Tag Archives: eastleigh

Mary Reid

Groundbreaking!

By Mary Reid | Fri 5th May 2023 - 8:41 am

This is a groundbreaking night for the Liberal Democrats. We are exceeding all expectations. We have delivered a hammer blow to the Conservative Party in the Blue Wall ahead of next year’s general election.

That was Ed Davey early this morning BEFORE we heard the result from Windsor and Maidenhead.

Yesterday’s elections were built on the excellent results for the Lib Dems in 2019, so we were being somewhat cautious about our capacity to increase our wins this time. On the other hand the Conservatives had been managing expectations by making out that fewer than 1000 losses on the night would be a victory of sorts. In the event, the night ended with the Tories already down by 228 councillors, with some of the most vulnerable blue wall areas yet to be counted. Lib Dems are already up by 61, and three quarters of all councils are yet to declare.

So what happened in Windsor and Maidenhead? This is what happened:

LDEM: 61.0% (+37.5)
CON: 24.2% (-14.3)
LAB: 14.8% (+2.6)

Just savour that for a minute. We gained 13 seats to take control for the first time, and …

Now I wonder if anyone tried to canvass the King?

So what else has been going on since our last post?

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , , , , , , , and | 1 Comment
Ruth Bright

Statues that work

By Ruth Bright | Tue 16th June 2020 - 3:00 pm

No-one could call Eastleigh Town Centre a pretty place.

But something that Eastleigh gets exactly right is its statues. There is the generic son of industrial toil: the Railwayman, tribute to the town’s railway heritage. Then there is Charlotte Yonge, a Victorian novelist who named the town. Charlotte is very unusual in England – a female statue who isn’t Queen Victoria, a minor nineteenth century royal or a mythical angel type figure on a war memorial (though Eastleigh has one of those too).

Here they both are (above), Charlotte and the Railwayman, …

Continue reading »
Posted in Photo feature | Also tagged and | 6 Comments
Keith House

Opinion: View from the doorsteps of Eastleigh

By Keith House | Sun 1st June 2014 - 10:30 am

Eastleigh railwayman statue - Some rights reserved by Mr. Ducke

It was a warm, sunny spring with just odd showers in May in Eastleigh. We had unbelievably good local election results. Twelve months on from the County elections, that in turn had followed on from the Eastleigh by-election, when UKIP gained 50% of the County seats in the Parliamentary seat, we expected to lose seats.  The odds were that at least five and potentially seven seats could go out of the thirteen we were defending.  In the end, we won all thirteen.

This …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , and | 50 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Local Elections: Overnight results roundup (Updated)

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 23rd May 2014 - 8:03 am

Election countThere’s a long way to go, but so far it’s been a mixed night for the Liberal Democrats. Here are the headlines:

UKIP wipeout in Eastleigh

We were told that UKIP were going to make gains in Eastleigh and it was one of the results that worried me the most. In fact, we held our own and UKIP’s tactic of putting up a Mr House against leader Keith House didn’t pay off at all.

Lib Dems lose control of Portsmouth

With a loss of 6 seats, the Liberal Democrats remain the largest party on …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged and | 74 Comments
The Voice

Coincidence or not? Ukip put candidate named House to take on Eastleigh’s Lib Dem council leader Keith House

By The Voice | Sun 27th April 2014 - 12:45 pm

keith houseThe Eastleigh News reports what might be accident or might be design – Ukip’s decision to put up a candidate called House against the Lib Dems’ long-standing council leader, Keith House:

Eastleigh’s ruling Lib Dem leader Keith House faces an unusual challenger in next month’s local elections – the Ukip candidate shares the same surname and is alphabetically listed above the Lib Dem by one letter.

John House comes from Chandler’s Ford, some way away from Hedge End’s Wildern ward, which raises the possibility that this is a tactical move by

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 4 Comments
Helen Duffett

Mike Thornton MP’s maiden speech

By Helen Duffett | Tue 12th March 2013 - 9:49 am

The newest Liberal Democrat MP spoke for the first time in Parliament yesterday in a debate on the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Bill, paying tribute to the work of his predecessors David Chidgey and Chris Huhne. As is traditional, he praised his constituency and described its history as a bustling industrial and railway town.

