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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » With just about all the LE2018 results now in the clear winners were the LDs gaining most seats and councils
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Is it good news with almost now downsides? Yes.
Can other parties say that - definitely not.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_local_elections,_2008
That today's results are seen as a relative triumph for the LDs shows how far they have fallen from their peak
The one fly in the ointment is if this persuades Cable - who looks old, staid and out of touch at a time when vigour, imagination and empathy are needed - to stay on. I hope he doesn't, that he says he has brought the party back from the brink and now it needs a fresh impetus, but for all his qualities he's never come across as self aware.
One way they skilfully prospered in the Blair years was by posing as the one truly national party. So they were the non-toxic, non-establishment Unionists in Scotland and Wales, the party of the soft right to keep Labour honest in the north and the party of the soft left to challenge the Tories in the south.
Now the divide is metropolitan vs the rest and as these elections show (even if less starkly than expected) it is a pretty formidable divide. So they could easily pose as the real, sensible, Remainer alternative with some centrist social democratic views in the big conurbations, while showing as the non-batshit-crazy alternative to the Tories elsewhere.
Of course, such balancing only works in opposition. It was more buggered than a reluctant Turkish conscript the moment they entered government and had to make actual choices (and for all their qualities, they made some poor ones, especially on tuition fees). Yet for fifteen years it worked superbly and previously for 25 years it had worked effectively enough to keep them alive. There is no reason why it couldn't work again.
Can not see that , but they should be able to get South Yorkshire to work.
It is completely baffling why she doesn't sack him. Having a psychopathic back-stabber in her cabinet must be debilitating.
As an example in NE Lincolnshire they won seven wards in 2006:
http://www.andrewteale.me.uk/leap/results/2006/112/
this year they had a total of three candidates:
https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/councillors-and-democracy/elections-and-electoral-registration/election-results/local-elections-3rd-may-2018/
The Lib Dems can clearly claim South-West London as a stronghold. It in no way compensates for their losses in the South West or parts of Scotland in recent years.
Not wall to wall success for the Yellows.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_Brooks will be turning in her grave.
Con C- .. Lab C- .. LibDem B- .. Green C .. UKIP F
Though that is a problem for them. Plenty of areas they cannot play the 'only the LDs can beat X here' card, as they have been supplanted.
I just don't want to be liable for the rest on entry to the UK.
SW London is rather niche.
I remember when the consensus was that Clegg had flopped in his first set of local elections with 'only' 25%.
But, even if it's roughly right, that's not bad for a first-time trial of something completely new.
Incidentally, they also observed one case of possible personation, or at least confusion
https://democracyvolunteers.org/2018/05/03/special-report-voter-id-pilots-in-english-local-elections-03-05-18/
With UKIP disintegrating the LibDems had an opportunity to get the NOTA vote.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-44004241
I have just opened the fridge and discovered a half-eaten Hawaiian pizza.
I believe the nanny must have left it there and presume it was fed to my 3 year old for lunch.
Thoughts?
https://twitter.com/faisalislam/status/992476749467406336?s=21
I guess the definition of "triumph" depends on what your expectations were. If one was expecting the Lib Dems to fold completely, then I suppose these results are a "triumph" - they 're clearly going to have some presence in local councils, and probably at Westminster, for years to come. But in terms of recovering to their strength of the pre-Coalition years (let alone challenging either of the Big Two, which was their big goal not so long ago), I see very little in this set of results that indicates that.
Guess I have to wait for the final customs union solution to play out.
The issue is that Labour have such a huge lead wherever there is social housing that it is almost impossible to unseat them without some kind of right to buy scheme (which explains Dave's/George's plan for housing association RTB).
And while Corbyn's promising the goodies on student debt and housing what can the LibDems offer which is better ?
http://democracy.towerhamlets.gov.uk/mgElectionResults.aspx?ID=43&V=1&RPID=12803558
The night is still young...
titters
I am envious of the good burghers of Crouch End.
Can we have PR for local elections please?
Make her pay for the new one