Tag Archives: Labour

By-election

Conservatives Get Result In Norwich North

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Tory candidate Chloe Smith has won the Norwich North by-election with a majority of more than 7000 and at 27 becomes the youngest MP in the House of Commons.  The result comes some 12 hours later than might have been expected due to the unusual step of delaying the count until this morning.  

The seat had been Labour since 1997 when Ian Gibson was first elected.  If the results of this by-election were replicated across the country at the general election, the Tories would be on course for a majority of 100. 

The full results are as follows:

Peter Baggs (Independent)     23

Thomas Burridge (Libertarian Party)      36

Anne Fryatt (None of The Above Party)     59

Bill Holden (Independent)     166

Laud Howling (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party)     144

Craig Murray (Put An Honest Man into Parliament)     953

Chris Ostrowski (Labour)     6,243

April Pond (Liberal Democrat)     4,803

Rupert Read (Green)     3,350

Chloe Smith (Conservative)     13,591

Glenn Tingle (UK Independence Party)     4,068                    

Robert West (British National Party)     941

 The Times reported that the post defeat in-fighting in the Labour party senior ranks began even before the scale of the defeat was officially announced.  The Guardian has been reporting live throughout the morning and predicted the share of the vote between the main parties well ahead of the official announcement.

By-election

Norwich Results By Noon

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Counting is underway in the Norwich North By-election and initial estimates predict a turnout of around 45% which whilst much lower than the 61% for the constituency in the last general election is not startlingly low for a late term by-election.

The main reason for the delay in the count has emerged and the council is claiming that it is due to the high number of postal votes which require verification.   According to the council chief executive Colin Bland “After the last general election new measures were introduced to try to eliminate election fraud. This means that when voters register for a postal vote we collect their date of birth and signature. Once we have received their postal vote we have to check their signature and date of birth against our records to verify their right to vote”.  The council are also pointing to the lower costs of paying counters for day time work.

Th result is expected at 12 noon and a Conservative win is expected.  Interest will also focus on whether the Liberal Democrats can push Labour into third place.

By-election

No Exit Polls In Low Turnout Norwich

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Whilst a Tory victory in Norwich North looks very likely the by-election has been characterised by a general sense of apathy.  It appears that voters have not been polled and unusually for a UK by-election the count won’t take place until the morning, with a confirmation of the result not due until noon.

The Daily Telegraph is reporting that the turnout will be low with one possible explanation being disenchanted Labour voters not turning out.

The full list of candidates in alphabetical order are:

Peter Baggs (Independent)

Thomas Burridge (Libertarian Party)

Anne Fryatt (None of The Above Party)

Bill Holden (Independent)

Laud Howling (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party)

Craig Murray (Put An Honest Man into Parliament)

Chris Ostrowski (Labour)

April Pond (Liberal Democrat)

Rupert Read (Green)

Chloe Smith (Conservative)

Glenn Tingle (UK Independence Party)

Robert West (British National Party)

By-election

Out for the Count in Norwich By-Election

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Constituents are already casting their votes in today’s Norwich North by-election but there will be no point in staying up after the close to see if the Tories do get the big win that the polls are predicting.  The reason being is that the count will not begin until Friday morning with a result due at about midday.  It is claimed that the count will happen on Friday because partly because staffing a daytime count is easier.  However this has not been a problem in previous by-elections.

This is the first by-election since the MPs’ expenses scandal and was brought about by the resignation of Labour MP Ian Gibson after revelations that he used parliamentary expenses to fund for his daughter’s London home and then sold it to her for considerably below the market value.

Labour

Miliband Ducks on Today

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On the Today programme this morning David Miliband effectively completed the task he began in August last year when he ducked out of a challenge for the Labour leadership.  The task in question was to finally put an end to any prospect that he might one day be prime minister.  

Not only did he name Alan Johnson clearly as the number one challenger, but he avoided direct enquiries about his knowledge of a plot against Brown.  Time after time he ignored Jim Naughtie’s questions to deliver prepared statements about the Labour ‘project’.   He even bizarrely asserted that the forced bail out of  Lloyds Bank was an example of a ‘radical new phase’ in government policy.

The only thing that was absolutely clear in this interview is that he is too weak and indecisive to ever lead the party.

General, Labour

Will Labour Force Gordon Out?

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With less than a year to go before an election a party in government never forces a leader out.  Received wisdom says it would be electoral suicide.  Government MPs would never sanction a move that might see them turfed out of the house.  But what if defeat is inevitable anyway?  What if the circumstance were so unusual that enough government MPs thought the only way to save their seat was a spot of modern day ‘regicide’?  What is is that they say about exceptions?

Two top cabinet ministers plus the cabinet office minister are on their way out.  Jacqui Smith has told Gordon she want to go,  Tom Watson has told friends he wants to go and pretty much everyone has told Gordon they want Alistair Darling to go.  Thursday will see a trouncing for Labour particularly in Europe and but also in local government.  MPs are are ducking and diving to save their skins as ‘moatgate’ continues.  The demands for an immediate election are getting louder and Gordon’s siren calls on constitutional reform won’t drag the demands off course. 

Gordon won’t call an election before he has to.  He has form on that score.  The inevitable course will lead Labour further down in the polls.  How long is it before the ageing young turks near the top of the party decide that the only way to buy time and offset a defeat so large that it may mean decades in the wilderness, is a coup?