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| Why we voted to get rid of Zac Goldsmith | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Zac Goldsmith may have wanted the Richmond Park byelection to be a referendum on Heathrow expansion, but local voters had other ideas. The Lib Dems’ Sarah Olney won after a marathon local campaigning effort focusing on Brexit, with the party’s remaining big guns spending significant time in the borough. | Zac Goldsmith may have wanted the Richmond Park byelection to be a referendum on Heathrow expansion, but local voters had other ideas. The Lib Dems’ Sarah Olney won after a marathon local campaigning effort focusing on Brexit, with the party’s remaining big guns spending significant time in the borough. |
| When we asked local readers to tell us why they backed the Lib Dem candidate, we heard from tactical voters alongside longstanding party supporters. | When we asked local readers to tell us why they backed the Lib Dem candidate, we heard from tactical voters alongside longstanding party supporters. |
| Brexit came up more than any other issue, followed by anger and revulsion at Zac Goldsmith’s divisive campaign to succeed Boris Johnson as mayor of London. | Brexit came up more than any other issue, followed by anger and revulsion at Zac Goldsmith’s divisive campaign to succeed Boris Johnson as mayor of London. |
| Here is a selection of our readers’ views. | Here is a selection of our readers’ views. |
| ‘When will progressives start boxing as clever as our enemies? | ‘When will progressives start boxing as clever as our enemies? |
| Labour couldn’t win in Richmond Park. Only Sarah Olney had a chance to overturn Zac Goldsmith’s majority. Labour’s blinkered decision to field a candidate in the face of these political realities – unlike the Greens, to their lasting credit – speaks volumes about the party leadership’s inability to recognise the enormity of the crisis Britain faces today – the gravest since the Second World War. Our foes, by contrast, are under no illusions about the stakes hence the Tories and UKIP allowing Goldsmith a free run. When will progressives start boxing as clever as our enemies? | Labour couldn’t win in Richmond Park. Only Sarah Olney had a chance to overturn Zac Goldsmith’s majority. Labour’s blinkered decision to field a candidate in the face of these political realities – unlike the Greens, to their lasting credit – speaks volumes about the party leadership’s inability to recognise the enormity of the crisis Britain faces today – the gravest since the Second World War. Our foes, by contrast, are under no illusions about the stakes hence the Tories and UKIP allowing Goldsmith a free run. When will progressives start boxing as clever as our enemies? |
| Barry Langford, Richmond | Barry Langford, Richmond |
| ‘The fact Ukip supported him said it all’ | ‘The fact Ukip supported him said it all’ |
| I used to respect Zac as a good constituency MP, despite never voting for him. However, after his racially divisive mayoral campaign and his support for Brexit I feel he cannot represent me. The fact that Ukip supported him said it all.I’m a Labour party member but feel the Labour candidate had no chance here. Labour’s response to Brexit has been disappointing. I’m looking for a strongly pro-EU party to support, and the Lib Dems seem like the best option. | I used to respect Zac as a good constituency MP, despite never voting for him. However, after his racially divisive mayoral campaign and his support for Brexit I feel he cannot represent me. The fact that Ukip supported him said it all.I’m a Labour party member but feel the Labour candidate had no chance here. Labour’s response to Brexit has been disappointing. I’m looking for a strongly pro-EU party to support, and the Lib Dems seem like the best option. |
| Tim Young, 40, Richmond | Tim Young, 40, Richmond |
| ‘It’s never been more important for liberal voices to be heard’ | ‘It’s never been more important for liberal voices to be heard’ |
