The Lib Dems have overtaken Labour in another poll, this time another massive one, in the Observer:
Lib Dems were on 17% ahead of Labour on 16% and the same poll put us in first place in London and ahead of Labour as the choice for Remain voters.
The data seems to be matching up with the many anecdotes from across the country, this one from Alistair Campbell on Channel 4 News last night:
“I’ve been out in London today, you’re falling over Labour supporters who say they’re voting @LibDems” @campbellclaret on @Channel4News just now!! 🔶🔶🔶
— Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP🔶🇺🇦 (@agcolehamilton) May 18, 2019
Labour voters will be reading the Observer’s leader this morning which has harsh words for the party and uncomfortable truths for Labour remainers.
There are those in the Labour party who maintain it is a Remain party. As much as they may wish this to be true, they are deluding themselves. Labour is a Brexit party, under a Eurosceptic leader who has unequivocally committed the party to trying to deliver Brexit.
The party clearly realises that winning over Labour remainers is keen:
A vote for Labour is a vote for Brexit.
A vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to stop Brexit.
Simple. #StopBrexit with us > https://t.co/dGhOFb5H8S pic.twitter.com/6Ik8FgYUWw— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) May 18, 2019
You can tell Labour have the wind up them because they are going for us on the Sunday morning programmes.
Love it. Labour guy on Sophy Ridge attacking LibDems flat out – they’re frit! @SophyRidgeSky
— Lynne Featherstone (@lfeatherstone) May 19, 2019
But when asked if they are a Brexit party or a Remain party they disappear in a cloud of waffle.
No amount of Labour politicians saying they support Remain and a People’s Vote can make their leader deliver that where it matters, in the Westminster Parliament. The Labour leadership has done nothing to deserve the votes of remainers and should not get them.
All the signs point to a good result for us.
What we need to do in the last few days is emphasise how we can beat the Brexit party if the Remain votes come to us.
Latest big poll in South West again puts @libdems in clear second place. Problem is Brexiteers aren’t splitting their vote so under d’Hondt system they’ll get 4/6 seats. But we’re less than a percentage point from starting to take down Brexit Party seats. #StopBrexit #StopFarage pic.twitter.com/0Vggsv4Lll
— Cllr Martin Horwood 🇺🇦 (@MartinChelt) May 18, 2019
We also need to get as many Remain voters out to vote as possible. The European elections traditionally have a low turnout, but from what I’ve seen on the doorsteps these past few weeks, people are very motivated to turn out and support us to stop Brexit.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social
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19 Comments
Just waiting for Paul Walter to report on the REALLY big news from last night, namely the result of the Eurovision Song Contest from Israel (Israel in Europe?). ‘Gefeliciteerd’ to the Netherlands; but here we are – last again! And why on Earth was Australia there? Now, if you had a vote to LEAVE the Eurovision Song Contest, I would be the first in line!
PS just heard that Lord Heseltine is going to vote Lib Dem this week. Nice call, Michael, especially as, the first time you stood for Parliament in the 1950s was as a ‘National Liberal’.
Andrew Adonis proclaimed that
“Jeremy Corbyn has just said on Marr that any Brexit deal should be put to a referendum with an option to remain”
Then Jeremey climbed back on his fence. Poor Andrew is not having a happy time on Twitter, it appears their fence for all seasons just can’t take the heat. Trying to be all things to all men and women doesn’t work, who was to know that , well certainly comes as a shock to those that want to tagalong rather than upset people. Tagalong is not a good look.
While I am away, I sent out my postal vote yesterday and voted Lib Dem in London. And that’s my vote comong from a council tenant on a low income. I would urge the party to get their leaflet out to all households, we hadn’t had one by last Thursday though all the others had arrived apart from the conservatives. Make sure the leaflets go to everyone living in social housing.
Hope the LibDems do well and hope they are then generous in talks with Greens and Change about a coalition for GE, if that coalition can combine economic competence (Vince as chancellor?), with fairness in doling out govn money and environmental radical measures then it could be on to a winner.
