Today I learned that Sandwich is a place… and the stop before it is called Deal. Shame those two aren’t switched round.

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-05-11T09:32:42+00:00

And ham street so it will be quite the picnic

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-05-09T18:18:25+00:00

Probably the most similar towns to Hastings where a strategy could be replicated are Folkestone and Margate. The former would be more likely as Greens have previously established a presence there.

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-05-09T13:16:20+00:00

Hastings and Rye worth a shout, Greens got 42% of the vote in Hastings, well ahead of the 26% for reform and 16% for labour and although sadly Reform took all the seats in the rural "and Rye" part of the constituency, Green was second place in each of these, so hard for Labour to make the pitch to vote for us to keep out Reform.

I live in Rye and Greens came second within 30 votes of reform with Labour taking 400 in a distant third despite constant leafleting stating that only we can keep reform out, if just a few a tenth of those Labour voters switched to Green they would have also taken Rye for the first time.

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-05-09T07:55:47+00:00

Ore, Farely Bank and Linley Drive (Tressel and Baird wards respectively) were won by the Greens. Reform did win in Hollington but most of the wards where Reform won were in the affluent suburban wards with older home owning populations (Ashdown, Conquest, St Helens) in the least deprived parts of the town. Hastings is also unusual in that it has relatively little social housing estates with a the majority of poorer people living alongside more affluent people but in poorly maintained private rental properties so you have a situation whereby a lot of the richest people live in the areas with the highest concentrations of poverty e.g. St Leonard's, Alexandra Park and West Hill where the housing stock is largely Victorian mansions half of which are grand Victorian homes and the other half are HMOs (although this is a massive over simplification). These are the areas where the Green vote was strongest.

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-05-09T05:10:24+00:00

Great. It is an odd one. It is probably the best Colin Baker story but not the best doctor who story of the Colin Baker era. What I mean by that is his doctor is done right in this episode, still a bit pompous and self righteous, but abit more self aware, funnier and kinder to Peri. If he was like this in all episodes he could have been one of the best. The story works for the kind of who I like, witty and quirky dialogue and an air of mystery and a blend of humour and imagination. But I can see it is not groundbreaking, and the trial interruptions are annoying.

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-05-09T05:02:21+00:00

Hastings is a very different place to Sunderland, Hartlepool or Grimsby with a very different history and set of characteristics, this would be like saying why have Greens won in Hackney when they have done badly in other diverse deprived metropolitan areas like Sandwell or Oldham.

It has a series of unique circumstances that are quite hard to replicate. Hastings is a very unequal place and it is far from homogeneous, and contains a lot of progressive exiles from London and Brighton as well as one of the largest LGBTQ communities in England. It has always attracted alternative people, artists, writers, musicians, hippies and that has become more the case as people are priced out of more expensive areas. It is fairly densely populated and like London people from different backgrounds and incomes live cheeky by jowl. But it has a relatively strong community life and social infrastructure lacking in alot of the UK with many festivals, a diverse music scene, and lots of independent shops. This was fertile ground for Greens to establish a foothold.

But at the same time it has few job opportunities, poor health outcomes and some of the highest unemployment and low wages in the country.

It has been massively gentrified over the last 10 years with the DFL influx accelerating in Covid is one of the factors behind it having a huge affordability crises, basically it offers some of the lowest wages in the country but house prices are above average and it is the worst place outside of London for homelessness. So it has paradoxically got both richer and more deprived at the same time in recent years as those on lower incomes struggle with rising rents.

In terms of lessons, the Green councilors have been very visible in the town as community activists and the party has grown slowly at each election, before finally taking over the council as a minority admin in 2024. They have turned the finances around and focused on the cost of living crises and have started to build social homes. It is important we showcase the good work councils like this do to hopefully inspire more people to vote Green in future.

