To be fair though the blog comments of Chris Rennard and Duncan Borrowman about canvass returns not being delivered also indicate a misreading of how politics works in Southall – as also shown in the widespread incredulity of outside campaigners and journalists to the Southall tradition of shopkeepers having posters up of different parties.

East of the Iron Bridge, as Angus points out, politics is very different. My estimate is that we won Ealing Common very comfortably (over 50%) had a too close to call three way result in Walpole and came second to Labour in Elthorne. Only Northfield was a Tory win – in a strange ward that should be natural territory for us, but has for some reason long been a Labour/Tory marginal.

I don’t see anything wrong with having either of those backgrounds. Are they unacceptable to David Cameron’s new Conservatives?

The Asian communities in those two seats were substantially Muslim for whom Iraq was a significant issue. The Asian community in Southall AIUI is predominantly Sikh (though I assume our candidate in Leicester South was a Sikh from his name)

In both consitutuencies we had a significant base of support before the by-election which doesn’t seem to have been true in Ealing.

And the by-elections you refer to were won by Liberals, not Liberal Democrats, in an earlier era. The machine wasn’t in much shape in the late 1970s – Liverpool Edge Hill aside it wasn’t a good time to be a Liberal.

Nor is there any God Given right to victory – parties obtain and retain office by virtue of the consent of the people as represented in Parliament. No party has any automatic right to power, or if we’re going down this path, to third party votes in a two-way marginals, despite what many Liberal Democrats seem to think when they’re one of the two parties (and distinctly *don’t* think when even they can’t deny they’re the third party).

As for Harold Macmillan’s wife’s children, get your facts clear. Only Sarah Macmillan’s paternity was ever in doubt – Maurice, Caroline & Catherine were all born well and truly before the affair between Lady Dorothy and Boothby began and no-one ever doubted they were Harold’s. Even with Sarah it’s not clear – Boothby himself had severe doubts (he thought she had Macmillan eyes) whilst the birth certificate for Sarah which names Harold as her father was filed at the very end of the legal period for registration. Burke’s Peerage did not recognise her as Harold Macmillan’s daughter. Some believe that Lady Dorothy invented the story to seek a divorce. From what I can tell it seems none of the possible and definite parents were sure.

Paul, you’re not doing yourself any favours here. You apparently left the Lib Dems because you were bullied by LDYS members – well, I don’t know anything about that, but you’re coming across as quite an unpleasent individual.
If I was being partisan I could suggest that Tony Lit was so much of a success story, he came, er, third. But instead, I’ll just say that I’d rather be represented by someone who’s got some experience of real life (perhaps like stacking shelves, or working at Mothercare) than someone who swans around on the success of his father’s business.

Now Paul, the only experience I have of you is seeing your comments on sites like this. Now, I’m sure you had your reasons to leave the Lib Dems – perhaps some of them were even justified. As you keep going on about how many leaflets you’re capable of delivering, you clearly didn’t think the Lib Dems respected your brilliance or weren’t grateful enough. Well, perhaps they didn’t. And perhaps you’re just not as brilliant as you think.
You do, of course, realise that every time you post stuff on Lib Dem voice like this you’re potentially just giving Liberal Democrats ammunition to use against you, should the Tories ever allow you to stand on a Conservative ticket. I can just see your obvious disdain for supermarket and shop workers going down a treat in an election.
And, to be honest, I doubt that your new Conservative mates are too keen on you spouting off like this. You’re just making it look like you think you’re God’s gift – and I doubt that would endear you to anyone!

Uhhh…. he was a Labour donor, who came third. If that’s Cameron’s Conservative’s definition of a “winner”, it might explain why they’re cheerfully off this weekend to pick up votes in Kigali South constituency…

Yeah, like Bromley & Chislehurst, you Tory toss-pot.

It might help if you learned how to spell the word, “charisma”. Try the dictionary.

“unlike wacky backie Bahki with his background in being a shelf fillier and a worker for mothercare.”

No. Shelf-fillers don’t get time to deliver leaflets all day, do they? Unlike some people.

Tim Roll-Pickering is a typical arrogant public school nincompoop who pontificates from a position of crass ignorance – like his hero, Mr Cameron.

Has he never heard of Sutton & Cheam, Ripon, Berwick-on-Tweed, Liverpool Edge Hill? Or Orpington?

Wake up, Mr Roll-Pickering. The UK is a democracy. People are entitled to vote for parties other than the Tories. The Conservative Party hasn’t been chosen by God to reign over us. That went out with Charles I’s head.

And Tim-Roll Pickering. At least we have never had a leader three of whose children were fathered by Boothby.

You Liberals may be smug now but if there was a by-election in a Lib Dem – Conservative marginal seat I fancy the Conservatives to turn the Lib Dems over.

Oh and on Ealing Southall I am suprised that the Lib Dems are rather quiet about the fact that on one of their walkabouts they were stunned by the social action project that Tony Lit put on in Southall. They were so stunned that Lib Dem Goldenboy Nick Clegg hid himself in the Lib dem walkabout group. I was not there personally to see it but from what I heard it was very funny.

Also Lib Dems why did you select a candidate that has no carisma, no political success and is a ugly baldy. For all the few faults that the Conservative candidate may have had at least he had carisma and was also a winner and a success story, unlike wacky backie Bahki with his background in being a shelf fillier and a worker for mothercare.

That is all I am going to say on the matter.

For all your bluster about second place you failed to squeeze the Conservative vote in either seat, stayed in the same place in Southall, in Sedgefield were only in third place in the first place because of Reg Keys and merely absorbed the vote share he got last time, and didn’t do much more.

It amazes me the way Liberal Democrats are running around pretending that they had some kind of triumph. Sir Menzies Campbell visited Southall even more times than David Cameron!

Whining about a “block vote” that has moved in past by-elections or claiming the constituency is atypical despite past successes in equally atypical consituencies are after the event justifications. Something has gone wrong with the Liberal Democrat machine and smugness is not going to disguise it.

4% eh? I heard we delivered a million pieces of literature in bromley – so you delivered 40,000 there. You’re slacking off!

When I first read these comments I assumed someone was being ironic – no one could really be quite so conceited as to believe they are *so* important. But actually I think maybe you do – and perhaps that’s why you left the party because you felt it failed to recognise your brilliance? Do your Conservative colleagues know how important you think you are?

That is one of them, but not the most important.

Divide the constituency by the River Brent and compare what happened on either side.

On the east (Ealing side), which is ethnically and socio-economically mixed, the Lib Dems picked up substantial numbers of votes from both Labour and Conservatives (certainly since 2006), even though three of the four wards are Labour/Tory marginals.

On the west side, the Asian block vote held, as it has always done in every election since the early 1960s. I bet you there were streets either side of Southall Broadway where Sharma got 80%. No number of lealets, no amount of door-knocking, will chage the way the bulk of Southall Asians vote. The defections made no difference, Tony Lit made no difference.

All of which tells us something about the sociology and culture of the Southall Asian community, but absolutely nothing about the state of British politics.

David Cameron failed to appreciate this, of course. He simply didn’t understand what makes the constituency tick. As an Old Etonian aristocrat he has been brought up to believe he is born to rule, and that ordinary people have a duty to follow him. He is lacking in empathy for and understanding of people outside his class. And that is his undoing.

Golly. How do we cope without you?

Come on mate, try and keep some dignity. You left, you joined another party. Good luck. I am sure that whatever sense of fulfillment and happiness that you are looking for will not be found by spending your time on Lib Dem voice.

In particular, posting things about how great you are is making you look very silly old friend. Come on, move on now and good luck in the future, I think your time here is done, don’t you?