Agreed MarkStevens, we are not getting enough leaflets out. Our local party has had 4000 to deliver and a similar number sent by freepost. This is a hard brexit area, so not many votes lost, but London?????
A distant second in an election with an almost guaranteed low turn out. If Britain was really as divided as commentators make out we would be seeing a frenzy of voting activity . As it is the nation looks likely to shrug and stay at home to watch cat video’s on Youtube.
Hi Glenn,
Will it be a distant second? Let us wait for the BMG poll which is different from most of the others as it asks the European election question first, I recall that company last week had it Brexit 26, Labour 21/22, Lib Dem 19.
@ John Marriott “here we are – last again!” And not just in the Eurovision Songs thing ……. my wife and I have still not received an election address from the Scottish Lib Dems even though we’ve had all the others.
Wake up Scottish Lib Dems !!!! Tee shirts aren’t enough – not even the ones elevating anatomical appendages to a higher plane..
@ frankie You should have realised by now that the noble Lordship Adonis (when not brokering academy schools to carpet millionaires with property interests and honours ambitions) is a man of ever fluctuating political loyalties – much more than W.S. Churchill. As for Tarzan – much more substance than Boris de Pfeffel Johnson.
You may have missed it, but on the BBC News two days ago, Johnson was filmed leaving his house in a suit, but with his white shirt tail hanging out at the back. Says it all really.
On Martin Horwood’s numbers the BREXIT party get the first and second seats, the Lib Dems the third, the BREXIT party the fourth and the Greens the fifth with the Brexit party getting the final seat. However were the Lib Dems to pick up a couple of points from Change UK the final seat would go orange giving the South West 3 BREXIT, 2 Lib Dem and one Green – with no seats for either Labour or Tory.
No election address received here in West Sussex. Nobody has approached us to deliver leaflets.
David,
I enjoy the mental gymnastics of Lord Adonis as he desperately tries to prove black is white, war is peace and Jeremey isn’t a Brexiteer ( ok sorry a Lexiteer). The really funny thing is how badly he is being shot down; the bad Lib Dems Tory enablers meme just isn’t working anymore, tis so sad for them Lol.
@ Glenn,
Have you started talking to yourself?
The second one isn’t me
Graham Jeffs,
I live in West Sussex and have had FOUR elections addresses from the Lib Dems (one for each household member, plus onr from all other parties (apart from Tories). And had leaflets to deliver – But I had to ask for them as stated in members letters received.
Derek Deedman
Well aren’t you the lucky one. I have now ascertained that it is party policy NOT to avail ourselves of the free postal delivery. I have received nothing. I checked with my postman today and he confirmed that our sorting office had received between 15 and twenty pre-addressed envelopes for the LDs and that was all!!! I have since had it confirmed to me that this is part of a wonderful tactic from HQ of targeting voters…………………well that % hit-rate should do really well.
Yes, we have had stuff from everybody else. Another typical organisational own-goal by the LDs.
@ Graham Jeffs
Its not a cock-up or Targeting in the sense you mean, its simply a lack of money. Do I need to remind you that Tories & Labour are guaranteed regular income streams from Business & Unions respectively ? Its very easy to be generous with other peoples money & neither Shareholders or Union Members have any real say about Political donations.
We rely on ordinary people giving their own money & as a result our campaign Teams have to take tough decisions.
@Paul Barker
Quite.
People can always help by donating here https://www.libdems.org.uk/win
Bit late to be asking for money in the way you term it. If indeed there was a shortage of money for this specific purpose, there should have been a very direct appeal immediately the local elections were over – instead of the awful bleating emails we get.
No, this has all the characteristics of a decision made without any real consideration of its impact on ordinary voters in the belief that ‘digital’ people are the ones who are important.
Would more money have helped matters?
Anyone with sufficient interest to be intending to vote knows that we are the only major Party with a resolute anti-Brexit stance.