UK Local Elections / European Parliamentary Elections

[Michael Z]

So I went and participated in four separate elections today. London Mayoral elections, London Assembly, Local Council, and European Parliamentary elections.

One thing that does bother me as I watch the election coverage unfolding on television is the rise of the UK Independence Party. To me they seem like the nastiest bunch of Little Englanders, a party whose sole policy rests on the wish to take this country out of the European Union. I find it absolutely disgraceful that anyone would want to pursue a policy like that, after all our continent has been through. We spent centuries fighting wars with each other simply because we spoke slightly different languages or believed in slightly different things or fancied this or that bit of each other's territory. The EU, for all its faults, is a wonderful thing in principle. It ensures that countries which were once at each other's throats can co-operate in harmony and peace. And yet some idiots want leave all that behind, go back to the Europe of yore, the Europe of Hitler and Napoleon, and worse some people are perfectly willing to cheer them on. It's a disgrace.

The EU is far from perfect but it is better improved upon from within. Not by ignoring all the good it has achieved and leaving it altogether. Not that this will ever become government policy of course, but a good performance by the UKIP may result in a rightward shift in the general policy on Europe, and that can only be a bad thing.

[/rant]

[JohnFKennedy]

The UKIP better not get a seat. It would be bloody embarassing in my opinion.

Are you watching it on BBC Newsnight?

They were interviewing people outside the polling station about their votes and some woman came out and said they were trying to "keep politics out of it". The guy just started laughing and said "this is an election".

What a fool that woman was, heh.

I think Ken is going to stay as Mayor.

I believe UKIP also supports isolationism and not trading with anybody don't they?

They have Robert Kilroy Scum Silk in their party, thus, I have no respect for any of them. The man said that all Arabs were terrorists for Christ's sake.

[Michael Z]

The UKIP better not get a seat. It would be bloody embarassing in my opinion.

I said my piece on the UKIP. But yes, they are a total embarassment.

Are you watching it on BBC Newsnight?

They were interviewing people outside the polling station about their votes and some woman came out and said they were trying to "keep politics out of it". The guy just started laughing and said "this is an election".

What a fool that woman was, heh.

Yeah, I was watching that too. I did like the elderly couple though, they were kinda sweet.

I think Ken is going to stay as Mayor.

Ken will probably be re-elected, albeit by a very narrow margin. If some of the polls are to be believed he's neck-on-neck with Steve Norris. Shame that Simon Hughes isn't doing so well in the polls, he was actually my first choice mainly on grounds of his public transport policy (he wants to lower tube fares, which is definitely a big issue for me). I bumped into him when he was campaigning in Hyde Park and he seemed like a genuinely nice and affable fellow. He comes across much better in real life than on television, where he just appears stiff.

I believe UKIP also supports isolationism and not trading with anybody don't they?

Yes. They call it "standing on our own two feet." Classic example of Little Englanders, right there. Living in a cosmopolitan place like London it's easy to forget that there are still people like this in our country.

They have Robert Kilroy Scum Silk in their party, thus, I have no respect for any of them. The man said that all Arabs were terrorists for Christ's sake.

I can't stand Kilroy-Silk either. In fact I loathe the man. He is a total opportunist, and that's about the nicest thing I can say about him.

[bullmoose88]

Erm...Go Tories and LDs...>P

Can't decide which I'd like to see win.

[Tory]

Erm...Go Tories and LDs...>P

Can't decide which I'd like to see win.

Pull for the Tories. We need all the help we can get, especially with those raving mad UKIPers running around stealing all of our votes!!!

[Michael Z]

Erm...Go Tories and LDs...>P

Can't decide which I'd like to see win.

Pull for the Tories. We need all the help we can get, especially with those raving mad UKIPers running around stealing all of our votes!!!

Do you think a good (or even semi-decent) performance by UKIP will reignite the Tory party's internal quarrels over Europe? I personally would hate to see that happen, because we need a credible opposition now more than ever, not one which keeps destroying itself over a single issue like Europe.

[Tory]

Erm...Go Tories and LDs...>P

Can't decide which I'd like to see win.

Pull for the Tories. We need all the help we can get, especially with those raving mad UKIPers running around stealing all of our votes!!!

Do you think a good (or even semi-decent) performance by UKIP will reignite the Tory party's internal quarrels over Europe? I personally would hate to see that happen, because we need a credible opposition now more than ever, not one which keeps destroying itself over a single issue like Europe.

