GUEST speaker JOHN HYDE, of Hackney, formerly of Chapman Road, Clacton, on the portrayal of Clacton during the town's high-profile by-election:

THERE used to be a sign above the amusement arcades in Clacton that read “Enjoy yourself, it’s greater than you think”.

As a slogan for a town never likely to think too highly of itself, it was spot-on. Clacton is not a hub or destination. At best, it’s a decent day out for east Londoners in search of the seaside and a comfortingly unassuming town for the elderly to see out their final days. Clacton people – as the slogan showed – are more than willing to self-deprecate, but it’s another matter when outsiders make sweeping generalisations about a town they’ve barely experienced.

Since Douglas Carswell defected to UKIP, Clacton has become a punchbag for the nation’s media and a yardstick for the alienation of the British public. The news Banksy’s take on the byelection was wiped from Clacton seafront led to more sweeping denouncements of the town. The coverage seemed to suggest Clacton people would not even have heard of Banksy, let alone recognise his work. Clacton’s fewweeks in the spotlight have invited the media to assassinate the town’s entire character.

Racist? Elements exist, of course. But in 2010, the BNP got 4.6 per cent of votes in Clacton. In Dagenham, they got 11.2 per cent. There’s another undercurrent to much of the coverage – the idea an uneducated working-class electorate would sweep UKIP to power. Interviews tended to focus on tracksuited locals without jobs and possibly sought out for their inability to give coherent responses.

The narrative is clear – this is a town down on its luck, insular and brooding with racist intent. Clacton is no more racist or stupid than much of the rest of the country. But this by-election gave commentators the chance to belittle the town from the safety of their Islington homes.

The sooner the circus leaves town, the better.