Shame about the result in Norwich North but not totally unexpected. The “Dr” did have significant personal support amongst voters.To be honest, hearing this support again and again on the doorstep and on the telephone did surprise me. After all the “Great British Public” were suppose to be on the warpath and after MPs blood? I think that constituents are actually more knowing about things than the gutter press would have us think.
It is a pity that Labour voters decided to give us a kicking by staying at home. But we came a clear second and I fully expect a Labour MP to be returned after the next General Election. Not least because boundary changes will mean two Tory Wards will be moved out of the constituency.
The Tories and other opposition Parties are still not winning by-elections by the margin they should if they really expect to do well in the next election. The Cameron juggernaut will eventually splutter and come to rest. Events dear boy, events...
Labour is still in a good position to win. IMHO. More red water please! Onwards and Forwards comrades.
15 comments:
Mmmnnn... a 16.5% swing away from Labour not a significant margin?
May 2010. Cameron wins by 60 seat majority.
Onwards and Upwards eh John?
John your priorities seem to be
1. keeping Trots out
2.Preserving moderate Labour MPs positions and careers.
3.'not making promises your not going to keep' or 'elected government over political principle'
4.defeating the Tories.
Your blog seems to prioritise the top three.
How could it have been worse exactly? You are facing electoral meltdown. Next year the electoral map is going to be a sea of blue - best start facing reality.
Ah well we came second...OK so we only got 18% of the vote - that's irrelevent! This time next year we will be storming to victory with Gordon at the helm!
Ian Gibson sold a property to his daughter at below-market price. He was turfed out. James Purnell, Hazel Blears, Alistair Darling, etc were all playing the housing market and claiming expenses - but none were ousted by the NEC's star chamber let alone hauled before it. That's why voters had sympathy for Gibson - and he stuck by his constituents rather than toe the party line.
At the general election there'll be a higher turnout, the UKIP and Green vote will be down on this time, Lib Dems futher squeezed, and the seat may be Labour again.
Our concern should be that Labour's leadership isn't interested in defeating the Tories - it's preventing democracy in the Labour party.
Hi Mike and Anons
A defeat is always a defeat but check out this pretty sensible BBC report http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8167588.stm
The turnout was down by 15% - 14,800 voters who supported Labour in 2005 did not come out. The Tory vote was down by 2,000 votes. The Tories need to persuade voters to stop voting for Labour and vote for them. There was no switch in Norwich (unlike Crew).
Imagine if one of the Tory moat cleaning or duck housing squires were to stand down now and there was a by-election? Do you think the Tories would win?
There are deep rooted problems in the Party and government. There is still time to sort them out and win next year. Norwich changes nothing.
Hi Anon 09.31
Interesting – I’ve had a quick look at my posts so far this month (37 – sad no life that I am).
I make it:-
17 Pro-Labour/Bash Tories
10 Pro-Union
7 Misc.
3 Bash Trots.
I think that this reflects my views and priorities.
I’m pleased that someone thinks that I have any influence whatsoever on “Preserving moderate Labour MPs positions and careers”. But alas I doubt it. Also I don’t think that I have ever said anything like 'not making promises your not going to keep' or 'elected government over political principle'?
Mind you not making promises you’re not going to keep does make sense. I also don’t think that you can get elected unless you have a core set of principles and values.
It's amusing to see Labour proceeding at a snails pace towards inevitable defeat at the next election - their own careers put ahead of the interest of the country. It's amazing that so many of them allow themselves to be demeaned in this way.
Mr Anonymous
I am afraid I have to write in again in defence of my good friend and comrade Brother Gray.
1) Please tell me who's 'career' John is preserving?
2) Please tell me what trots do not deserve bashing?
3) Please tell me what promises you should make that you cannot keeep?
4) Which Tory candidates deserve to win their seats at the next election?
People like John make this movement what it is, fighting sensibly and thoughtfully against nutters of all political persuations except the correct one.
Which is centre-left of course.
OK I concede those points John.
Still,
'I also don’t think that you can get elected unless you have a core set of principles and values.'
I havent seen any of these since the 80s. The current Labour government is unfortunately devoid of any principles or values in my opinion, and Im a Labour voting trade unionist!!
