Victory for Lib Dems in Brent east election

[Harovan]

Originally posted by TheStinger
I hounestly think they would do less damage than those socialist parties

Perhaps, but doing damage is not the same as being clownish.

[TheStinger]

No but they would do damage by enacting their clownish policies.

A policy to renationalise every provatised industry is inherently clownish. How will they pay for it? with Mr Giggle's comedy money.

[Whaleboy]

The only word I can really think of is Beautiful!! A party with the word "liberal" in its name actually won something!!

*elijah moons at blair*

[Whaleboy]

XAT's going to get a rather long and painful email

[*End Is Forever*]

It's an impressive result result for the Liberal Democrats, but one that's been hugely overplayed by them. This is quite clearly a vote against the Labour government, rather than a vote for the yellow hoardes. People quite clearly chose the party that was best equipped to defeat Labour, and backed that horse. It's only a "terrible night for the Conservatives" in the same sense that the Romsey by-election was a "terrible night for Labour" - that is, not at all. In fact, for Uma Fernandes to hold her share of the vote in the circumstances shows that all is reasonably healthy.

That said, they probably deserve it, because they've worked exceptionally hard - swarms of LDYS activists have descended on the constituency day after day during the campaign - but at the end of the day it's still a victory built on the key Liberal Democrat by-election tenets of lies, deception and hard work; the latter honourable, the former two certainly not.

[MikeH]

If they wanted to just overthrow labour then why not vote in the party that was second last time?

Because it's a left wing constituency and they wanted a left wing MP.

Can't believe a Conservative has the cheek to talk about another party's election lies!

[*End Is Forever*]

Lies, damned lies, and statistics, Mike.

The Conservative candidate was only second from the Liberal Democrats by a whisker last time, and both were light years behind Paul Daisley. That gap is largely populated by "core" Labour voters who would never vote Conservative come hell or high water. Any protest from these people would either go to the Liberal Democrats (who have with great opportunism gone after the hard-left vote), the far left, or else not at all. It's very misleading to say that because the Conservative were (just) in second place, they were best placed to capture the core Labour vote. That's simply not true!

Incidentally, anyone want to place a tenner on Teather retaining her seat at the next election? Thought not...

[MikeH]

"That gap is largely populated by "core" Labour voters who would never vote Conservative come hell or high water."

That's what I said.

Depends what happens between now and the election but I doubt it.

[*End Is Forever*]

Sorry, I thought it was a semi-rhetorical dig.

[TheStinger]

If labour had come third then they should be worried. But as they didn't its just another mid term by election loss.

It would be interesting to as all the politicians their views at the time of previous by election results when differing parties were in power.

Some hounesty about the result would be nice.

[molly bloom]

Yes, yet another mould breaking by election win for an opposition party during the Government's doldrums.

Of course, it heralds a new dawn for British politics, and Lloyd George will get out of his grave to come to Westminster to get a leg over Anne Widdecombe.

[lord of the mark]

"The party won the constituency - which until 2001 was held by Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London "

Not exactly a "new labor" stronghold, I take it?

[Paul Hanson]

Ken Livingstone was a Labour MP.

[reds4ever]

It's one thing posting a protest vote in a mid term by-election when Labour has a big majority anyway, ( its happened to the Tories and Labour), the same voters will go back to Labour when it comes to the crunch.

Anyone want 5/2 Brents not in the Lib Dems hands come the general? :O)

[*End Is Forever*]

5/2? I'd put money on that.