If we add all those votes that didn’t go to Labour, then really they didn’t win. That’s how it works, isn’t it?
Labour has held on to the marginal seat of Peterborough, overturning predictions that the contest could deliver a first byelection victory for Nigel Farage’s Brexit party.
The victorious Labour candidate, Lisa Forbes, told her supporters after the count early on Friday: “Tonight’s result is significant because it shows that the politics of division will never win.”
But, but, but, not only did she only scrape her win, but the Brexit Party plus Conservative and Ukip’s combined votes were more than hers. That’s what they told us after the EU election results, so it must be true. Oddly, the usual suspects are silent this time around. I wonder why?
Of course labour won. They played the game according to the rules and won according to the rules. That’s it. TBP came a credible second and that’s pretty good going for a new party. Not enough of the Conservative vote were persuaded to switch and that’s how it goes. As for the politics of division, I would suggest that before claiming to have overcome it and that it will not win, she look at how the people of Peterborough voted. I’d say pretty divided, but what do I know? After all, I can count.
Meanwhile Farage had this to say:
He added: “Here’s the important thing – eight weeks ago today the Brexit party launched. And I think what you’ve seen from this result last night is that British politics has fundamentally changed. It’s no longer just two parties contesting.”
By any measure, that’s an impressive result. Compare and contrast with another new party that claimed that it was going to break the mould of British politics.
And let’s not forget the SDP all those years ago.
Seems to me that the main division was within Change UK. Half of them have left already. What’s the betting the rest of them end up joining the Limp Dumps?…
To be honest the BP not winning isn’t really an issue. A massive message has been sent to the Tory Party – sort a real Brexit by this autumn, or you’re toast. Just about every single Tory MP will look at that result and think – I’m out of a job in few years unless I deliver Brexit.
Personally I don’t see the BP changing politics in the long run, much as I’d like an alternative to the usual suspects. But it can definitely get us the Brexit we voted for by putting the fear of God into the spineless greedy a-holes that infest the Tory party – Brexit, or you’re off the gravy train. My guess is that the average MP cares far more about his salary than any specific policy matter, and will tack whichever way necessary to keep the £££ rolling in.
I am inclined to agree. A general election under FPTP will be a difficult breakthrough, but will wreck the Tories.
“They played the game according to the rules and won according to the rules.”
Really? So, here we have a constituency that recalled it’s Labour MP and binned her. This constituency voted by 61% to leave the EU, and over 16,000 of them voted for the BP in the Euro Elections. Where the national average for postal voting is 16%, for this election in this constituency it was an incredible 69%.
I smell something very fishy, and I’m not talking about the contents of Baldrick’s apple pie!
16,000 does seem to be the total of TBP and Conservative vote. If the Conservatives don’t hoist in this information then they are gonners. They need to work with TBP and even discuss an electoral pact. I think your stat reference postal voting referred to the fact that 69% of the postal votes were returned, not that 69% of the constituencies votes were postal (I may be wrong though).
Rapscallion, I smell something fishy as well. The majority was again small and nothing like I would have expected it to be had Labour kept the seat. The turnout was poor at the polling stations 48% but at General Election level when it came to postal votes. This compares badly with other elections in the seat going back to just after the 1867 Reform Act. A low physical turnout, massive numbers of postal votes, Labour’s Muslim contingent celebrating at the count. Yes I agree that Labour mobilised their vote to get out but how much of this was honest and how much was not?
The result is indeed a triumph for the Brexit Party despite not taking the seat. Bearing in mind that the Brexit Party has only been in existence for a short time and does not have the ground game resources of other more established parties, this is a creditable performance.
It looks like Nige left without saying much to anyone (I.e. presenting himself to the MSM for ritual misrepresentation) which, of course is a sulking admission of failure and as graphic a demonstration as can be imagined of the bursting of the Brexit party bubble.
Or maybe he just didn’t want an explosive acid milkshake thrown at him.
The richness and vibrancy of the place has been commented on, and the eccentricity- oh so archetypally British – of the former incumbent regarding the law. How could such a hate filled bigot hope to divide in such a bastion of freedom and fair play.
Well I want to stay now and just let a Brexit turquoise shirt darken my doorway!
You better hope it isn’t me in a turquoise shirt darkening your door then?. I don’t take kindly to threats of violence.
Recently I have followed links to stories on US news sites and been presented with a message saying that I can’t access it due to EU regulations. If we had a competent government this wouldn’t be a problem by now.
Get yourself a VPN
I have a VPN, often when coming to this blog I get a message along the line of “VPN detected, disable it and try again”.
I was having troll trouble and he was using a vpn. As he was engaged in stalking and threats of doxxing, I needed to see his real IP.