Mister Bridgman is quite disagreeable and an active opponent of active travel. His loss is Edinburgh's gain.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
CEC election 2017 (May 4th)
(1269 posts)-
Posted 7 years ago #
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Mike Bridgman was a reasonably useful and active councillor, was surprised to see him bumped.
There are suggestions that he was the victim of some internal SNP politics, his father posted this on Facebook:
The SNP party is supposed to be a democratic party but it is not, its more like a dictatorship with their dirty politics they decided to run Kate Campbell who is Tommy Shephards personal assistant along with Mike Bridgman the sitting councillor of 10 years for Portobello/ Craigmillar then the party restricted Mike to 30% of the constituancy and gave Kate 70% of the constituancy.So he couldnt go into Joppa, Portobello, Magdalene, Newcraighall the Duhrams , Niddrie and the Hays .That is why there was no correspondence from Mike he was not allowed to go into these areas the only places he could canvas was Bingham and a bit of Craigmiller meanwhile Kate was telling constituants that she was the candidate for those areas and they had to vote her number one .On polling day Mike could only attend 2 polling stations while Kate could move between 6 stations but she was also seen in Bingham . The 2007 and 2012 elections were open constituancies for both candidates this time they make it a 30/70 split why ? the odds were stacked against him from the start but he fought as hard as he could for the constituants whom he represented for 10 years for those who think this is sour grapes because i am his dad its not I think the constituants of Portobello / Craigmillar should know the facts now the election is over I can voice my opinion without Mike getting into trouble for my actions and opinions Mike does not know about me posting this and I dare say he will not be very pleased with me.
Posted 7 years ago # -
that post above is very odd, and worrying.
I'd never heard of him (unsurprising as I'm not from the area), but I was struck by how few twitter followers he had - unusually low for a councillor. but other indications suggest that Porty runs on Facebook? ;)
Posted 7 years ago # -
Spokes members who are Councillors:- Gavin Corbett, Maureen Child, Chas Booth, Gordon Munro, Melanie Main, Claire Miller
Spokes members who lost their seats:- Nigel Bagshawe, Richard Lewis, Ian Baxter
Adam McVey doesn't look old enough to vote, let alone be the SNP leader
He's a bright spark and personable so I wonder if he will be tempted to move into national politics.
Posted 7 years ago # -
This was the second year Adam McVey joined us on the POP feeder from Leith. On neither occasion were his tyres inflated. I thought politicos were all about hot air?
Posted 7 years ago # -
"On neither occasion were his tyres inflated."
You mean 'properly' inflated(?)
When I met him five years ago I think he said he didn't cycle much and borrowed his flat mate's bike.
He turned up for a CCE ride with the seat far too low.
I think he has his own bike now.
Posted 7 years ago # -
If I was MB (or his dad) I suppose I'd feel aggrieved if that's what happened, but I suppose I'd have to wonder why.
Was it just about local MP favouring 'their' candidate?
Such things seem to happen in politics!
There were are problems in the next ward with 3 SNP candidates on the ballot paper.
Posted 7 years ago # -
his seat was still far too low last time I saw him on a bike, but it's become a bit of a running joke...
Posted 7 years ago # -
I suppose I'd have to wonder why.
Quite common to split a ward 50/50. With Bridgman appearing above Campbell on the ballot paper, and being an incumbent councillor, it's fairly easy to believe that this was simply an attempt to make sure both got elected.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"I think he has his own bike now."
Looking back, it seems he had the same bike for the Roseburn ride last year as the other one in 2014.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"Quite common to split a ward 50/50"
Surely better to have a joint leaflet with 'vote 1 AND 2 for the ... Party'(?)
Posted 7 years ago # -
Surely better to have a joint leaflet with 'vote 1 AND 2 for the ... Party'(?)
Yeah, I was assuming they still did this. But normally one part of the ward would get leaflets saying "Vote Smith 1, Jones 2" and the rest of the ward would be asked to "Vote Jones 1, Smith 2".Posted 7 years ago # -
"
MORE than half the councillors elected in Edinburgh are new to the City Chambers.