Mike Thornton began by thanking all those who campaigned with him during last month’s by-election, and the voters of Eastleigh for putting their faith in him.

Mike’s full speech, as recorded in Hansard:

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for allowing me to make my maiden speech during this important

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Parliament | Also tagged , , and | 1 Comment
Alisdair Calder McGregor

Opinion: Tory woes over the Eastleigh campaign continue

By Alisdair Calder McGregor | Mon 11th March 2013 - 6:00 pm

Channel 4 news are carrying a story highlighting Conservative Minister Nick Boles’ unease with the Eastleigh campaign’s “war on planning” strategy which he feels went against what he had been asked to do in government, and that he was asked to stay away from Eastleigh to keep the messaging on track.

This in itself is not that surprising, as the LibDem campaign (and even the media) knew that the Tory campaign was a double-back on their County Council and Government commitments and declared policies. It was pretty typical of their campaign, and of the overall shambles which is Tory …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , and | 2 Comments
Mary Reid

LibLink: Eastleigh by-election and mansion tax

By Mary Reid | Fri 22nd February 2013 - 12:09 pm

The Guardian’s Politics Weekly podcast this week focused on the Eastleigh by-election and the mansion tax proposals. These topics were discussed by, amongst others, Lib Dem Voice’s Mark Pack.

You can listen to it here.

 

Posted in LibLink | Also tagged and | Leave a comment
George Kendall

Missing out on history

By George Kendall | Fri 22nd February 2013 - 8:57 am

mike thornton eastleigh jon aylwinIn 1990, I always intended to help in the Eastbourne by-election.  But I was busy, so I kept putting it off from one weekend to the next.  And then, it was too late.

Like all Liberal Democrats, I celebrated the stunning victory.  Like most of the country, I was relieved by the following resignation of Margaret Thatcher.  But my failure to help left a hint of bittersweetness.

Of the by-elections I have attended, the one I remember most is far from famous.  The West Derbyshire by-election of 1986 was held on the same day we won the Ryedale by-election.  A double-victory, one year before the 1987 General Election, would have been a massive boost to our credibility.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged | Leave a comment
Mark Pack

What Google reveals about the current state of play in Eastleigh

By Mark Pack | Sun 17th February 2013 - 5:34 pm

The search results thrown up by Google often provide a neat little insight into what angles of a story are dominating coverage and people’s attention. The angles that get the most prominent coverage and the most interaction and responses are the ones that rise to the top of the search results. So what do they tell us about the current state of play in the Eastleigh by-election?

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged , , , , and | 7 Comments
Paul Walter

EXCLUSIVE: Lib Dem Voice supplies secret weapon to Eastleigh campaign

By Paul Walter | Mon 11th February 2013 - 9:53 am

Eastleigh HQ

Continue reading »
Posted in Humour and Parliamentary by-elections | 1 Comment
Mark Pack

Maria Hutchings, Eastleigh Conservative candidate, plays hide and seek with the media

By Mark Pack | Mon 11th February 2013 - 8:50 am

Norman LamontOne of my favourite moments from the 1997 general election campaign came when I was stood on a street corner in Harrogate, talking to a report about the challenge from Lib Dem candidate Phil Willis, who was trying to take the seat from the Conservatives. Suddenly, the journalist looked over my shoulder, muttered ‘excuse me’ and ran off down the street, partially dignified, chasing a van that had driven past behind me.

The reason? The van was that of the Conservative candidate, Norman Lamont, who had been spending the whole campaign trying to avoid talking to the press. The result? Much of the press coverage was dominated by stories of journalists trying to track him down around the constituency.

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged , and | 1 Comment
Stephen Tall

Nick Clegg’s Letter from the Leader: “If you want fairer taxes, there’s only one party for you: the Lib Dems.”

