all that hard work the Reading boys did, and finally they get the outcome they wanted all along - Labour in third place in Reading East and we are back to the 1980s. Congratulations boys. Your antics had a nice mention on Sky this morning just in case anyone had forgotten and no I didn't talk to Sky. In opposition, the Tories in government (well, not quite yet but that was out of your gift) and Labour in third place. Labour's militant tendency in the Reading party has done what the other Militant did in the 1980s - make the party unelectable for a generation. Well done. Jolly well done chaps. How are you going to face the decent party workers who went out delivering and did their best during this campaign, when you have your delightful post-election GC and the poison flies around the room? What are you going to say to them? May you be forgiven. At the moment I can't.
Howarth, Sutton, Singleton-White and Salter, that is your political epitaph. Opposition for a generation.
21 comments:
I see the sainted Rob White did worse than the UKIP candidate. Perhaps people don't want apparently honest politicians.
And Rob Wilson did extremely well.
I don't think for a single second that the Reading Labour Boys will learn from this. They will continue refusing to accept that you don't de-select your own MP and subject the constituency to public ridicule on a daily basis - and then steam back to the top of the poll five years later with a cut-out candidate who simply looks like a waxwork of Jane on a bad day.
Voters are not stupid.
The Reading seats will not return to Labour for at least another two Genreral Elections - and why should they then?
And by the by, the slogan 'Janestheone' came from the voters. They thought she was.
Anneliese and Tony Page weren't.
I note that Labour has kept Southcote, Norcot and Battle wards...
What the hell does that matter? Look at the aching chasm between Wilson's vote and that of Anneliese. Also, the new Tory MP for Reading West has a good basis from which to build. And will next time.
Ah, but Basher lost to Rob White in Park!
And yes despite the sheer viciousness of the campaign directed against Malcolm Powers,over the past two years,the fella came in a respectable second.Well done Sir!You can hold your head up high.
"the decent party workers who went out delivering and did their best during this campaign"
The Labour party were out campaigning in Reading? Not on my street they weren't! It was the silent election in Caversham. Barely any posters, no sign of canvassers, nothing hand delivered, but bundles and bundles of mailshots delivered by the post.
Apparently rob wison praised dodds saying shewill have a remarkable political career. Was he being sarcastic?
Me thinks local and parliamentary results are at odds in both East and West? Anybody else notice? Jane explain please...your in depth knowledge of local politics might shed light for the perplexed.
And Labour is still the largest party on Reading Borough Council (19/17/9/1).
Precisely my point anon 13:10! locals already decided beforehand maybe?? Reason no sign of Labour on the ground?...No need to! What a slick op.
All over the country in the local elections - Labour gain, others lose. Curious.
In Reading local elections - basically no change. Very curious.
I see Daisy was re elected as a councillor.
and the turnout - 64% despite all the hype
He was being accurate - remarkably BAD
Yes and poor Doddy was led like lamb to slaughter. Probably the reason why Rob Wilson praised her, poor darling! Coming from Scotland and living in Bristol, she would not have a clue to what is going on in Reading. They kept her well out of the way and could! Mind you she could not resist trying another seat. Understand this is not her first one and probably not the last one.. where she will fail. She just has not got it!
If she hasn't 'got it' - she will immediately be parachuted in to a proper winnable seat.
Labour's high command likes women to be neither seen nor heard - so she is perfect in every respect. Will probably be Labour's first female PM!
Re: the difference between local and parliamentary results.
1. People do vote differently; Rob White is the perfect example, where they saw he could win in Park but not in Reading East
2. The postal ballots were issued for the locals before the TV debates, for the general election after the first one, I think.
3. In Reading the local candidates were, er, local. Anneliese and Naz weren't.
4. Post-voting research seems to suggest that there is a mistaken "alternative vote" at work when two elections are held simultaneously. The effect is small (around 1-2% of voters), but some people think they CAN'T vote twice for the same party, and some people don't because they think it is "fairer" to share their votes out.
The reason Wilson praised Dodds was so that he could make a point of not referring to Epps. Because of his work on the Council, which frequently shows up the amateurishness of the Conservative approach, Epps has really got under the skin of some Tory councillors, and they cannot stand him.
Thank yu Jonny. Ahh, explains it all now...
Responsing ot Johnny - the point is not that Anneliese and Naz were not 'local' - but that they were - er- CRAP.
People tend to vote on ability not geography.
Tony Blair was a pretty good MP for Sedgefield and he lived in Islington.
Some reasons for the difference between local and national results:
There are practically no Labour voters in the Wokingham part of Reading East or the West Berks part of Reading West.
If you count the number of votes cast in Reading Borough, the Tories got more votes than Labour. Tory votes are concentrated in a few ultra safe wards, whereas Labour Votes are spread round the other wards in just sufficient quantities to win them.
People sometimes vote for the candidate rather than the party. Annelise and Naz were particularly poor candidates by Labour party standards. Whether the council candidate is any use or not depends on the ward.
The party with the best policies for emptying the bins, filling potholes in the roads and not putting up too many traffic lights might not be the best party for sorting out the economy. A different election means different criteria for selecting the best candidate.
Tactical Voting. The most noticeable example is Rob White who got more votes in Park Ward than he did for the whole of Reading East. He was the no. 2 candidate last time, so the best hope of making sure Basher doesn't win. The best hope of making sure Annelise doesn't win in Reading East was the Tories. Of course they might like his proposals for Reading Borough but not his proposals for Westminster.
Post a Comment