| I joined the Lib Dems in 2015 because of their unapologetic pro-EU stance. It may be a flawed institution, but to me the European Union represents everything that is good about co-operation for mutual benefit and has acted as a bulwark for decades against the politics of nationalism and division. I believe that it has never been more important in my lifetime for liberal and internationalist voices to be heard, and winning this by-election sends a powerful message to the Government to temper its hard Brexit plans. | I joined the Lib Dems in 2015 because of their unapologetic pro-EU stance. It may be a flawed institution, but to me the European Union represents everything that is good about co-operation for mutual benefit and has acted as a bulwark for decades against the politics of nationalism and division. I believe that it has never been more important in my lifetime for liberal and internationalist voices to be heard, and winning this by-election sends a powerful message to the Government to temper its hard Brexit plans. |
| Ewan Maddock, 29, Richmond | Ewan Maddock, 29, Richmond |
| ‘Goldsmith showed his true colours’ | ‘Goldsmith showed his true colours’ |
| Goldsmith’s disgraceful mayoral campaign, support for Brexit, choice of cronies (Johnson, Rees-Mogg et al) and recent voting record on issues such as disability benefit cuts (which saw him dropped as patron of a local charity), showed his true colours, and they’re hideous. This year he’s proved himself to be so self-serving, posturing and petulant that I now think he only cares about about Heathrow because the flight path goes over his house. | Goldsmith’s disgraceful mayoral campaign, support for Brexit, choice of cronies (Johnson, Rees-Mogg et al) and recent voting record on issues such as disability benefit cuts (which saw him dropped as patron of a local charity), showed his true colours, and they’re hideous. This year he’s proved himself to be so self-serving, posturing and petulant that I now think he only cares about about Heathrow because the flight path goes over his house. |
| I cast my vote as a protest against everything Goldsmith has revealed himself to represent. | I cast my vote as a protest against everything Goldsmith has revealed himself to represent. |
| Susan Ward, 33, Richmond | Susan Ward, 33, Richmond |
| ‘I don’t understand why Labour didn’t go in with the Lib Dems’ | ‘I don’t understand why Labour didn’t go in with the Lib Dems’ |
| I’m a Labour member and can’t understand why they didn’t go in with the Lib Dems against Zac Goldsmith. Labour doesn’t have a chance in this area sadly. Zac has been a great MP. I respect that he stuck to his promise of resigning because of Heathrow but to make that issue the thing he campaigns on just after Brexit ... | I’m a Labour member and can’t understand why they didn’t go in with the Lib Dems against Zac Goldsmith. Labour doesn’t have a chance in this area sadly. Zac has been a great MP. I respect that he stuck to his promise of resigning because of Heathrow but to make that issue the thing he campaigns on just after Brexit ... |
| I also cannot forgive him for the way he managed his London mayor campaign, aggressive and a real ‘nasty party’ tone. I emailed him a few times asking him to support a debate in parliament about rent control and he refused, despite this being a massive issue in his constituency and London as a whole. | I also cannot forgive him for the way he managed his London mayor campaign, aggressive and a real ‘nasty party’ tone. I emailed him a few times asking him to support a debate in parliament about rent control and he refused, despite this being a massive issue in his constituency and London as a whole. |
| Rebecca Patterson, 29, Richmond | Rebecca Patterson, 29, Richmond |
| ‘Brexit is national suicide’ | ‘Brexit is national suicide’ |
| I am a Labour Party member and have supported the party since I leafleted with my father for the 1945 election. This time I’m voting Lib Dem because I voted to Remain. I’ve been on pro-EU marches and am very against Brexit, which to me is tantamount to national suicide. Not all older people are Brexiters who want to return to a mythical 1950s. | I am a Labour Party member and have supported the party since I leafleted with my father for the 1945 election. This time I’m voting Lib Dem because I voted to Remain. I’ve been on pro-EU marches and am very against Brexit, which to me is tantamount to national suicide. Not all older people are Brexiters who want to return to a mythical 1950s. |
| Lynne Hall, 79, Richmond | Lynne Hall, 79, Richmond |
| ‘Goldsmith’s mayoral campaign was squalid’ | ‘Goldsmith’s mayoral campaign was squalid’ |