The UKIP has the potential to destroy everthing The Conservative Party has worked for. The current form of our party is still in infancy. If Labour is to fully work for the people it needs us to keep it in check. If we get embarassed by these loonies we can kiss our hopes of a quick comeback goodbye.

[Michael Z]

Erm...Go Tories and LDs...>P

Can't decide which I'd like to see win.

Pull for the Tories. We need all the help we can get, especially with those raving mad UKIPers running around stealing all of our votes!!!

Do you think a good (or even semi-decent) performance by UKIP will reignite the Tory party's internal quarrels over Europe? I personally would hate to see that happen, because we need a credible opposition now more than ever, not one which keeps destroying itself over a single issue like Europe.

The UKIP has the potential to destroy everthing The Conservative Party has worked for. The current form of our party is still in infancy. If Labour is to fully work for the people it needs us to keep it in check. If we get embarassed by these loonies we can kiss our hopes of a quick comeback goodbye.

I totally agree with that, a scenario like this would be extremely unhealthy for our democracy and only add fuel to Blair's autocratic tendencies if the Tories remain in a dysfunctional state. Still - Tory and "old" Labour, quite the unlikely alliance there. But anyway, let's hope the UKIP is simply an overhyped fad which won't be able to translate headlines into election figures.

[bullmoose88]

Erm...Go Tories and LDs...>P

Can't decide which I'd like to see win.

Pull for the Tories. We need all the help we can get, especially with those raving mad UKIPers running around stealing all of our votes!!!

Stealing your votes?

We learned this lesson 8 and 12 years ago...they're not your votes...you have to earn them.

Looks like the Tories aren't having as good (still decent) of a showing as they'd like

[Tory]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3796075.stm

It looks like the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives are doing well in the council elections, but it's far too early to make any solid judgements. The Lib Dems gain an even larger presence in Liverpool. The Greens take a seat in Oxford and Manchester(I actually like the Greens and hope they do well).

The British National Party failed to gain ground on Burnley Council, losing one seat to the Conservatives but gaining one from Labour.

Tory chairman Liam Fox said his party had won "spectacular results" in Tamworth and Trafford, but the Conservatives failed to take their target seat of Carlisle.

The UK Independence Party has won a council seat in Hull and is averaging 19% where it has put up candidates. Boo

[Peter]

Many of the Green seats in Oxford (my town) were on a knife edge before the election, especially my ward, which had a Lib Dem majority of about 12 over the Greens, it didn't take much of a swing. They will probably go into coalition with the Lib Dems to control the council

Oxford Result:
Party - No of seats in 04 (Change)
Lab - 20 (-9)
Lib Dem - 18 (+3)
Green - 7 (+4)
Other - 10 (+6)
No Conservative Councillors.

[JohnFKennedy]

Many of the Green seats in Oxford (my town) were on a knife edge before the election, especially my ward, which had a Lib Dem majority of about 12 over the Greens, it didn't take much of a swing. They will probably go into coalition with the Lib Dems to control the council

Oxford Result:
Party - No of seats in 04 (Change)
Lab - 20 (-9)
Lib Dem - 18 (+3)
Green - 7 (+4)
Other - 10 (+6)
No Conservative Councillors.

Ouch.

So far I think Labour have lost 211 Councillors and the Tories have gained something like 101.

[Sibboleth]

God... local politics... I ing hate the way that ing local politics is done over here...

As far as the results go these are LOCAL elections folks, LOCAL here that? LOCAL... they offer no guide to the next general election (or national trends).
The BBC's reporting has been dire. Absolutely dire. Almost biased.
They do that WORTHLESS poll thingy ("who won the most votes in total in the LOCAL ELECTIONS") and are using it to claim that this is Labour's worst result in living memory.
Bullsh**t.
Back in the late '60's (when we had a sane local government system) the Tories controlled just about every council in the country... and in the late '70's the Tories swept the board again.
I repeat again: these are LOCAL ELECTIONS they will have utterly no effect on the General Election and any idiotic reporter that says so should be shot.
---
BTW I'm happy that local gun-nut far right Tory Albie Fox (who none of you will of heard of) went down in Shrewsbury. This is what local politics should be about.
Tell the national media to  off will ya?

[JohnFKennedy]

I know these are no indications of the General Election, I never said they were, merely that Labour have lost a lot of councillors in these elections.

