Local Elections

Sorry to keep on about Scotland but its the area I know best. Its not just the BBC who take an "interesting" view on this. The Daily Express this morning:

The SNP will publically claim a big victory in the council elections but the details may make less enjoyable reading for Nicola Sturgeon.

(I left in their spelling mistake for effect )

The actual results are in the attached clip.

The press are trying to run this country and tell us things that aren't true and we should do something about it. What can we do?

Ireland will almost certainly now start to argue for a referendum

In spite of what they claim, it will still be top of the SF agenda.

Alliance are gaining ground. Younger folk are tired of the division. They want a shared way forward.

Drakeford certainly doesn't have the charisma of Carwyn.

Casdon

21 of 22 results now in for Wales. The Tories have lost 82 seats here, and their only Council control. They won 107 seats, and are now in fourth place behind Labour, independents and Plaid. Not a good day at all for them. The media are attributing Labour’s success to the ‘Drakeford factor’. It must be that elusive counter-charisma, only understood by the Welsh, and not by Labour’s left wing either.

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Volver according to the BEEB
,"it was a nailbiting finish in Scotland "

yup....SNP upped their numbers and had 172 MORE councillors than their nearest rival.....really edge of seat stuff.
The more they try to bury us ,the quicker we'll grow.Independence is NORMAL .

Edinburgh,Aberdeen ,Stirling ,Angus even the last tory ward in Glasgow went SNP.

Its ridiculous that people on here still believe we have the party of our choice foisted on us ...we VOTE for them and I think its a straight 13 election wins in a row .

varian

Still o'er the field the combat burns
The Tories, Whigs, give way by turns
But Fate the word has spoken
For woman's wit and strength o' man
Alas! can do but what they can
The Tory ranks are broken

Election Ballad by Robert Burns

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Still o'er the field the combat burns
The Tories, Whigs, give way by turns
But Fate the word has spoken
For woman's wit and strength o' man
Alas! can do but what they can
The Tory ranks are broken

Election Ballad by Robert Burns

Final tally for Somerset- LibDems 61 Cons 35 Greens 5 Lab 5 Ind 3

Ah well. Living with the corruption, the lies, the stupidity, the gaslighting and the worst economic forecast for 40 years, because someone on the doorstep doesn't know what a woman is and you've come up with some catchy slogan.

Spoilt my ballot paper, wrote "respect my sex if you want my x". Only canvassed by Libdems who when I asked him what is a woman, said "I can't answer that!" It's a two horse race between Libdem and Tory here, won't vote Tory.

I agree Whitewave.

I would also expect some newspapers to be referred to their regulators and some politicians, who have put pressure on the police, to have the way evidence was put forward tested in the appropriate committee.

I assume that the Met police will now be continuing with issuing fines and announcing their findings as well as the Sue Gray report being opened for scrutiny.

Both must be done immediately otherwise the police are wide open for the charge of politicisation - Durham.

Yes I really do believe in democracy, and the right to decide one’s future. If Scotland decides to become independent, I shall feel glad for them, but at the same time sad.

Just the same for Ireland, except that I have never felt comfortable with a divided Ireland, it has never sat well with me.

nadateturbe MrJ said the same about NI re power sharing, DUP and Ulster Unionists.

In Scotland, SNP won the election to remain the largest party in local government. Labour moved up to second and the Tories fell back to third, losing 63 seats. The SNP have won the last 11 Scotland-wide elections I believe, which have been by either FPTP, Single Transferable Vote PR or D’Hondt PR.

Whatever you think of them, SNP are doing something right. So the next time you see a press report or someone rattling on about “Sturgeon’s plan to break up the UK”, or some other similar drivel, please remember that Scotland votes for the SNP, and they are doing what we are asking them to do. You can disagree with it, of course, but its what Scotland keeps asking for.

No doubt some clever person will pop up and tell us we’re all gaslit, that they are no good for us at all. I’ll remind them of this cognitive dissonance, from Murdo Fraser’s Twitter feed this morning:

On a challenging day for the party nationally, a barnstorming result for @ScotTories in Argyll & Bute with an extra councillor on 2017.

In Perth and Kinross: No surge for the SNP with a gain of only one seat.

Whitewavemark2

Professor Christopher Painter

Labour have met the net seat gains from Thursday's elections that many of the pundits said would represent success for them. Conservative net seat losses comfortably exceed what their supporters said would be acceptable damage limitation. Therein lies the true election story!

Interesting that this is not what the hosts of the news programmes wanted to hear yesterday. I have just listened to a very measured David Blunkett on Today. I wish we could have more studied and thoughtful commentry.

Everyone seems to think they will only win whatever "war" they believe they are involved in by being extreme. In fact, both wars and everyday life are won by knowledge, patience and careful planning; they are what bring us through crises. The screaming, shouting, threats and distrust of knowledge have managed to get us precisely nowhere for the last decade-plus. The tactics of disruption that Johnson seems wedded to have not made us "great" again. They have destroyed lives both physically, economically, and by sucking the joy out of everyday life.

I was quite shocked when I saw that somewhere here in Lancashire had a turnout of less than 28%. I suppose I shouldn't be shocked but how can we expect or hope for a change when people choose not to vote?

Professor Christopher Painter

Labour have met the net seat gains from Thursday's elections that many of the pundits said would represent success for them. Conservative net seat losses comfortably exceed what their supporters said would be acceptable damage limitation. Therein lies the true election story!

I think the UK will survive intact. ??
Much of what happened in these local elections was a protest vote. It happens. I don’t expect it to transfer in a GE when turnout will be higher.

nadateturbe

Historic result in Northern Ireland.
There will be many very unhappy people. Not least DUP.
The coming days will be interesting.

My goodness .

Ireland will almost certainly now start to argue for a referendum as will Scotland.

Well done Tories! Only you could ensure the breakup of the United Kingdom.

Bea65, I use the postal voting so I don't notice the turnout. I vote on principle, rather than by candidate, and it's an anti-Tory vote. Here in Redbridge, labour now have 55 seats (having gained 4) Conservatives 5 so I'm happy.

Yes, we're supposed to vote on local issues - but do we? A lot of angry voting here is just reaction to our current 'leaders' (what a bunch of clowns) or simply based on concern about future personal finances, services, the NHS.

Where I used to live, Labour had no chance - so I'd vote Liberal instead.

Historic result in Northern Ireland.
There will be many very unhappy people. Not least DUP.
The coming days will be interesting.

MaizieD

^All this compared to a working lunch attended by Starmer and other Labour Party members.^

Lunch?
At 10 o'clock at night?

Oh supper then. I hadn’t thought to look at the time.

All this compared to a working lunch attended by Starmer and other Labour Party members.

Lunch?
At 10 o'clock at night?

MayBee70

Crikey. Maybe it’s because he seems like a really decent bloke who cares about the people in Wales. Who’d’ve’thought it.

He’s not so well thought of in north Wales due to the ongoing debacle of the Betsi Cadwaladr health board - as can be seen in the results where Plaid and the Independents rule across the area!