … just like Paul Gleeson, whose decision saddened me most of all.

“One thing I did learn as a councillor was just how disingenuous so many councillors were.”

***

Meanwhile, what ought to be a dilemma for our newly-returned Boston county councillors has presented itself at an early stage.

In a victory interview during the wee small hours of the Friday morning after the Lincolnshire County Council elections, leader Martin Hill was asked to identify his key targets for the coming four years in power.

Top of the list were health and social issues – immediately followed by “big ambitions” for new roads  ... specifically a “new coastal highway from Lincoln to Skegness.”

Excuse us?  The present and historic holiday pattern for visiting Skegness has been by holidaymakers coming from Derby, Leicester and Nottingham – using the more direct route via Grantham and Boston.

Whilst there has been congestion in recent times caused by traffic from these East Midlands cities coming through Lincoln, we attribute these to perhaps some strategic re-signposting to send it that way – perhaps with the idea that this will justify a “coastal highway.”

An equivalent highway via Boston would offer not only a more direct route, but would advance the case for a Boston bypass, and perhaps even put it on a priority list.

The County Hall case for not pursuing a bypass is that traffic that enters Boston does not emerge from the other side.

A situation which is seems our Lincoln masters are anxious to maintain.

Will this truly pose a dilemma for our new Boston councillors, when asked to back yet another road enhancement for Lincoln?

Will it hell – they’ll all fall in line and do down the borough they have been elected to represent, we are sure.

***

It was interesting to read that “simpler” parking rules have been introduced in the centre of Boston Market Place “helping motorists avoid an unnecessary ticket.”

Aside from the fact that an “unnecessary” ticket should not be issued, the changes will see enhanced waiting restrictions with a ban on loading between 9am and 4pm which bans parking completely – and wrongly headlined on the Boston off-Target website as “Parking spaces cut for disabled badge holders in Boston Market Place.”

Previously, blue badge holders had been able to park because they were exempt from the restrictions – and that led to other drivers parking nearby and being ticketed.

A parking enforcement person said: "We hope that the new restrictions will be easier for people, making it less likely that drivers find a parking ticket when returning to their cars.

"It will also help keep the centre of the Market Place clear for pedestrians, creating a more attractive space for shoppers and visitors while helping to ensure the town centre remains a vibrant and thriving area.”

Clownty Hall strikes again. The central market place no waiting rules were a bodged attempt further to define areas best used by pedestrians.

It is the latest in a long line of moves designed to paper over the cracks caused by numerous County Hall cock-ups when they carried out their so-called refurbishment and enhancement of the area.

It remains broken.

Will somebody please mend it?

***

At long last, the application to build a new style "Lidl for the future"supermarket near the Tesco and B&Q Store, on Westbridge Road, is to be decided by councillors.

It is on tomorrow’s planning committee agenda – with a recommendation that is approved – inevitably, of course “subject to conditions.”

Whilst it ticks all the right boxes, and is a classic candidate for the go-ahead, it is nonetheless on the agenda because “This application is considered by the Development Control Manager to have such public interest that it should be considered by Committee.”

Last time such a major issue came up for discussion was the Quadrant application – it was even webcast which let us see for ourselves just how hopeless some of the members of the planning committee were. Perhaps that's why they're not doing it again.

Like the Quadrant development, the Lidl site is geographically in Wyberton – and the last time that the company applied to develop site in Tawney Street it was a Wybertonian who tried to put a spanner in the works.

At the time Conservative Independent Councillor Alison Austin – who went on the chair the planning committee – famously declared:  “We do not have to do this. We should say what we would like done to our town as Boston deserves better."

Whilst the appeal was grudgingly approved, Lidl  decided not to press ahead with that particular site and went on to open stores across Lincoln in almost everywhere else other than Boston – the most recent being in North Hykeham, near Lincoln of all unlikely places – a town with a population of around 14,000.

At the time, there was a lot of waffle about maintaining what was laughingly called the ambience of an area dominated by a car showroom and workshop, the derelict Bedworld  store (itself a former car showroom) a view of the back wall of the Boston Shopping Park and Iceland’s delivery van car park and storage bay.

***

Whilst it is hard to imagine any reason to object to a supermarket being built in an area where similar premises abound, and which has lain derelict since its last use around 25 years ago, it might appear to bystanders that Worst Street desperately tried a last hurrah to find reasons to be miserable.

A “retail impact assessment” search was made high and low to determine what effect the new store might have on similar rival retailers in case it might have an adverse impact.

This covered Tesco, ASDA, ALDI, Oldrids, Marks and Spencer, the Co-Op,

Iceland, and The Food Warehouse … and was extended to include any likely effect in Kirton.

We wonder what the outcome might have been had one of these retailers whinged that a new Lidl would put a sizeable dent in its profits.

Would the store have been turned down to protect the profits of a possible rival?

It seems that way – and yet whenever people protest about the approval of yet another off-licence in an area where every other shop sold booze we were told that the only grounds for refusal were on licensing grounds – and that it was not the planners’ job to stand in the way of healthy commercial competition.’

***

Finally we note yet another attempt by the Worst Street propaganda squad to portray the town in a good light is begging for our photos of the recent May Fair – perhaps to spare them the trouble of “borrowing” photos from other websites and trying to obscure the fact! 

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