Why dud Labour lose Uxbridge? Was it really because of ULEZ or some other reason?

Is 'dud Labour' just a typo, Dinahmo? 😉

I will read the opinion piece, but I don't think I'll agree with it.

If you want to find out about KS next probable PM

Starmer stories.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=RVWVxsRttCQ

I think you got it right with dud Labour Dinahmo.

The article is behind a paywall.

Well, I was listening to Rory Stewart yesterday talking about this very thing. He had in turn been talking to someone - an academic who studies these things - who had monitored and studied Uxbridge before and during the run up to the election.

In the ancademics opinion, this was won by social media, and algorithms - I need to listen again to give more intelligent detail, but it was convincing and quite frankly worrying.

Germanshepherdsmum

The article is behind a paywall.

The Guardian has no paywall, GSM. Try harder...

Germanshepherdsmum

The article is behind a paywall.

I scrolled down and clicked on ‘I’m happy’ then you can view.

I read the article in the paper and I think he makes a good point. People do like their representatives to be local, not imposed on them from above. I don't think that Keir Starmer will accept this theory though, because he likes to have control.

Maybe I’m simplifying but I think it was about ULEZ.

Of course, Uxbridge has a history of poor electoral choices…

I have said from the start that blaiming ULEZ for the Conservative victory was misleading. Most cars are ULEZ compatible anyway, so there would not be enough votes in i.

As for blaming 'the poor' who would have to sell their old ULEZ cars to buy new ones (???????), they would not be voting Conservative anyway.

As for blaming 'the poor' who would have to sell their old ULEZ cars to buy new ones (???????), they would not be voting Conservative anyway.

I'm not so sure you're correct there, MOnica. 'The poor' can be just as irrational as any other voter. And are often very, small 'c', conservative.

Sunak definitely has his eye on the blue collar worker, thus all his statements lately.

M0nica

I have said from the start that blaiming ULEZ for the Conservative victory was misleading. Most cars are ULEZ compatible anyway, so there would not be enough votes in i.

As for blaming 'the poor' who would have to sell their old ULEZ cars to buy new ones (???????), they would not be voting Conservative anyway.

Most cars/vans are not necessarily ULEZ compatible but , perhaps more significantly the price of a ULEZ compatible used (replacement) car can be up to £2k more for a medium sized vehicle such as a Golf, for instance.
The “poor” as just as likely to be Conservative voters, indeed possibly more likely judging by the demographic of DM readers and certainly less likely than professionals in fashionable Islington or trendy Hackney!
Whether or not this was a significant factor needs to be addressed by the bean counters in each of the major parties, but one thing is certain, sweeping generalisations are likely to be misleading.

‘^The poor … would not be voting Conservative anyway^’. How arrogant and presumptuous.

I would say more ‘poor’ people vote for the right wing parties than left wing ones over here. Perhaps it is different there.

According to the YouGov survey done after the last election, Foxygloves is right. Social groups C2DE were more likely to vote Tory. Age was also a major determining factor.
yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2019/12/17/how-britain-voted-2019-general-election

Uxbridge is a Tory voting area, and remained that way, with a much reduced majority.

Some areas vote for a party, regardless of what's going on.

My area is "true blue" and Labour will never win here. As they used to say "they weigh the votes" - no one comes near to touching the Tory MP.

As it happens, Tory or not, he's a pretty good MP for constituents.🙂

Whitewavemark2

Well, I was listening to Rory Stewart yesterday talking about this very thing. He had in turn been talking to someone - an academic who studies these things - who had monitored and studied Uxbridge before and during the run up to the election.

In the ancademics opinion, this was won by social media, and algorithms - I need to listen again to give more intelligent detail, but it was convincing and quite frankly worrying.

Some independent research on the algorithms

question we should all be asking is who is behind the funding.

threadreaderapp.com/thread/1684591764160536578.html

From memory the academic on RS ‘s podcast found that there were false accounts who were able to break algorithms being set up on social media, which picked up on the ULEZ issue and ensured that the issue was trending constantly on platforms like twitter, Facebook and the like. The outcome was that this became a major issue amongst the voters as opposed to so many other issues.

The question is who were the drivers of these false accounts. It is expected that this will get worse in the run up to the election.

Rory Stewart confirmed that this happens as when running for mayor he was approached by at least 2 companies who offered to do just this guaranteeing him a win.

I think this phenomena was around during Brexit, and am very worried about its implication on our democracy.

I’m rather fed up of it being constantly being pointed out by the media that Labour lost Uxbridge when it was a case of the Conservatives retaining it.

So Labour imposed a candidate no one locally wanted, then ran a terrible campaign, which included reversing a policy mid-campaign, and a confused doorstep approach, and they only lost by about 500 votes. If the same thing happens in the next GE there won't be a Labour government. I wonder if Starmer is beginning to realise that?

Knowing the high anti -ULEZ feelings in the outer boroughs, (or mine and the neighbouring boroughs at least), I do think it had something to do with that.

The Tory candidate pushed the issue as Labour policy, and the Labour candidate tried to disassociate himself from it.

By the next GE, we will have had the mayoral election, where Khan might be ousted, and the Tory candidate has said she'll abolish ULEZ.

Either way, it won't be an issue in the GE.

Abolishing ULEZ would be a very backward step, and certainly wouldn't please the people that have already changed their vehicles in order to comply.