1 May 2026
Bedford Ian has been looking at recent goings on across Bedford Borough and tells us what he thinks of it all…
Mayor Festus?
Some political careers follow a steady path. Others… they go on a whistlestop tour all over the place.
Festus Akinbusoye, former Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner, is once again preparing to face the electorate, this time in the forthcoming Westminster local elections on 7 May.
For those keeping track, Festus has had a mixed relationship with voters in recent years. He stood as the Conservative candidate in Mid Bedfordshire, a seat the party had held for almost a century, and lost.
A few months later, he also lost his position as PCC and was not reselected as the Conservative candidate in Mid Beds.
Read: Dorries dives in accusing candidate selection of being “rigged” as Festus fails to make the cut
And yet, here he is again. Which, to be fair, if politics is about anything at all, it’s persistence.
But what caught my eye recently wasn’t his councillor contest.
It was a rather more ambitious hint dropped during an appearance on The Insurgency with Steve Baker podcast
Encouraged to run for Mayor of London and “sort out policing”, Festus didn’t exactly dismiss the idea, and he didn’t play down his own sense of self-importance either.
“Wouldn’t that be amazing if I did?” he said, before confirming there’s a “very, very good chance” he will once the process begins.
All of this came alongside praise for the “Broken Windows” approach to policing, popularised in New York in the 1990s. A model that has its supporters, its critics, and more than a few research papers about how complicated it is to apply in the real world.
Which makes it quite something to hear it being floated in the same conversation as a potential run for mayor of our capital city… while also standing for a local council seat.
Read: Festus reflects on PCC election loss
Now, ambition in politics isn’t a bad thing. But there is something quite striking about talking up a bid for one of the biggest political roles in the country when you’ve been off the political payroll for a while.
The political equivalent of signing up for the local five-a-side while mentioning you’re also eyeing a move to Wembley, perhaps.
Either way, his hat appears to be ready. It’s just a question of which ring it lands in.
Tate nonsense
Every so often, though it seems more common lately, someone pops up to tell us that everything is terrible now and that everything was perfect before. This time, it was king of the manosphere grifters, Andrew Tate.
Read: Bedfordshire Police file leads to CPS charging Tate brothers with rape and trafficking
In a social post mourning the “destruction” of the UK, he described 90s England as paradise – cheap nights out, full pubs, safe streets… and, rather tellingly, “the white people”.
Which is where his mask slips, revealing another vomitous aspect of his content.
Because when your idea of a golden age includes pointing out who was there, you’re not really talking about nightlife. You’re talking about something else, and it’s a bizarre distinction to make considering his own heritage.
The rest doesn’t hold up much better.
Tate moved to Luton in 1997. By the end of the 90s, he’d just turned 13.
Quite how much time he spent enjoying packed clubs and pub gardens between the ages of 10 and 13 is, at best, questionable.
But accuracy isn’t really the point.
Read: Opinion: Boys are being groomed online by manosphere grifters and Ofcom must step up
This is what grifters do. Sell a simple story about how everything was better then, everything’s broken now, and only they have the tools to fix it. Which is another thing that seems all too common these days.
In reality, it’s just another attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the easily impressed. A neat bit of nostalgia, dressed up to keep the outrage flowing, the channels ticking over, and the money flowing in.
Because that’s all it’s about, making money.
Tesla shame
I loved seeing this sticker on a Tesla while out and about this week.
Chris the saviour
It’s always nice to help the team deliver the Bedford Clanger, the only publication in the area dedicated to nothing but the fun things on our doorstep, celebrating 15 years this month.
It gets me out of the house in the sunshine and chatting to the Bedfordians who help make the Borough brilliant, which is exactly what this paper and the Clanger are all about.
So it was fun to see Tom Faden, general manager, at The Embankment Hotel laughing about some graffiti he’d seen scrawled nearby. ‘Chris is coming, our saviour, it’s time to repent your sins, etc., etc’.
Now, we both knew who the scribe was referring to, but the idea of a random, ordinary bloke called Chris turning up and sorting everything out seems to be quite appealing, and he might even enjoy a pint too.
So, if you are coming, Chris, do hurry up, mine’s a Foghorn.
See you soon, Bedford Ian.
PS: If you see anything Bedford Ian might find amusing, let us know at news@BedfordIndependent.co.uk.
