A blog by Luke Akehurst about politics, elections, and the Labour Party - With subtitles for the Hard of Left.
Just for the record: all the views expressed here are entirely personal and do not necessarily represent the positions of any organisations I am a member of.
Good article. I suppose in Manchester as we have huge working class support we don't have the same problem. But keep it on local issues and related to labour values and you'll go far.
London has also quite a good number of marginals at parliamentary levels. Against the tories Labour should defend: Finchley and Golders Green, Battersea, Brentford and Isleworth, Ealing Central and Acton, Eltham, Enfield North (bad boundary changes there), Harrow East, Hendon and Westminster North should all be less than 10% majorities Hammersmith and Tooting are between 10% and 15% (so not exactly marginals, but not safe either...in a bad year, they can fall easily).
And there're the Libdems...they are usually able to get some seats in big swings (and then maybe failing to get some "real" marginal). I wonder which seats they'll target next time...they've some obvious targets over Labour like Hampstead and Kilburn and Islington South (which can be hard for them next time after this years' locals). They've to target Brent Central...not sure if they've enough resources in that area of London to target other Labour seats as "outside" chances (like Holborn and St Pancrass). But they sometimes aren't humble enough to realize their limits and their "winning here" mentality let them carry away...sometimes leaving them with nothing.
Luke, what's your take of next GE's London battleground for Labour
We have had all the MPs out, the labour group out, activists out. We have worked incredibly hard. No big problems nationally.
The lib dems have let people down and the state of the area is a disgrace. Their candidate is a joke. We have a top candidate who has lived in Gorton all her life.
Its neck and neck which is fantastic considering in the all outs we were close to a 1000 votes behind.
It'll be a tough ask; but I am quietly optimistic. We have done everything we can and theres a buzz about labour in Manchester at the moment and the self belief is there.
Labour council working with a labour Government have changed Manchester so much and all that remains is to tell people about in on Thursday. Whatever happens I personally am incredibly proud of how hard we've worked.
Oh dear oh dear, Lukey baby. I hope that you're not advocating the military overthrow of democratically elected governments implementing social reform? (And when I use the term "reform", I refer to its original meaning, not "privatising everything and turning the clock back to the Victorian liberal economics").
Presumably you would argue that Allende was responsible for the military coup against his democratically elected government?
The Lib Dems may think they can take Brent Central but Dawn Butler's gonna wipe the floor with Teather. Just let Teather try and tell the voters of Harlsden that she wants to rid them of their favourite daughter. Oh, the pleasure I will gain when Teather is booted straight out of parliament.
"The Lib Dems may think they can take Brent Central but Dawn Butler's gonna wipe the floor with Teather"
According to the Telegraph, she wanted to go for Hampstead and Kilburn, but the Hampstead Libdems asked for a full open selection process (and not a simply yes/no to Teather). So she realized they didn't want her and she went for BC.
Exactly. It is the worst kept political secret that the Lib Dems can't stand Teather and are as eager as we are to get rid of her. Roll on the general election!
Good article. I suppose in Manchester as we have huge working class support we don't have the same problem. But keep it on local issues and related to labour values and you'll go far.
ReplyDeleteAdele what do you think the chances are of a Labour gain in the Man City Council Gorton South by-election next Thursday?
ReplyDeleteLondon has also quite a good number of marginals at parliamentary levels.
ReplyDeleteAgainst the tories Labour should defend: Finchley and Golders Green,
Battersea, Brentford and Isleworth, Ealing Central and Acton, Eltham, Enfield North (bad boundary changes there), Harrow East, Hendon and Westminster North
should all be less than 10% majorities
Hammersmith and Tooting are between 10% and 15% (so not exactly marginals, but not safe either...in a bad year, they can fall easily).
And there're the Libdems...they are usually able to get some seats in big swings (and then maybe failing to get some "real" marginal). I wonder which seats they'll target next time...they've some obvious targets over Labour like Hampstead and Kilburn and Islington South (which can be hard for them next time after this years' locals). They've to target Brent Central...not sure if they've enough resources in that area of London to target other Labour seats as "outside" chances (like Holborn and St Pancrass). But they sometimes aren't humble enough to realize their limits and their "winning here" mentality let them carry away...sometimes leaving them with nothing.
Luke, what's your take of next GE's London battleground for Labour
We have had all the MPs out, the labour group out, activists out. We have worked incredibly hard. No big problems nationally.
ReplyDeleteThe lib dems have let people down and the state of the area is a disgrace. Their candidate is a joke. We have a top candidate who has lived in Gorton all her life.
Its neck and neck which is fantastic considering in the all outs we were close to a 1000 votes behind.
It'll be a tough ask; but I am quietly optimistic. We have done everything we can and theres a buzz about labour in Manchester at the moment and the self belief is there.
Labour council working with a labour Government have changed Manchester so much and all that remains is to tell people about in on Thursday. Whatever happens I personally am incredibly proud of how hard we've worked.
Adele, good luck for the byelection... a Labour gain would certainly be a major setback for the Libdems
ReplyDeleteCheers, it would throw them into absolute dissaray as well as giving the people of Gorton a good labour councillor.
ReplyDeleteOh dear oh dear, Lukey baby. I hope that you're not advocating the military overthrow of democratically elected governments implementing social reform? (And when I use the term "reform", I refer to its original meaning, not "privatising everything and turning the clock back to the Victorian liberal economics").
ReplyDeletePresumably you would argue that Allende was responsible for the military coup against his democratically elected government?
The Lib Dems may think they can take Brent Central but Dawn Butler's gonna wipe the floor with Teather. Just let Teather try and tell the voters of Harlsden that she wants to rid them of their favourite daughter. Oh, the pleasure I will gain when Teather is booted straight out of parliament.
ReplyDeleteJust expose Teather's appauling political judgement and all will be well.
ReplyDelete"The Lib Dems may think they can take Brent Central but Dawn Butler's gonna wipe the floor with Teather"
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Telegraph, she wanted to go for Hampstead and Kilburn, but the Hampstead Libdems asked for a full open selection process (and not a simply yes/no to Teather). So she realized they didn't want her and she went for BC.
Exactly. It is the worst kept political secret that the Lib Dems can't stand Teather and are as eager as we are to get rid of her. Roll on the general election!
ReplyDelete