A stonking eight by-elections were held in the mid-November chill yesterday. While we may have only stood candidates in 50% of these, our presence was certainly known where we did.
The Conservatives had a poor showing, losing both defences to Labour. Scraping a win in Darwen South Ward, the latter’s eyewatering 7-vote majority in Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council highlights Liberal Democrat Mark Davies’ 137 votes. Congratulations to Mark for standing! In a similar vein, Greenlands Ward in Blackpool saw Kev Benfold secure 77 votes alongside Labour’s slender 32-vote majority over the Conservatives. Even more impressive was Kev standing in an area where no Lib Dem had done so for over 10 years! Thank you, Kev.
Down the road in Hollinwood, Oldham, Dominic Cadman won 36 votes. Well done Dominic! Even further north, in Glasgow, Joseph McCauley racked up 294 votes – thank you Joseph!
In all four elections where no Liberal Democrat stood, the winning party got over 60% of the vote, and in Rhondda, Labour won 80%, with the full results shown below.
Far be it from me to inflate my knowledge of Darwen or Blackpool politics – however the occasion of third party tallies exceeding slim winning margins leaves campaigners like us in the Liberal Democrats pondering “did we have an impact, and was it worth standing a candidate?” In all cases, but especially this one, I argue; yes!
Blackburn with Darwen BC, Darwen South
Labour: 569
Conservative: 562
Liberal Democrat (Mark Davies): 137
Blackpool UA, Greenlands
Labour: 550
Conservative: 518
Liberal Democrat (Kev Benfold): 77
Glasgow City Council, Linn
Labour: 2,227
SNP: 1,702
Green: 409
Conservative: 327
Liberal Democrat (Joseph McCauley): 294
Alba: 90
Scottish Socialist: 46
UKIP: 19
Freedom Alliance: 18
Oldham MBC, Hollinwood
Labour: 718
Conservative: 639
Independent: 152
NHP: 59
Liberal Democrat (Dominic Cadman): 36
Rhondda Cynon Taf, Abercynon
Labour: 520
Plaid Cymru: 56
Conservative: 56
Green: 18
Shetland Islands Council, Shetland West
Independent: 375
Green: 67
SNP: 49
Suffolk County Council, Beccles
Green: 2114
Conservative: 624
Labour: 260
Bolsover BC, Pinxton
Labour: 376
Conservative: 218
* Alan Good is a councillor on Manchester City Council and the Campaigns and Communications Intern working with ALDC.
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11 Comments
After a number of weeks of by election reverses, we have now reached a point where we are contesting only half the seats up and are firmly back in the electoral doldrums. Perhaps President Mark and ALDC (always stand a candidate) can come to some conclusions about branch moribundity. I take there was a reason we didn’t contest Beccles yesterday.
Well done! A good work town by town!
@ Ian Paterson I agree, Ian, and getting 36 votes out of an 8,000 electorate only seven miles from ALDC’s HQ in Salford raises a few questions.
Labour’s gain in Blackpool was largely down to the LD intervention.
LD’s got 6.7%. Labour vote was down 0.1%, Conservative vote was down 6.6%.
I hope those oarty members who call on LDs to stand down in certain constituencies to help Labour will take note.
At least a quiet week for us. Terrible result for Plaid in Rhondda and excellent Green party result in Suffolk. Good result for us in Isle of Wight next week and Surrey week after are vital.
We need to stand & campaign in more places but there is no significance in one weeks figures.
These reports are very poor, no percentages & no changes. Mark Packs or Britain Elects are much better.
On the polling front –
Lab 49%
Con 26.5%
LD 8.5%
With Labour taking half the Vote, We & The Greens are squeezed but not as much as The Tories.
A ghastly set of results and tonight 7per cent from Ipsos.
We are being squeezed, when will the party HQ, Regional ALDC going to face the coffee, to quote someone.
Latest opinion polls (conducted after the Ipsos MORI poll) have us at 8–10%, all but one showing a rise in support since the previous poll by the same pollster (the exception is Techne, which has no-change).
The polls are suggesting that Conservative voters are hopping straight to Labour without giving us a moment’s consideration. It is as if they don’t see us as relevant. I don’t think we are even being squeezed, we are just fading away.
If we do not have anything different to say, why should we be given more attention? With Starmer studiously avoiding mention of Brexit, there is an obvious opportunity, an open goal. but our key players are looking elsewhere or have their eyes shut.
The assumption of our leadership that telling the truth about the consequences of Brexit has manifestly failed. It is time to change tack.
Will Hutton in the Observer makes the case for being candid with the electorate. We should not have to wait for others to say these things. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/20/first-step-to-britains-economic-recovery-is-start-telling-truth
It has been rumoured this morning that Sunak is considering a Swiss style relationship with the EU and Starmer will reform the House of Lords if Labour win the next election, the Lib Dems should not be letting their opponents gain all the credence for some rare common sense even if they are only headline grabbing stories?