The by-election thread

[valiant]

You have to ask, if it hasn’t already, is did Hancock’s shenanigans and Boris’ “I consider the matter closed/He’s resigned/I really did sack him” malarkey cost the Tories the 323 or whatever votes they needed to win the by-election?

Galloway’s antics split the Labour vote and now that he’ll bugger off to another constituency to ststir, I reckon Labour will return a more healthy lead at the next GE.

Tories missed an open goal here.

[Derek Smith]

Murph7355 said:

You read what you want to read.

As for the LibDems, the only thing that will currently harm the Tories at the next election is the Tories. Neither Labour nor the LibDems have a positive, meaningful set of policies right now. I think/hope the electorate will rail against negative politics over the remainder of this term, but the signs aren't looking that great.

Indeed.

The libdems down my way are very clear in what they are doing, what they want to do and how they are going about it. This is, of course, on the local level at the moment as the GE's a long way away, but they are building their support in a true blue constituency, that's voted tory since its inception. My area is 50th on their list of attainable seats, just one in front of a fairly recent win they had.

Whether they could win now in a GE is not in doubt, but it only takes some change, some scandal, some error, the brexit bounce to be not very high, or, and this has been mentioned a couple of times recently, a significant increase in the base rate, for people to look for someone to blame.

[Dracoro]

valiant said:

I reckon Labour will return a more healthy lead at the next GE.

I can guarantee they won't given this constituency won't exist next GE

[Six Potter]

Dracoro said:

valiant said:

I reckon Labour will return a more healthy lead at the next GE.

I can guarantee they won't given this constituency won't exist next GE

Why's that, is it going to get nuked from orbit?

[Dracoro]

Six Potter said:

Dracoro said:

valiant said:

I reckon Labour will return a more healthy lead at the next GE.

I can guarantee they won't given this constituency won't exist next GE

Why's that, is it going to get nuked from orbit?

Border changes.

[Supercilious Sid]

valiant said:

You have to ask, if it hasn’t already, is did Hancock’s shenanigans and Boris’ “I consider the matter closed/He’s resigned/I really did sack him” malarkey cost the Tories the 323 or whatever votes they needed to win the by-election?

Galloway’s antics split the Labour vote and now that he’ll bugger off to another constituency to ststir, I reckon Labour will return a more healthy lead at the next GE.

Tories missed an open goal here.

That and betraying the country with regard to the freedom day. Their popularity is still on a knife edge and could easily flop the other way.

[JagLover]

Supercilious Sid said:

That and betraying the country with regard to the freedom day. Their popularity is still on a knife edge and could easily flop the other way.

I did hear a comment elsewhere that they won the by-election prior to that decision (and performed well in Local elections as well) and then performed worse than expected in both by-elections since.

If thousands of Tory voters were disgusted by that nonsensical decision in both constituencies then that might have contributed a great deal to what we have seen. Abstentions partly driving the defeat.

Might also be some people behind the scenes thinking the same. Which government ministers were most enthusiastic for lockdown?, by all accounts Hancock and Gove........

Edited by JagLover on Saturday 3rd July 06:03

[Pan Pan Pan]

Supercilious Sid said:

valiant said:

You have to ask, if it hasn’t already, is did Hancock’s shenanigans and Boris’ “I consider the matter closed/He’s resigned/I really did sack him” malarkey cost the Tories the 323 or whatever votes they needed to win the by-election?

Galloway’s antics split the Labour vote and now that he’ll bugger off to another constituency to ststir, I reckon Labour will return a more healthy lead at the next GE.

Tories missed an open goal here.

That and betraying the country with regard to the freedom day. Their popularity is still on a knife edge and could easily flop the other way.

How did the tories `betray' the country with regard to `freedom day? They said they would review what was happening, with regard to Covid 19 in the UK, and make a decision on whether or not it was acceptable to lift, or maintain restrictions, based on the data available at the time set against each its 4 guidelines. How much clearer could it have been stated?
One of the guidelines showed the rate of infections with the India variant was rising rapidly. so they postponed the original lifting of restrictions date.
If they `had' lifted the restrictions on the original date, and infections, hospitalizations, and deaths owing to Covid had rocketed, as a result, would you then be claiming, they had lifted the restrictions too early?

Edited by Pan Pan Pan on Sunday 4th July 11:03

[jmn]

Galloway has confirmed that he is going to challenge the result. Various reasons given including video of postal votes being delivered to the count in unsealed bags. Allegedly.
One point that he has put forward is that the Returning Officer refused a request from him and the Conservative candidate for a recount despite the closeness of the result. I am no expert on Election Law so have no idea if he has a point here.

[Vanden Saab]

jmn said:

Galloway has confirmed that he is going to challenge the result. Various reasons given including video of postal votes being delivered to the count in unsealed bags. Allegedly.
One point that he has put forward is that the Returning Officer refused a request from him and the Conservative candidate for a recount despite the closeness of the result. I am no expert on Election Law so have no idea if he has a point here.

Yes and No... It is up to the returning officer to decide if a recount is 'reasonable' There are guidelines but no hard and fast rules. AIUI.

[Johnnytheboy]

A close result that he clearly lost by coming a distant third.