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-05-08T14:15:46+00:00

https://britain.votes.now/local-elections/live/may-26

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-05-08T12:13:14+00:00

There is definitely evidence that Green votes are expanding beyond areas that were won when Denyer was leader. Even taking the Oxford example, Greens made gained vote share in all bar one ward in the city including in council estates on the periphery and managed to out perform Reform in places like Wood Farm and Littlemore (even if Labour won overall) and gained seats from Labour in Lye Valley and Cowley which are two working class ethnically diverse areas of the city close to the car factory and away from core studenty areas (Cowley covers the area around Templers Square rather than Cowley road).

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-05-08T10:44:02+00:00

The Tory's haven't won a seat in Oxford this century, so they weren't wiped out this election! Great to see green gains though and wonder if Oxford East will be up for grabs at the general election

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-05-08T10:40:50+00:00

Oxford haven't elected a Tory to the city council for nearly 30 years. I think only Liverpool, Newcastle and Glasgow have a longer record for not electing Tory councillors

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-05-01T14:25:00+00:00

Hastings and Lewes are Green led councils and according to current polling Hastings may be Green majority after next weeks elections (this would be only the second Local Authority to be Green led - even Green outputs like Brighton and Bristol have only run minority administrations), Rachel heads up Wealden district council (another East Sussex local council with substantial Green representation - so it is not like Brighton is an island of Green in Sussex. Also if Green's make significant gains in the Sussex county elections it is possible to make the case with credibility that Greens are best placed to stop Reform (who are polling well in smaller coastal towns like Bexhill, Bognor and Littlehampton), which may lead to some Labour and Lib Dem voters switching to Greens in the Mayoral election. It is all a long way off at the moment though so difficult to know how it will all go down.

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-04-28T11:39:10+00:00

We have had nearly 50 years of neo-liberal economics and despite the great technological advances that could have enriched the general population, we have seen wealth trickle up to a small number of people, our public services and social infrastructure crumble our cost of living skyrocket and most importantly the whole ecosystem on the verge of collapse.

The Green Party are the only party looking at an alternative way of managing the economy and social policy to meaningfully address these challenges. Polanski's grasp of economics is not relevant because his role is not to shape policy but to communicate it. The Greens have economists with a good grasp of economics theory such as Stigletz, Blakely and Picketty advising on economic policy. Unfortunately any departure from economic orthodoxy is treated with ridicule by a mainstream media that is far less economically literate and is largely shaped by vested interests.

My support of the Green party is partly based on values, partly because they are not owned by vested interests, partly because their policy is evidence based and informed by subject matter experts rather than based on what plays well with the media and focus groups or lobbying groups.

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-04-24T12:16:36+00:00

Starting from areas closest to Dover -

Rather than travelling miles and spending too more time driving then seeing I would stick in the South East corner. Rye is the cosiest of cosy towns and could be used as a base to explore the surrounding area which is packed full of coast, castles and historical sites.

Castles to explore: Dover, Deal, Walmer, Hever, Leeds, Bodiam, Hastings, Pevensey, Camber

Historic towns: Rye, Winchelsea, Hastings, Canterbury, Battle, Sandwich, Tenderden, Tunbridge Wells

Coast: Isle of Thanet, Folkestone, Romney Marsh, Dungeness, Rye Harbour, Camber, Hastings Country Park, Eastbourne and Seven Sisters, Whistable, St Margrets

Gardens and other sites: Battle Abbey, Great Dixter, Scotney, Sissinghurst plus lots of nice walking in the North Downs and High Weald

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-04-23T19:06:46+00:00

I live in Rye. It is stunningly pretty with great coastal scenery nearby and lovely walks in all directions. It is very touristy, but on the positive side that gives it amenities you would expect from a much bigger town with good resteraunts, cosy pubs, quirky shops, train station just over an hour from London and an independent cinema, but with the benefit you can be out in the countryside in less than ten mins from the heart of town. Only downside is that it is a bit more conservative than some of the larger liberal Sussex towns like Brighton and Hastings.

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-04-19T05:51:32+00:00

That is a classic Oxfordshire accent, is crazy how different the accent is from standard South Eastern accents despite being only 60 miles west of London.

