Tag Archives: bradford west by-election

Jonathan Hunt

Opinion: Gorgeous George steals our place on the Left

By Jonathan Hunt | Tue 3rd April 2012 - 9:54 am

Well done George Galloway for last week’s Bradford West by-election victory. He was astutely aware of the state of a vacuous Labour party lacking leadership and direction, and took full advantage of it.

Now, no-one can say that a Left-wing party is doomed to automatic failure. And it is little use Lib Dems complaining: “That’s our job.”

It is our job, but we have failed completely. A strong left-wing challenge from us, the true party of the non-socialist Left could have produced a …

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Posted in Op-eds and Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged and | 52 Comments
Sam Phripp

Opinion: Lessons from Bradford

By Sam Phripp | Mon 2nd April 2012 - 10:40 am

In the aftermath of the Bradford West by-elction result, it is increasingly clear that Labour didn’t have the slightest grip on what was actually happening. Comments and discussions on Labour blogs show us that Labour assumed that simply because certain areas (for example, areas with a dense Muslim population) were voting; they had to be voting Labour. This kind of complacent assumption really is an insult to voters.

The reason I joined the Liberal Democrats and became an active campaigner was because I saw that whole swathes of my area were taken for granted by the Conservatives. We need to be …

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Posted in Op-eds | 15 Comments
Stephen Tall

Bradford West by-election: 5 initial thoughts on an astonishing result

By Stephen Tall | Fri 30th March 2012 - 9:45 am

Here are some inital reflections on George Galloway’s stunning by-election win in Bradford West…

Devastating for Labour…

It is not simply the fact that Labour lost a seat they’ve held at every election since 1974. It is not simply the fact that they’ve become the first opposition party since William Hague’s Tories at Romsey 12 years ago to lose a by-election. It is not simply the fact that Labour must have thought they’d enjoyed a good fortnight in which the Tories have been given a good pasting. It is not simply the fact that this by-election suggests Labour’s current national lead …

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Posted in Op-eds and Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged , and | 53 Comments
Mark Pack

Labour picks an unusual poster location in Bradford

By Mark Pack | Sun 18th March 2012 - 9:11 pm

It’s not unusual for parties to put up posters in by-elections, far from it. But Labour don’t seem to have fully thought through their choice of one poster location in the Bradford West by-election.

One of the issues coming up in the campaign is Labour’s neglect of the town centre. So where has Labour put up one of its posters? On a run-down building just outside the town centre, neatly not only drawing more attention to the building but also associating Labour with it. Why, thank you Labour poster team.

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 7 Comments
Helen Duffett

Jeanette Sunderland selected to fight Bradford West for the Liberal Democrats

By Helen Duffett | Wed 7th March 2012 - 9:37 pm

David Ward, Jeanette Sunderland and police
Photo: David Ward MP, Jeanette Sunderland and police – Flickr.

Bradford Liberal Democrats have selected Jeanette Sunderland to be their candidate in the Bradford West by-election on 29 March.

The writ was moved yesterday for the by-election after Marsha Singh resigned, for health reasons.

Born and bred in Bradford, Jeanette has been a local councillor for 18 years. In that time she has built up a reputation for being a strong voice for Bradford, and is currently leader …

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Posted in News and Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged and | 21 Comments
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