The Tory Conference does not seem to have given them any bounce in support (unlike Labour's) if last night's council by-elections are anything to go by:
Eden DC - Penrith Carleton
LibDem hold
LibDem 223 Con 189
(previously an uncontested seat)
Ellesmere Port DC - Little Neston
Lab gain from Con
Lab 420 Con 386 LibDem 81
(2004 result was Con 553, Lab 500, LD 212, Green 157)
Charnwood DC - Shelthorpe
Lab hold
Lab 643 BNP 478 Con 386 LibDem 155
(2003 result was Lab 508 and 501, Con 404 and 386)
Some good results for us there.
ReplyDeleteI think it's already the third week in a row with pretty good Labour results. 2 weeks ago there was the strong performance in Oxford. Last week Labour did well in Manfield and Rossendale and they did ok in Gateshead (but the Fife result against the SNP was a total disaster)
ReplyDeleteSomething of a pattern emerging in Fife...
ReplyDeleteInteresting results, but I think we'll need to see the polls before drawing any conclusions about conference bounces.
ReplyDeleteIn Eden, it was previously uncontested so you wouldn't particularly expect the Tories to take it; Ellesmere Port is a good result but it seems to be more that Labour picked up Green and Lib Dem votes than the Tory vote collapsing; Charnwood looks like a hard fought battle with turnout up and the Tories overtaken by the BNP but still getting a similar numerical vote.
Two decent results for Labour but while the results aren't great for the Tories, they're not especially bad either.
Congratulations to the winners though - no doubt much hard work no the ground and a deserved reward.
"Something of a pattern emerging in Fife... "
ReplyDeleteActually it's a pattern emerging in Scotland with Labour losing local byelections in big wings. 2006 by-elections with Labour defending the seat:
- a 25.5% swing to an Indy in South Ayrshire
- a 14.85% swing to SNP in Glasgow
- a 19.45% swing to the Libdems in Glasgow
- a 16.3% swing to SNP in Stirling
- 13.35% swing to SNP in West Dunbartonshire
- a 30% swing to SNP in Fife
All seats were lost..Scottish Labour hasn't been able to successfully defend a ward in 2006