Bradford West by-election - 29th March

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Apparently counting only started half an hour ago.

[Insula Dei]

I'm very ambiguous. Yeah, George Galloway isn't the best man ever to walk the earth's surface, but in general I'm a great fan of Faustian-Facetious politicians and Galloway still is the man who really gave it to Norm Coleman. But Labour losing here could give the government a break, as YL remarks, and could have some bad effects within the Labour Party. So if Labour could win by a couple of dozens to hundred votes and a score in the low forties (with the ConDem parties being humiliated), that'd be just dandy.

[YL]

Sky seem to think that Galloway is going to win.

[You kip if you want to...]

Imran getting thrashed in Toller (his ward) apparently. Apparently George has a 2:1 advantage (WTF!?).

LabourList reminds us the Respect generally does better in postal votes.

Hmph, this is the seat that swung to the Tories in 1997.

[Insula Dei]

Hmmm, seriously debating staying up for this now, even with an early morning tomorrow.

[You kip if you want to...]

Liberal rumoured for 5th place.

[YL]

Still Twitter, but suggestions that Labour have conceded.

[YL]

Sky just now with rumours of Galloway near 50%, winning "three Muslim wards" (presumably City, Manningham, Toller).

[Insula Dei]

BTW, change08, are you a muslim yourself? Or is your Pakistani heritage only part of a larger 'package' ?

[You kip if you want to...]

BBC saying it's Labour. Rumors saying the Libs have lost their deposit (shocker).

[Insula Dei]

Twitter seems to now have accepted a Galloway win for a fact, but then, some people on twitter also seem to think that he got 75% of the Postal Vote, which sounds very unprobable.

[doktorb]

It's been Respect Gain all night, where has the Labour hold stuff come from?

[YL]

The BBC report was much more cagey than Sky.  I suspect Galloway has indeed won, but there have been past examples of premature media "calls".  I also remember Bob Marshall-Andrews conceding in 2005 (when he won, of course).

[You kip if you want to...]

BTW, change08, are you a muslim yourself? Or is your Pakistani heritage only part of a larger 'package' ?

Not a muslim myself, but a fair portion of my family are including grandparents and a few aunts and uncles.

[You kip if you want to...]

Galloway at 50%. Apparently. Tories on 13%. Apparently.

[You kip if you want to...]

Jon Craig on Sky, harping on about how bad this is for Ed Miliband. Breezes past the fact that he reckons the Tories are on 13%.

[YL]

A 37% swing would put Respect 32% ahead of Labour.  So we could be looking at something like Respect 53%, Lab 21%, Con 13%, rest 13%.

(Obviously that's assuming that Sky's sources are close to reliable.)

[You kip if you want to...]

In 2 and a half hours, this has gone from a boring, run of the mill Labour win (like Feltham/Heston) to one of our most historic by-elections.

[Insula Dei]

Some people are making a lot of money on the betting market tonight.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I've been doing other things and stuff seems random and contradictory; can someone write what the latest is know to be?

Anyways, if there's one thing this has confirmed (no matter the actual placings or whatever) is that solid is not actually solid if also significantly Muslim; the capacity to produce huge votes sometimes does not equal serious party loyalty in general and we're wrong to assume otherwise. Of course in the case of this area that was known anyway even if the general direction this time is a surprise.

[You kip if you want to...]

Pasty tax. Granny tax. 45p tax. Cam Dine with Me. And now the Bradford Spring. Most lulz-worthy week in politics ever?

[YL]

I've been doing other things and stuff seems random and contradictory; can someone write what the latest is know to be?

Anyways, if there's one thing this has confirmed (no matter the actual placings or whatever) is that solid is not actually solid if also significantly Muslim; the capacity to produce huge votes sometimes does not equal serious party loyalty in general and we're wrong to assume otherwise. Of course in the case of this area that was known anyway even if the general direction this time is a surprise.

Known?  Nothing, I think.

Rumoured (and presented as close to fact by Sky News): Galloway winning by a mile.

[Insula Dei]

Some people on twitter already whining about 'the inept leadership'.

[You kip if you want to...]

Some people on twitter already whining about 'the inept leadership'.

Yeah, if it was any other seat, in any other week, I would be too. This one though, I can't pin on Ed Miliband.

[You kip if you want to...]

Winning with a coalition of minorities and racists who don't know what the Respect Party means, but don't like the sound of "Imran Hussein", surely.