Thirty-five out of the 63 places on the council will be filled by fresh faces.
"
Lotsa new acquaintances to make!
Emails will be name.name@edinburgh.gov.uk
BUT, wonder how many would appreciate/remember a 'well done' note on a bit of paper, hand delivered (by bike) to the City Chambers?
Posted 7 years ago # -
"normally one part of the ward would get leaflets saying "Vote ... "
Ah, even so that shouldn't really account for why the (alphabetically) first named candidate didn't get elected.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Ah, even so that shouldn't really account for why the (alphabetically) first named candidate didn't get elected.
Well Bridgman's dad's saying that they divvied up the ward unevenly - 70/30 to Kate Campbell. That might be because the local MP has thrown his weight around to make sure his assistant finds a different job, but it seems more likely to me that it's an attempt to overcome the well-known biases towards incumbent candidates and candidates whose names are first alphabetically.
If an incumbent candidate doesn't get elected, but his alphabetically-inferior running mate does, then I think there are probably bigger reasons for that than "I wasn't allowed to canvass the entire ward".
Posted 7 years ago # -
@dougal I'm sure that this was Adam McVey's 3rd ride with the Leith Feeder to Pedal on Parliament.(Then again, my memory's always been pretty terrible!)
Still, it's good to know that our new Council Leader is another cyclist.
Posted 7 years ago # -
---
If an incumbent candidate doesn't get elected, but his alphabetically-inferior running mate does, then I think there are probably bigger reasons for that than "I wasn't allowed to canvass the entire ward".
---
There's also the case of Nick Gardner/Marion Donaldson for Labour in Leith Walk. Donaldson got more votes despite Labour leaflets showing Gardner 1, Donaldson 2. Is this mainly because D is above G in the alphabet? Is it because Donaldson was elected just two years ago in a by-election and folk remember her? Is it that she was better at showing her face at local events? Or some other reason?
Something similar happened with SNP in Leith Walk: the newcomer McNeese-Meechan got more votes than incumbent Ritchie, despite the 1-2 arrangement on the literature. Simply alphabetti spaghetti? Or something else?
In the case of Bridgman and Campbell, seems a bit more murky by the sounds of it. Also Creigentinny/Duddingston an odd one too, with some factional infighting in the local SNP branch by all accounts:
Also, a *very* strange post on SNP Edinburgh Eastern Farcebook page:
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IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ - SNP HQ HAS SENT OUT A TEXT TO CRAIGENTINNY/DUDDINGSTON MEMBERS WITH THE WRONG VOTER STRATEGY.
Please follow the strategy below when voting.
If you vote at:
St Ninian's RC Church Hall or Wilson Memorial United Free Church of Scotland or Abbeyhill Primary School or Norton Park Conference Centre
WADHWA #1, LUNN #2, CAMPBELL #3
If you vote at:
Craigentinny Community Centre or Restalrig/Lochend Community Hub
CAMPBELL #1, WADHWA #2. LUNN #3
If you vote at:
Willowbrae Parish Church or Northfield/Willowbrae Community Centre or Parsons Green Nursery School
LUNN #1, WADHWA #2, CAMPBELL #3
---All very confusing! Apparently it's called a "voter management strategy" - SNP indulging in NuLab style control freakery by the looks of it!
Posted 7 years ago # -
For once, I wouldn't call it control freakery - basically in an STV (not the TV channel) multi-seat election, parties stand the best chance of having their candidates elected if they all poll approx the same number of 1st preferences (well, unless you stand too many candidates, as the SNP did in Craigy/Duddy - getting 1 candidate elected with nearly 2 full quotas, way to go...)
Northern Ireland parties (where the voting system has a longer history) are masters at this.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"I wouldn't call it control freakery"
Well they're definitely trying to game the voting system. Firstly by standing more than one candidate, and then by trying to tell party supporters / voters which order to vote for candidates in which area.
