On Mon, 16 Dec 2019 22:18:22 +0000, Steve Walker
wrote:


He stood down candidates from seats where the Conservatives had a good
chance of winning, so as not to split the vote, so he was hardly trying
to make the government quake.

As a BP backer and policy advisor I admit to being a bit taken aback
when Nigel made that announcement with only minimal consultation.
However, clearly in retrospect it was absolutely the right decision.
It's easy to overlook Nigel's contribution to "getting Brexit done"
and I hope - and indeed expect - that one day this noble sacrifice on
his part will be suitably and generously rewarded. Boris owes him
big-time now.
--

"When constituencies are small their elected representatives must concern themselves with
the local interests of their constituents. When political representatives are distant and
faceless, on the other hand, and represent vast numbers of unknown constituents, they
represent not their constituents, but special interest groups whose lobbyists are numerous
and ever present. Typically in Europe a technocrat is an ex-politician or a civil servant.
He is unelected, virtually impossible to dislodge during his term of employment and has
been granted extensive executive and even legislative power without popular mandate and
without being directly answerable to the people whose interests he falsely purports to
represent."

- Sir James Goldsmith (Member of the European Parliament) 1933 - 1997