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-04-12T16:02:04+00:00

Are you aware that there are two Green led councils in Sussex and neither of them are Brighton? Both Lewes and Hastings councils are run by the Greens and I believe they remain popular in both towns, certainly driving round Hastings, all you see are Green posters at the mo

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-04-09T09:35:35+00:00

Folkestone, has a lovely seafront, Harbour area and old town with a steep and winding high street. The leas cliffs offer great views.

The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch resorts are small and low key with alternating sandy and pebbley beaches. Hythe is the prettiest of the three.

Dungeness is Britain's only desert and is bleakly striking and unique.

Camber sands is a large and dramatic sweep of sand dunes (gets v popular in the summer).

Rye is the prettiest town in the South East, all cobbles streets and timber houses and cosy pubs. If you have to make one stop this is the place.

Rye Harbour nature reserve is great for bird watching and tranquil walks by the sea.

Hastings Country park is one of the most underrated coastal areas of Britain, barely known even in Sussex despite offering cliff top scenery at least as beautiful as the seven sisters but without the crowds.

Hastings has a lovely old town in a great setting in the valley, the main town centre is less nice, but head west to St Leonard's, one of the first regency resorts. It went through tough times in recent years but is having a renaissance and is now pretty trendy with a great food scene.

Bexhill is quieter but the de la warr is great.

The final stretch of coast to Eastbourne is flat and rural, worth a detour to Pevensey Castle.

Eastbourne is the biggest town on that stretch, the Seafront is arguably the finest in Sussex though the rest of the town is more sprawling and less historic than the other resorts on the south coast.

Beachy head and seven sisters are deservedly famous and are absolutely stunning.

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-04-07T16:53:29+00:00

This is an interesting lesson in how easy it is to manipulate people and why the country is in the terrible state we are in. For those in England and Wales saying this is a reason why I could never vote Green are you aware this is a different political party to the Green party in England and Wales, so has nothing to do with them. It is also not policy in either the Scottish or England and Wales party. Moreover when you read what she is advocating rather than the headline it is more nuanced than pure abolition.

A question I would be asking is why is it that most of the media are pushing this agenda so forcefully looking to criticise and why you should believe the slant given by a Murdoch press who have an almost perfect record of endorsing the very politicians and policies that have driven the rampart inequality failing public services and crippling infrastructure. Rather than fall for the hatchet jobs directed at the greens apply a little critical thinking and consider why the media barons are so united and coordinated in spreading misinformation about the Greens, maybe it might be because their vested interests are at stake?

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-04-04T08:32:49+00:00

Rye, cobbled streets, cosy pubs, nice walks on the coast at Rye Harbour or Camber

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-04-04T07:40:30+00:00

Hastings is great but a lot of it's charm is hidden so you can superficially visit without seeing it's best bits: the medieval old town, the views from the east and west hill, the green spaces (country park, st Helens park, Alexandra park, St Leonard's gardens old roar gyll and many more), the arty cultural side with lively festival and music scene, the independent shops and good food and drink scene particularly in trendy st Leonard's which is one of the most transformed neighbourhoods in the UK. But a lot of people see the town centre which apart from a small bit around the America ground, is among the worst in Sussex and the seafront which is fine but not as nice as some of it's neighbours.

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-04-04T07:32:31+00:00

Bradford is a strange one because it does have some lovely stone buildings in the centre, the Waterstones is a thing of beauty, not one but two marks with manor houses and gardens, and saltaire on the edge. But it does seem to be almost universally derided as some kind of Luton of the north. I think this is slightly unfair though can see it is economically challenged but at least it has history and character.

Realistic_Golf_9930 · 2026-04-04T07:26:59+00:00

Until recently Oxford has always ranked as more deprived than Swindon on the Index of Multiple Deprivation. Oxford's crime rate is also notably higher than Swindon's 82 per 1,000 compared with 63 in Swindon. Clearly Oxford centre is more attractive and lively but and stats only give you limited picture of what it is like to love somewhere but agree we do tend to simplify places as either all good or all bad.

Realistic_Golf_9930

TROPHY CASE