Mr Centreleft (what ever that is!)
A nerve has been touched eh?
ex swper has hizzy fit and hands seat to tories
this from a man who i once admired
shame on you Ian
Red water?..next you'll be putting the scythe up and growing a goatee!
Lovely classy, cultured and intelligent Etonians are on their way to victory.Hurrah! Tory Tim is coming to a town near you!
Hi Charlie
Our comments passed each other in cyberspace. Both of us having nothing better to do on a lovely Saturday than blog.
I’m still undecided about whether or not Dr Gibson was treated fairly. Remember that Ann Black of the Grassroots Alliance was (I believe) a member of the NEC sub-committtee that decided his fate. I understand she has now said that she made a mistake! However, what he did by resigning, forcing a by-election that the Party was bound to lose and not publically endorsing a decent Labour candidate was simply wrong and unforgiveable.
Hi Anon 18.50
Don’t be silly!
Hi mrcentreleft
Incisive, reasoned argument of the highest order as usual (I would say that wouldn’t i)
Hi Anon 20.46
Cricky – someone conceding a point in blogland – Well done that Anon.
I will take issue with your response (surprise, surprise) regarding
'I also don’t think that you can get elected unless you have a core set of principles and values.'
I havent seen any of these since the 80s. The current Labour government is unfortunately devoid of any principles or values in my opinion, and Im a Labour voting trade unionist!!
Look – I’m not a great fan of the Susan Press school of Labour Party internal politics that anyone who disagrees with me is an ‘orrible, quasi fascist, corrupt, Tory quisling cad. Leaving aside true entryist trots (who of course get everything they richly deserve) all of us in or who support the Party believe in Social justice and equality. It’s just that we can’t agree on the best way to achieve this common aim. So it is no use slagging off your opponents within your Party as being unprincipled or without proper Labour values – since it is simply not true.
Obviously they are wrong and I am right of course. But there is more than unites us than divides us.
I don’t get the “nerve” thingy to Mrcentreleft?
Hi Anon 22.36
Sort of
Hi Anon 10.05
Lord Dave Snooty for PM – Hurrah! (And his prospective Chancellor Lord George Screwtop)
Hi Folks,
I struggle with the idea of anyone in the Labour Movement looking at the current situation of the Labour Party and being content to say 'well that's it we're stuffed.'
There was a piece in the Guardian this week that pointed out we'd probably be looking at another 500.000 on the dole queue if those two expensively educated economic illiterates Cameron and Osborn were in the driving seat of the economy.
Also I would recommend an article by Will Hutton in todays Observer. He puts it a lot better than I could, so I'll simply quote him: he asks of the Tores:
"Will they really risk intensifying recession? Will they risk a second financial crisis that would bankrupt the country by mismanaging financial regulation. Do they have a strategy for building the economy? Will Britain leave the EU? These are big questions and in democracies cannot be avoided. If Labour was led by a charismatic leader sure of his or her ground it would beat this Conservative Party. Even with Brown the Tory margin of victory cannot be taken for granted. There is a deep wisdom in democracies. They tend not to elect Governments who do the wrong things - and if they do they quickly rectify their mistakes."
Hutton also points out the damage that Tory cuts would do to an economy that has not yet started to recover. Also the government didn't do bad up at Nissan ---hey maybe just maybe a lot of the electorate will decide that they will stick with the guy who finds it hard to smile to order. ( something I find endearing) but spends the hols reading tomes on economics. Rather than the earlier mentioned two Tory twerps. The 'commentariat' enjoy a snigger about 'Brown saving the world economy'. The fact is if he and Darling had not acted as swiftly as they did we really would be stuffed. Fact is that was leadership. I have a reflex response in these situations and it's called loyalty. Allied to constructive criticism: that is what we need.
Now I know the mountain that's out there but like John, whilst understanding the task. I think I'm right to look for the way forward. We should be pounding the Tories with the questions Will Hutton puts.Or did we all come into politics to roll over and have our tummies tickled by the Tory Party?
Dave Draycott
Good Stuff Dave!
Post a Comment