The net result is that voters feel pressured to make choices which they might not want to make. They are of course free to ignore the instructions, and it seems many did...
Which makes me wonder also about the contests in Portobello/Craigmillar and Leith Walk.Posted 7 years ago # -
PS I imagine Leith Walk (McNeese-Meechan/Ritchie) was also 'voter managed' by the SNP, but rather more successfully - 52/48% split in SNP 1st prefs. If their vote hadn't been balanced so well, the Conservative candidate might have sneaked up the middle for the last seat.
Posted 7 years ago # -
cr,
Why is a party standing more than 1 candidate in a 3- or 4-seat ward 'gaming the system'? It literally is 'the system'.
As you say, parties say on their literature what order they would prefer their supporters vote their candidates in, possibly differing in different parts of the ward. Voters are entirely free to do otherwise.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"They are of course free to ignore the instructions, and it seems many did..."
Of course many/most don't vote. (Think CEC got about 50%, above average for LA elections.)
"
Bruce Whitehead (@Bruce4Almond)
04/05/2017, 20:52
Barnton turnout: 60%. Muirhouse: 20-30%. We have work to do"
Posted 7 years ago # -
Not all ENews commenters understand electoral system/democracy -
"
Another SNP/Labour coalition working jointly to fail and bring further ruin to the people of Edinburgh.
This 'coalition' is disgusting and is a complete disgrace which will be a burden to be carried by Edinburgh's citizens for at least the next 4 years.
Questions which now need to be asked:-
i) Why can't/won't the Tories/Greens/LibDems form their own coalition? Afterall they have 1 seat more than the SNP/Labour groups and would therefore have an overall majority?
ii) Why did no one political party field a sufficient number of candidates to be in overall control in Edinburgh?
iii) Why does no one party WANT to be in overall control of Edinburgh's Council?
iv) Will the SNP at Holyrood step in and stop any further tram development launched/proposed by this 'new' Council?
v) Can anyone trust the Greens where the trams are concerned? This answers question i).
"
Posted 7 years ago # -
Posted 7 years ago #
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Conservatives 'won' the 1st prefs in Edinburgh:
1st prefs 1st pref %
Conservatives 51212 27.7%
SNP 49798 27.0%
Labour 33916 18.4%
Liberal Democrats 25154 13.6%
Greens 22907 12.4%
Independent 1239 0.7%
Other parties 401 0.2%Total 184627 100.0%
http://www.electionsscotland.info/downloads/file/351/slge2017_summary_results_data
Posted 7 years ago # -
So, SNP + Lab = 45.4%
Maybe need Greens for deflecting 'not supported by majority of voters'.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Cllr McVey:
“I’m not anticipating any formal agreement with any other party bar one. “But there will be key decisions we need a majority for. Those decisions will require further work to make sure the administration can be confident they will go through. I have had conversations with the Greens about the kind of policies they are particularly keen to see implemented in the city.”
Could be interesting...
Group leader Steve Burgess said: “In discussions over the weekend we have repeatedly said that we are keen to work constructively with parties who share our ambition for a greener, fairer and more open Edinburgh. In particular we want to see real progress on affordable housing, better social care and improving city transport. We also remain open to different ways of working constructively, ways which allow an administration to be formed but which also allow radical ideas for the city’s future to be given a full airing.”
Posted 7 years ago # -
"Group leader Steve Burgess"
Is that new? Thought it was Chas Booth.
"we are keen to work constructively with parties who share our ambition for a greener, fairer and more open Edinburgh"
Well join the coalition then!
Posted 7 years ago # -
chdot - "...different ways of working constructively, ways which allow an administration to be formed but which also allow radical ideas for the city’s future to be given a full airing."
Pretty sure that means "We will stand at the sidelines, making sure our principles are unsullied by holding any form of power".
Posted 7 years ago # -
Seems so.
Posted 7 years ago #
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