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Local far-right extremists were wartime target, Seaton talk hears
A fascinating talk held by the Axe Valley Heritage Association yesterday, which I popped into in between campaigning, heard WWII expert Andrew Chatterton describe the secret auxiliary forces set up in 1940 to attack German forces in the event of an invasion in Devon. Locally, a unit based in Branscombe was one of the most active, and its targets included prominent British Union of Fascists members Lucy and Rafe Cotton, who were expected to become collaborators.
A thought-provoking presentation at a time when would-be far-right dictators and their British fans are once again on the agenda.
It’s Lib Dems versus Reform in Seaton & Colyton – make sure you vote today
From talking to people at the polling station, it’s pretty clear that Reform surge has made them the main challengers in today’s election. Make sure you vote, and vote for Paul Arnott – we can’t afford to have Reform representing our area.
Seaton polling station mix-up turns voters away
Voters in Seaton are complaining that they are being directed to polling stations at the opposite end of town from where they live. People have been turning up at the wrong station and quite a few have said that they will not bother going on to the correct place. This is something that really needs to be addressed before the next election.
Tomorrow is polling day – make sure it’s Paul
I’ve spent the afternoon canvassing in Seaton and there is a definitely a Reform surge, as well as surprisingly resilient support for the Conservatives. If you don’t want either of these parties to win, please Vote for Paul Arnott, the Liberal Democrat candidate, the only candidate with a long track record of fighting for Seaton and Colyton.
Please don’t waste your vote on either the Labour or the Independent candidate, since neither has any chance of winning and you could help either Reform or the Tories sneak in.
VOTING IS FROM 7 a.m. TO 10 p.m.
The local threat from Trump UK
Leafleting in Seaton for Paul Arnott, a man makes a point of coming out of his house and handing the leaflet back to me. “We don’t want this rubbish’, he says. It’s happened a couple of times before – always a man, always on the wrong side of 50. These angry older men don’t care about local issues, only immigration, and the signs are they’re voting for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
Reform claims that ‘Britain is broken’, forgetting to mention that – in so far as this is true – it was Brexit, Farage‘s big project, that broke it. ‘Reform will fix it’, they say, while praising Donald Trump who is busy wrecking world trade. If Brexit and Trump are anything to go by, ‘Reform will f–k it up’, would be more accurate.
Next Thursday, make sure that the angry old men don’t get their way in Seaton & Colyton. Remember that in 2013, Farage’s first party, UKIP, came second here with over 1,300 votes.
We need to rally round Paul (right), a genuine local candidate with a strong track record. Don’t waste your vote on Labour, who like Reform and the Tories haven’t even got a local candidate. And don’t vote for John Heath, who although a good local councillor in Beer & Branscombe, can only take enough votes across the area to let Reform or the Tories sneak in.
Seaton & Colyton candidates announced
The candidates for the County Council election are now confirmed:
Paul Arnott (Lib Dem), the only candidate to publish where they live (in Colyton)
John Heath (Independent) who doesn’t say where he lives (but actually it’s in Beer)
Ben Ingham (Conservative) from Lympstone (Conservatives over there have obviously rejected as a candidate – why should we vote for him here?)
Paul Knott (Labour) from Exeter (they too couldn’t find anyone local to stand)
Jim Walsh (Reform UK), Donald Trump’s man, who also lives somewhere else in East Devon (but hasn’t said where).
So – only two local candidates. Paul Arnott has been active in local campaigns, against the Green Wedge and the closure of Seaton Hospital, for the last 15 years. Paul has the experience and reputation across the Seaton and Colyton area to defeat the Conservatives, who won last time. I’m proud to have seconded his nomination and urge everyone to vote for him on May 1st.
Trump’s man wants my vote – but can’t tell me who his candidate is
Donald Trump’s representative in the UK, Nigel Farage, has sent me a leaflet asking me to vote for a reform UK – but there is no indication of the candidate’s name, or even what the name of the ward is. While Trump prepares to break the British economy and dictate our laws, Farage is using oligarch money to trawl for votes based on generalities, with no knowledge or proposals for how our council should be run. Treat this arrogant approach with the contempt it deserves, and vote for a genuine local candidate with some idea where Seaton and Colyton are.
Your daily dump – Salcombe Regis had 366 sewage discharges in a year
“Of the 10 most frequently used overflows, five were in Devon. Another was in neighbouring Cornwall, meaning six were in the region served by South West Water (SWW).” How Devon’s beaches and rivers became the centre of the sewage crisis Sewage was spilt in one village in Devon 366 times in 2024, as the county…
— Read on eastdevonwatch.org/2025/03/29/devons-natural-beauty-is-being-destroyed-as-it-becomes-national-blackspot-for-sewage-spills/
Tory councillor who blocked attempt to save our Hospital stands down
Sara Randall-Johnson, Conservative chair of the Devon Health Scrutiny Committee for the last eight years, has given a farewell interview to the Midweek Herald in which she regrets that ‘more wasn’t done to improve health outcomes’ during her tenure. She puts NHS waiting lists down to the Covid lockdowns, forgetting that they had already ballooned due to her government’s cuts. In Seaton, she will always be remembered for making things worse – when Seaton Hospital’s beds were threatened in 2017, it was she who used her position as chair to block the referral of the proposal to the Secretary of State, sealing the fate of our campaign and laying the Hospital open to new threats like the one we’ve been fighting for the last 18 months.
https://www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/25034553.devon-efforts-improve-health-social-care-not-enough/
Paul is our man in the County elections
In the County Council election on 1st May, Paul Arnott will be standing for the Liberal Democrats. Having represented Seaton & Colyton myself until 2021, I believe that he is best placed to speak up for the area. Paul has lived here for over a quarter of a century and has been involved in many local campaigns:
- He has fought to protect the Green Wedge for over a decade and played a key role in resolving the recent fiasco on the Planning Committee over the new application.
- He has campaigned hard for Seaton Hospital since the first threat to the beds in 2017, and recently ensured the EDDC made the Hospital a listed community asset, protecting it from demolition.
- As leader of EDDC, he brokered the deal for the Tramway to take over Seaton Jurassic.
I’ve known Paul for a decade and it is difficult to think of a more conscientious person we could have as our councillor. Both Conservative and Reform parties have announced candidates – but neither of them even lives in the area, and if either of them won we would be essentially unrepresented.
If you’d like help Paul leaflet or put up a placard, email paularnott@aol.com, phone 07850 038722, or contact me.
Seaton & Colyton MATTERS 