Local Elections

I wonder what the Tory Party strategy will be for Scotland and Wales if they lose a big proportion of their seats? I just looked at the Scottish latest position, and so far it’s just under a quarter of their total previous seats lost, which is very high. We’ve not had any councils declared yet, but if they lose Monmouthshire there will be no Tory held councils in Wales.

In Scotland about 1/3 of the seats have declared and the Tories are currently 4th in terms of numbers of councillors, behind SNP, Labour and the Independents. 20 seats lost so far.

It's all going quite well.

Of the seats up for election in our area not one Labour candidate was elected, there were 6 independents and 8 conservatives.

No party has overall control.

This loss of some Tory seats is only to be expected mid term, and Conservative voters are bound to want to send a message that although the party has done brilliantly in some areas, they need to buck their ideas up before the general election.
The rise of the Lib Dems in some areas must be hugely disappointing to Labour, despite what they will inevitably say.

In my opinion there is absolutely nothing inspiring about Keir Starmer whatsoever He’s wooden, lack- lustre, and there is nothing about him which shouts PM in the making.
I know I’m not alone in thinking like this.
Likewise I can’t ever see the Lib Dems getting enough support when push comes to shove in the general election.

Grany

"Outside of London, Labours vote is a little bit lower than it was in 2018, it hasn't done quite as well as Jeremy Corbyn did."

Maybe, just maybe, Starmer is starting to see that he needed the left of the party to make the gains he needed?

Hear, hear Grany.

We're off. As an outsider the arguing within the LP is not appealing although I doubt it will stop.

Hot off the press:
‘Speaking on a visit to a school in London, the PM says it was a "tough night in some parts of the country", but also says the Conservatives were making "remarkable gains" elsewhere.’
Am I missing something, please spill the beans?

Anniebach

Starmer needs the left to stop attacking him, they want a far
left leader ,regardless of their choice of Corbyn they want the
same again

Starmer has got rid of socialist members and Jewish people who stand up for Palestine. He is attacking the left.

The left willingly voted for Starmer as leader he promised Party unity the 10 pledges he was elected on. But he got rid of the left for no good reason.

Anniebach

Starmer needs the left to stop attacking him, they want a far
left leader ,regardless of their choice of Corbyn they want the
same again

Totally Annie but it probably won't happen. It didn't happen when Corbyn was leader did it.

PR is the only answer and than all groups can be represented according to their support.

My council - Leeds - is still counting. Do you think they had a lie-in? Although Leeds has been Labour run , our town is very Conservative; it's going to be interesting. At one point, if they were co-opting on to the Town Council (not being voted for today) they would ask in the interview if you were a Conservative member or if you minded joining! They have been stopped from doing that but rumour has it that they just ask the question before the interview now. This is the Conservatives sense of entitlement here.

So I have great hope but little expectation that the town will vote in someone other than a Conservative but I do hope they are busy counting in Leeds so we can see what has happened.

Starmer needs the left to stop attacking him, they want a far
left leader ,regardless of their choice of Corbyn they want the
same again

grannyactivist

WWM2 Joshua Ellis-Jones is a Cambridge graduate and a (young) Executive Director at Goldman Sachs. He’s climbed a mountain to get elected in Topsham.

Well done him.

WWM2 Joshua Ellis-Jones is a Cambridge graduate and a (young) Executive Director at Goldman Sachs. He’s climbed a mountain to get elected in Topsham.

"Outside of London, Labours vote is a little bit lower than it was in 2018, it hasn't done quite as well as Jeremy Corbyn did."

Maybe, just maybe, Starmer is starting to see that he needed the left of the party to make the gains he needed?

grannyactivist

WWM2 I am absolutely dumbfounded to read that Topsham (Devon) has gone from Conservative to Labour. It’s an area I know well and have always believed that such a swing would be impossible - the Labour candidate must be extremely personable. I’m off now to have a look who it is.

Yes I know, especially knowing the area.

WWM2 I am absolutely dumbfounded to read that Topsham (Devon) has gone from Conservative to Labour. It’s an area I know well and have always believed that such a swing would be impossible - the Labour candidate must be extremely personable. I’m off now to have a look who it is.

AGAA4

AIBU to wonder why people are still voting for the Tories.
Genuine question to those who still support them.

They probably have a good local Conservative councillor who they are happy with. So why would they not vote to keep them.

I watched the coverage all night long and into morning until Huw Edwards and the team clocked off at 6:00am. Almost half the England councils had been called by then.

The partial talking heads ranged from the usual Johnson lickspittles, special mention must go to Richard Holden and Robert Jenrick, to a handful of Tory MPs and councillors who laid the blame squarely at Johnson’s door not only for his lack of integrity but for not having more able MPs in senior positions.

In between were many, many Torys trying desperately hard to frame their answers to direct questions about what consituents said on the doorstep so as not to admit that Johnson’s behaviour was a factor. No, Partygate was barely mentioned. Nobody’s bothered about it. was trotted out so often I was wishing for lie-detectors.

That Wandworth and Westminster councils (and others) are now under Labour control shows how deceent Tory councillors have paid the price for Johnson. I doubt he’ll care unless it triggers MPs who should have written to Brady weeks ago, into doing so now.

I felt genuinely sorry for John Mallinson, the outgoing Conservative leader of Carlise City Council, one of the few who admitted that the Tory Party has suffered due to Partygate and said he expects a leadership contest to be triggered in Westminster. He added that there was a lot of animosity in Cumberland towards the prime minister and that people no longer have the confidence that he can be relied on to tell the truth. I suspect many feel the same but just can’t being themselves to admit it publicly e.g Wandsworth’s Ravi Govindia.

Results are just starting to come in for my local council in Scotland. At least one Tory so far. Comments on the council FB page are mainly along the lines of "Who in Fife can still be voting for the Tories after all this?"

Whitewavemark2

I was wondering if that was legal tbh

Just from memory, I think the Conservatives registered it as an alternative name under Mrs May.

AIBU to wonder why people are still voting for the Tories.
Genuine question to those who still support them.

Take this into account

Chris Bryant
@RhonddaBryant

Any Tory who sets the bar for Labour victory tonight at 800 extra seats is lying. Most of the seats up for election tonight are already Labour.

Zoejory

Well, people are getting terribly excited on GN about this. I would have thought Labour would have gained far more. Quite shocking really when you think of the Conservative's and what they've done/not done.

But in reality these mean very little. Margaret Thatcher lost about 700 seats in the late 80s then went on to a stomping victory and Tony Blair suffering a similar fate and then going on to win.

Mid term blues as Jack Straw said.

Still very surprised. that Labour hasn't gained far more seats but the count is ongoing so still time.

You keep telling yourself that Zoejory.

Is reporting the results getting you "terribly excited". You seem to be interested in posting on here.

I wonder what the word describing someone who supports a liar and a law-breaker is? I'm happy with "excited" as a description by comparison to that. As I'm not one of the Famous Five I don't find myself "terribly" excited.

I was wondering if that was legal tbh

Disappointing to see that so many voters have apparently fallen for the 'Local Conservatives' tag. This is what depresses me.

These local conservatives are the people who put BJ in power in the first place for heaven's sake, and supported the austerity measures that have brought local govt to their knees.