Kelvin MacKenzie: I won't contest Haltemprice & Howden
Peter Hoskin 8:00am
Kelvin MacKenzie confirms in his Sun column today that he won't stand in the Haltemprice & Howden by-election:
"...the clincher for me was the money. Clearly The Sun couldn’t put up the cash — so I was going to have to rustle up a maximum of £100,000 to conduct my campaign as candidate for the Red Mist Party......Right now, with a divorce behind me and a couple of poor investments — I’m sure the C5 will catch on one day — a hundred grand looks more attractive in my wallet than being spent on the good folk of East Riding.
And, more importantly, there is the issue of my personal health.
All the papers are carrying a story that says people in the North have a 20 per cent higher chance of dying from cancer than those in the South.
Frankly, Howden, I am too young to die.
The truth is that I would have been a cr*p MP. I would have said what I thought and, for the next two years to the General Election, I would have been apologising to all and sundry.
So I am out of it."
Previous
Anthony E.Price
June 19th, 2008 8:43am Report this commentLoud mouth meets chicken heart
Scott Redding
June 19th, 2008 8:59am Report this commentEven if he spent £5000 on his leaflets, £5000 on staff, and £5000 on billboards, why is MacKenzie using this £100 000 figure?
Daniel
June 19th, 2008 9:04am Report this comment"I've got nothing to hide" says MacKenzie on the issue of ID cards. No you haven't - it's obvious to everyone now that you are a bullsh*tting coward, who's happy to lambast and mock David Davis but is nothing more than an ex-editor of a tabloid rag, with no morals or convictions. Please now go away!!
Nicholas
June 19th, 2008 9:07am Report this commentBlowhard. Better to remain silent and have people consider you might be a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
But, talking of fools, is this part of a Brown/Murdoch "cunning plan"?
Jack S
June 19th, 2008 9:12am Report this commentExcuses, excuses. How pathetic.
Fergus Pickering
June 19th, 2008 9:15am Report this commentI thought that MacKenzie was actually doing David Davis a favour. He would be saying LOUDLY what the Government generally just hint at. Don't wory. The legislation's just aimed at brown beardy persons who go to mosques. Nothing to do with the whites at all. Lies of course,but some people buy it. Mack the Knife's not an enemy of Davis at all (aren't they on good terms?).
CCTV
June 19th, 2008 9:47am Report this commentWhere is Kelvin's Website so Sun readers can send funds ? George Galloway funds his ventures so why can't Kelvin ?
Chuck Unsworth
June 19th, 2008 10:01am Report this commentPlausible explanation, of course.
But complete testicles.
Why would he be prepared to suffer a massive pay cut if elected?
He's backed off because Murdoch had a change of heart. Now let's see what The Sun's position is over the next few weeks.
occasional ranter
June 19th, 2008 10:10am Report this commentI agree with Fergus. It's a shame he's pulling out, because he would have made an unattractive face for authoritarianism, and the idea that he would stand - while Labour wouldn't - highlighted how Brown's policy is calculated to please the tabloid press rather than free thinkers.
No point hurling personal abuse at people like McKenzie. He's like the black sphere in Fifth Element, feeding on anger and conflict !
NewsCorpTaxDodger
June 19th, 2008 10:10am Report this commentTypical Murdoch - no convictions just cling to the coat tails of the winner. Kelvin you have always been a prat, but now we've all seen you for what you really are - a spineless loser. See ya.
Max Kaye
June 19th, 2008 10:18am Report this commentAll mouth no trousers.
Man of Culture
June 19th, 2008 10:39am Report this commentAndy Burnham is a prat (or something that rhymes) too (just a knockabout comment)who should lay off the Shami style eyeliner when doing TV (more knaockabout comment).
Old Hack
June 19th, 2008 10:40am Report this commentNobody says you HAVE to spend £100k. You could run a perfectly decent campaign on £10k or even £5k, particularly with the vote buying Lib Dems out of the game.
The truth, Kelvin, is that this was a jolly jape that got out of hand. Now you look a pratt.
Ivan
June 19th, 2008 11:09am Report this commentWhat a feeble excuse. If Kelvin's point of view is as popular as he claims, he should be able to raise 100k in no time.
Basically he's wimped out, giving an excuse so poor that it would shame a primary school kid who had forgotten his homework.
Matthew Blott
June 19th, 2008 12:47pm Report this commentI always thought public school educated MacKenzie's Man of The People view of himself was ridiculous and this climbdown rather proves the point.
David Lindsay
June 19th, 2008 4:38pm Report this commentOver to the likes of Oliver Kamm and Douglas Murray, then. What's stopping them? Do they just despise the electorate?
TGF UKIP
June 19th, 2008 10:00pm Report this commentDavid Lindsay, but why not Matthew d'Ancona. He's in favour of six weeks and is obviously an enemy of David Davis as his part in Cameron's London media putsch back in 2005 demonstrated.
As for Kelvin, I really used to admire and applaud him - but now. The dredging humiliation of it all and never again will he be able produce one of those inimitable Kelvin rants on "freeloaders." Kelvin only does what other people pay for.
And when Rupert says "go" he goeth and when Rupert says "don't go" he says "yes sir." Even Gordon hasn't plumbed Kelvin's depths.
Back to top