By Stephen Tall | Sun 10th February 2013 - 12:00 pm

No prizes for guessing which subject dominates this week’s letter from Nick Clegg to party supporters: the forthcoming Eastleigh by-election. Nick reflects on his own experiences campaigning in by-elections of yore – “exhilarating, exhausting and exciting in equal measure” – and urges all party activists to help in whatever way we can in the next three weeks. A major feature of the campaign in Eastleigh and across the country will be the Lib Dems’ push for Fairer Taxes, and it’s great to see Nick’s message including web-links to enable readers to take action for themselves on this key message. Here’s …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , and | 20 Comments
Helen Duffett

Mike Thornton selected for Lib Dems in Eastleigh

By Helen Duffett | Sat 9th February 2013 - 6:54 pm

.@dannyalexander congratulates @Mike4Eastleigh on his selection by local Lib Dems tonight
Photo by Helen Duffett on Flickr.

Eastleigh Liberal Democrats have selected a local Business and Development Manager as their candidate for the upcoming Parliamentary by-election in the constituency.

Mike Thornton, a parish and borough councillor since 2007, plays an active part in the community. He is involved with the annual Bishopstoke Carnival and is a member of the local church.

Mike lives with his wife and daughter in Bishopstoke and …

Continue reading »
Posted in Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged and | 39 Comments
Stephen Tall

5 reasons for Lib Dems to campaign in Eastleigh (just in case you needed any more)

By Stephen Tall | Fri 8th February 2013 - 8:15 am

eastleigh campaignMark Pack has posted last night’s poll findings from Eastleigh, showing the Tories narrowly ahead with both Labour and Ukip out of serious contention. In case you needed some reasons to help the Lib Dem campaign in the next three weeks in whatever way you’re able here are 5 from me…

The Lib Dems can win…

Lord Ashcroft’s poll is pretty ideal for the party: it piles the pressure on the Tories as early front-runners, while confirming how tight the contest will be. The Lib Dems’ local strength is significant …

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged , , and | 7 Comments
Mark Pack

+++ Neck and neck: first Eastleigh constituency poll

By Mark Pack | Thu 7th February 2013 - 6:46 pm

That 3 point gap is within the margin of error on the poll, and so it is, as they say in the US about such results, a statistical dead-heat.

What is clear is that this is a contest between Liberal Democrats and Conservatives. Nigel Farage was right it would seem to back out of fighting the seat – and Labour too are clearly out of it in Eastleigh.

The Labour vote share is particularly interesting as we’ll see how well the party can do at squeezing a clearly third-place Labour in a Parliamentary by-election. The pre-2010 record is of course very good …

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged and | 47 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Call Clegg: The one where Boris agrees with Nick

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 7th February 2013 - 11:34 am

I wondered if the Tories might try and turn up the heat on Nick on today’s LBC Call Clegg now that the starting gun has been fired for the Eastleigh by-election just 3 weeks from today.

I wasn’t expecting the unmistakeable tones of “Boris from Islington” telling Nick to get ministers out of their cars and onto bikes, and get some investment into infrastructure.

Sadly, the London Mayor (for it was he) didn’t quite have the guts to actually talk to Nick live. He’d pre-recorded his question. Nick lobbed the ball firmly back into Boris’ gob by asking him if he were …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , and | 6 Comments
Mary Reid

Eastleigh by-election

By Mary Reid | Tue 5th February 2013 - 12:29 pm

The party has moved swiftly to prepare for the by-election in Eastleigh, following Chris Huhne’s resignation.

Applications are being sought for potential candidates, with a closing date of 6pm on Wednesday 6th February.  You are warned: “In order to be eligible to apply, applicants need to make sure they are on the Party’s list of Approved Candidates at the closing date for applications.”

Approved candidates will have already received the necessary documents and application form.

 

Posted in Selection news | 28 Comments
Stephen Tall

“Where we work, we win” – will that Lib Dem maxim survive the 2015 test?

