I think this should say “Lib Dems or predecessor parties”….
Lib Dems win every council seat in Southport for first time since 1858
— John Pugh (@johnpugh2017) May 6, 2016
* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
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Great news and we need to listen to election winners to see what we can learn.
I should clarify that this is the first time ever we have achieved a clean sweep. There was not a time before 1858 when we did it. The details are here: http://birkdalefocus.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/the-brilliant-results-from-southport-in.html
Great result for a great team. Congratulations to all my friends in Southport who probably even exceeded their own expectations. Clearly hard earned, but also very well deserved.
Everyone from the MP to the councilors and the activists seems to be doing a great job. The rest of the party should take note, these guys know how to win.
I’d particularly like to highlight the outstanding result achieved by Cllr Lynne Thompson, for whom I had the honour to be Campaign Manager, who gained Ainsdale Ward (the southernmost ward in Southport) off the Conservatives. Together with the six holds, this gain was obviously key to the “Clean Sweep” that Iain refers to.
The Conservative majority over us of 577 four years ago (a margin of 15%) was turned into a Lib Dem majority of 564 last night – with Lynne winning 42% to the Tories’ 28%. That equates to a swing of 14.5% from Conservatives to Lib Dems since the particular seat was last fought.
My only concern is that my projection of a win by 350 votes (based on a thorough box count) was so far out. Now, what can have gone wrong?
Lynne has already announced the holding of her first Advice Centre tomorrow morning http://southport.qlocal.co.uk/southport/news_list/Councillors'_advice_centre_for_Birkdale_and_Ainsdale-55010127.htm so she is obviously not someone to hang around!
That was the Whigs in 1858?
I think they’re saying, in fact, that the borough came into existence in 1858 so there has never been that good a result for the party…
Simon, I think 1858 was a year of such political flux that I think very few people – particularly on the ‘left’ (if we can call it that) really knew what their ‘party’ was, and Particularly not at Borough level!
But I stand to be corrected by Southportians…
@Matt (Bristol)
“But I stand to be corrected by Southportians…”
The correction I’d give you is that the collective noun is “Sandgrounders” not “Southportians”. 🙂
Thank you Simon… my knowledge is therefore enhanced as a by-product of my overconfident ignorance.
Simon, 1858 was the date the town got its borough charter and though there were folk about in the Liberal tradition they certainly didn’t win all the seats and at no time from then till Thursday had we a clean sweep. Whilst Simon Shaw is justly proud of the magnificent campaign fought in Ainsdale I would point to the Dukes ward result as well. We have only won the seat including ‘shoreside Birkdale’ from the Tories a a handful of occasions-the Orpington year and when Simon Shaw won at the height of the Alliance- are the only two in living memory. To have won Dukes ward so convincingly was exceptional and Tony Dawson deserves enormous congratulations.