| I voted Lib Dem – very reluctantly. A party canvasser told me that “honesty is overrated” when I challenged him about his party’s support for ‘austerity’, student fees and the bedroom tax.But Zac is far worse. He has the temerity to claim about being a local but refused as a non-dom to contribute of his fair share to public services – especially invidious when he campaigns outside local schools such as the one my son goes to. His mayoral campaign was squalid. | I voted Lib Dem – very reluctantly. A party canvasser told me that “honesty is overrated” when I challenged him about his party’s support for ‘austerity’, student fees and the bedroom tax.But Zac is far worse. He has the temerity to claim about being a local but refused as a non-dom to contribute of his fair share to public services – especially invidious when he campaigns outside local schools such as the one my son goes to. His mayoral campaign was squalid. |
| Sanjiv Sachdev, Richmond | Sanjiv Sachdev, Richmond |
| ‘I voted for Goldsmith at the last election but not this time’ | ‘I voted for Goldsmith at the last election but not this time’ |
| I voted for Zack Goldsmith at the last election but not this time, principally because of his support for the Leave campaign. He claims to be a constituency MP who listens to his constituents - the reason we are having this byelection in the first place. However, whilst 72% of his constituents voted Remain (a far more significant issue for the country at large), he persisted in advocating the Leave campaign. | I voted for Zack Goldsmith at the last election but not this time, principally because of his support for the Leave campaign. He claims to be a constituency MP who listens to his constituents - the reason we are having this byelection in the first place. However, whilst 72% of his constituents voted Remain (a far more significant issue for the country at large), he persisted in advocating the Leave campaign. |
| John Gaylor, 46, Richmond | John Gaylor, 46, Richmond |
| ‘His stance on Brexit is completely at odds with the borough’ | ‘His stance on Brexit is completely at odds with the borough’ |
| Other than the Heathrow expansion, there’s nothing Zac Goldsmith represents that I don’t disagree with. His mayoral campaign was a disgrace, he voted for the disabled benefit cuts while a patron of a disabled charity, and his stance on Brexit is completely at odds with both myself, and also the borough as a whole. As someone from an absurdly privileged background, who’s never had a job that wasn’t created for him, I don’t feel he’s qualified to represent ordinary people | Other than the Heathrow expansion, there’s nothing Zac Goldsmith represents that I don’t disagree with. His mayoral campaign was a disgrace, he voted for the disabled benefit cuts while a patron of a disabled charity, and his stance on Brexit is completely at odds with both myself, and also the borough as a whole. As someone from an absurdly privileged background, who’s never had a job that wasn’t created for him, I don’t feel he’s qualified to represent ordinary people |
| I understand the criticism of the Lib Dems for their capitulation in the Cameron government, but what’s important is we saw off Goldsmith. | I understand the criticism of the Lib Dems for their capitulation in the Cameron government, but what’s important is we saw off Goldsmith. |
| Jason Regan, Richmond | Jason Regan, Richmond |
| ‘Labour fielding a candidate showed a lack of strategic understanding’ | ‘Labour fielding a candidate showed a lack of strategic understanding’ |
| I have voted Labour since 1971; except for prior tactical voting (against Tories), and am a member of the Labour Party. However, I am intending to cancel and join the Lib Dems , because I loathe what Corbyn and McDonnell have done to the Labour Party. | I have voted Labour since 1971; except for prior tactical voting (against Tories), and am a member of the Labour Party. However, I am intending to cancel and join the Lib Dems , because I loathe what Corbyn and McDonnell have done to the Labour Party. |
| The fact that they fielded a candidate in this byelection shows they have no strategic understanding, no big vision and no belief or plan for how to counter the Tories. | The fact that they fielded a candidate in this byelection shows they have no strategic understanding, no big vision and no belief or plan for how to counter the Tories. |
| Wendy Knight, 63, Richmond | Wendy Knight, 63, Richmond |
| Some names have been changed | Some names have been changed |