By Stephen Tall | Sat 5th January 2013 - 9:50 am

Chris RennardDon’t splutter on your Saturday morning cornflakes, but the Guardian has today published two intelligent articles on the Lib Dems and the strategy which the party is hoping will see us through to the other side of the 2015 election intact.

First, there’s Patrick Wintour‘s analysis — Liberal Democrats bank on ground war to hold on to seats — which uses as its springboard an analysis by Lord (Chris) Rennard, the party’s former chief executive and elections guru:

insists it should not be ground down by low national polls. “The

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , , , and | 25 Comments
Sean Davey

Opinion: Moderates vs Radicals: the battle for the Liberal Democrat soul

By Sean Davey | Fri 24th August 2012 - 10:26 am

Why did you join the third party? The party with no hope of winning the election? The party who now linger at 10% in the polls, under constant attack on all sides?

Many commentators openly wonder why there is a Liberal Democrat party at all. In an unforgiving two-party system these doubts are not so easily dismissed: how is it that as a small, stubborn party polling just a core vote barely in double digits we are able to sustain our existence, and why do we?

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Op-eds | Also tagged and | 57 Comments
Stephen Tall

In other news… Vince, Telegraph inaccuracy, Lembit, Eastleigh, Boundary Commission, site news

By Stephen Tall | Sun 11th March 2012 - 5:15 pm

Here’s a round-up of stories we haven’t had time to cover on the site this past week…

Vince Cable on that leaked letter to No. 10 (and other matters (The Guardian)

“We’re no longer arguing about fiscal policy – monetary policy’s now taking on most of the heavy lifting anyway,” he says as he notes that Labour has now accepted the need for fiscal discipline. “So the argument has shifted into a debate around how active government should be in promoting the recovery. Is it getting out of the way or is government being proactive and positive? That was the purpose

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , and | Leave a comment
Stephen Tall

FT: Tories face “tough battle” to oust Chris Huhne in Eastleigh

By Stephen Tall | Mon 8th February 2010 - 11:25 am

As the Financial Times notes of the battle to win the Lib Dem / Tory marginal of Eastleigh:

The Hampshire railway town is 11th on Mr Cameron’s target list; the Liberal Democrats’ majority of a little more than 500 should be easily within reach.

But is it really?

… the Tories are by no means certain to win Eastleigh. Lib Dem strategists believe Chris Huhne, the sitting MP, will easily hold the seat – a view privately shared by some Conservatives. …

Eastleigh is the kind of seat that defies the traditional “swingometer”. Like many Lib Dem MPs, Mr Huhne has dug

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged | 8 Comments
Helen Duffett

Eastleigh Labour PPC defects to Liberal Democrats‏

By Helen Duffett | Sun 26th April 2009 - 7:17 pm

Daniel Clarke, Labour’s Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Eastleigh, has resigned from the party and joined the Liberal Democrats.

He cites “government policies which… are becoming increasingly indefensible” and says that “the likes of Damian McBride and Derek Draper have somehow been allowed to smear opponents and bring shame on the party”

From Labourhome:

I will leave the Labour Party and I am joining the Liberal Democrats. At the next election I will back Chris Huhne. Eastleigh is a two horse race, between Chris who has a proven record as a progressive politician and a hard worker for Eastleigh or Maria Hutchings, who

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged and | 22 Comments
Advert



Recent Comments

  • Leon Duveen
    Thankyou Mo for this very perceptive article. From last October I have been trying to caution Israel & Israelis against trying to find a military solutio...
  • Helen Dudden
    The veterans are one sad fact of life. It's a 10 year waiting list for an accessible flat or home. Many are left losing limbs. Often a long stay in hospital ...
  • Roland
    @Simon “ I think the real lesson there for us is, if the UK ever gets a written constitution, make sure it can be changed and updated without too much difficu...
  • Suzanne Fletcher
    Hope that the issues in the important motion are able to be promoted far and wide beyond the Lib Dems, so they end up being put into practice. our Lib Dem parl...
  • Joseph Bourke
    This author writes Politicians of...