[Sibboleth]

I know these are no indications of the General Election, I never said they were, merely that Labour have lost a lot of councillors in these elections.

I know that.
I've just been REALLY PISSED OFF by the biased slanted news coverage... and the INSANE struture of "local" government in the U.K...

What should have been reported was competent councils (Liverpool, Barrow in Furness) get re-elected and the unpopular Mayor of Stoke on Trent getting punished...

[Sibboleth]

Something else that's bad: a well run council (Newcastle-Upon-Tyne) is almost certain to be defeated as a result of the Iraq war (NUT has a lot of Progressive Yuppie types).
Way to go idiots.
They'll  it's finances up like they do everywhere else.
People in Sunderland will be laughing in the street (oh yeah: in the rest of the North East Labour have done fairly well).

[Sibboleth]

Labour hold Gateshead (a working class suburb town across the river from NUT).
They'll be laughing as well.

[Peter]

But then the Labour Council in Oxford was pretty incompetent and got its marching orders. Lots of money wasted on city centre improvements that had to be improved within a few months didn't go down too well with the electorate. I was particularly amused that the Labour Mayor himself was defeated.

[Peter]

If you've been watching the 1 O'Clock news Al, you will probably be screaming because the BBC have pretty much called the next general election for the Tories.

[JohnFKennedy]

If you've been watching the 1 O'Clock news Al, you will probably be screaming because the BBC have pretty much called the next general election for the Tories.

LOL. Oh dear! Not going to happen methinks.

[Sibboleth]

But then the Labour Council in Oxford was pretty incompetent and got its marching orders. Lots of money wasted on city centre improvements that had to be improved within a few months didn't go down too well with the electorate. I was particularly amused that the Labour Mayor himself was defeated.

Fair enough. Incompetent councils deserve to go down.
The LibDems have won control of NUT, but with a smaller majority (18 seats) than I had expected.

---
Wales news:

Labour are likely to win back RCT and Caerphilly from Plaid, while losing overall control in Swansea (after a scandel involving the local Leisure centre) where it still has the most seats, and Cardiff (which may be more of a vote against the controversual council leader... but he's blaming the whole D-Day row. The LibDems might win the most seats on Cardiff City Council, partially because of the Progressive Yuppies and the Iraq War).
A mixed bag really... something for everyone.

[Sibboleth]

If you've been watching the 1 O'Clock news Al, you will probably be screaming because the BBC have pretty much called the next general election for the Tories.

Is that some form of sick joke or something? Has the BBC gone gaga or something?

[Umengus]

God... local politics... I g hate the way that g local politics is done over here...

As far as the results go these are LOCAL elections folks, LOCAL here that? LOCAL... they offer no guide to the next general election (or national trends).
The BBC's reporting has been dire. Absolutely dire. Almost biased.
They do that WORTHLESS poll thingy ("who won the most votes in total in the LOCAL ELECTIONS") and are using it to claim that this is Labour's worst result in living memory.
Bullsh**t.
Back in the late '60's (when we had a sane local government system) the Tories controlled just about every council in the country... and in the late '70's the Tories swept the board again.
I repeat again: these are LOCAL ELECTIONS they will have utterly no effect on the General Election and any idiotic reporter that says so should be shot.
---
BTW I'm happy that local gun-nut far right Tory Albie Fox (who none of you will of heard of) went down in Shrewsbury. This is what local politics should be about.
Tell the national media to f**ck off will ya?

Sorry Al but I don't agree. Some people vote at local with national reasons. it's maybe bad but it's the case...

"Government ministers and analysts agreed the Iraq war and violence since had taken its toll, with election returns raising new doubts about Blair's future as British PM in his seventh year in power." I'm not alone to think that.

[Sibboleth]

Sorry Al but I don't agree. Some people vote at local with national reasons. it's maybe bad but it's the case...

True to a certain degree, but LOCAL elections are a really, really, really bad way to measure political changes... (otherwise the following would have been P.M's: Foot, Kinnock, Hauge, IDS)

[JohnFKennedy]

Sorry Al but I don't agree. Some people vote at local with national reasons. it's maybe bad but it's the case...

True to a certain degree, but LOCAL elections are a really, really, really bad way to measure political changes... (otherwise the following would have been P.M's: Foot, Kinnock, Hauge, IDS)

Al, see nomorelies' post in the 2004 Election Discussion, he is talking about this. You may have something to add to the discussion.