What is art, exactly? Some people would say its an expression of creativity. Others would say its anything that can draw an evocative response. And, there will be a handful of people who believe that this graffiti at the Caerphilly HQ of Reform should also be in the conversation.
Reform told to ‘f*** off home’ after by-election loss
Despite their high-profile, billionaire backing, Reform failed to secure a seat in the Welsh Senedd this time around, finishing a distant second behind Plaid Cymru in the Caerphilly by-election. With further local elections taking place next year, Reform will prepare to challenge for the seat again.
However, some locals won’t be too accommodating to the second-coming of the right-leaning party. Shortly after the results were announced this week, the doors were locked shut on Reform’s base in the town – and someone has taken it upon themselves to give them a sweary send-off.
Scrawled in white spray paint, the message ‘now you can f*** off home’ appears on the grey shutters. Passers-by noted the directive, which has since been covered by local media. The posts have also caught the eye of social media users, who’ve been having a good laugh at the party’s expense.
Plaid Cymru celebrate Caerphilly victory
Lindsay Whittle was voted Senedd MP after winning 47.4% of the vote, with Reform’s Llŷr Powell in second with 36%. Meanwhile, it was an awful night for Labour, who had held the seat for over 100 years, as their vote collapsed to just 11%. The Tories, Lib Dems, and Greens received 5% combined.
Reform narrowly led polling in the days and weeks before the election, and were favourites to win in Caerphilly. What seems to have denied them the win was a remarkable turnout of 50.43%, up from 41% in the last Caerphilly vote in 2021, which has been accredited to a ‘Stop Farage’ campaign.
One thing that can’t be blamed for their loss, however, is UKIP splitting the vote. From their early 2010s heyday, UKIP have gone from insurgent force to insufferable farce. In Caerphilly, their candidate Roger Quilliam claimed just 0.2% of all ballots cast – amounting to a grand total of 79 votes.