Bridgwater Mercury
·Aug 2026
Brian Smedley: How a lost weekend led me to Clacton
Brian Smedley recounts visiting Clacton during the by-election won by Nigel Farage for Reform UK. Through satire, he describes the town’s economic decline, its political atmosphere and encounters with Reform supporters, a Conservative activist and Count Binface. He argues that Farage’s victory was less decisive than it appeared, noting a 27% swing toward the satirical candidate, and concludes that although the establishment won, voters had not achieved the change they were promised.