UK Politics - police blackmail edition

[Free Northman Reborn]

A 'leading Labour figure', was quoted by The Times as saying: “the narrative around Ed Miliband, because it’s the truth, is that he looks weird, sounds weird, is weird.”

Can't argue with that.

[Alex.]

Bit harsh of David to go on record like that.

[Lummel]

It will be interesting to see if there is a marked discrepancy between the UKIP vote in the local and the Euro elections. UKIP vote down compared to last years local despite this time being on the same day as the Euro elections, which is striking. Was there no voting in London boroughs in last year's locals? I can't remember.

I suppose we'll be seeing more recounts and tighter finishes in the nationals next year if UKIP continue eating into Labour and Tory support.

[The Marquis de Leech]

It will be interesting to see if there is a marked discrepancy between the UKIP vote in the local and the Euro elections. UKIP vote down compared to last years local despite this time being on the same day as the Euro elections, which is striking. Was there no voting in London boroughs in last year's locals? I can't remember.

Last year was the Shires, this year was the metropolitan centres. I don't think we can get excited about the UKIP vote dropping.

[Lummel]

Excited? It just clarifies what is going on.

[The onion wight]

It will be interesting to see if there is a marked discrepancy between the UKIP vote in the local and the Euro elections. UKIP vote down compared to last years local despite this time being on the same day as the Euro elections, which is striking. Was there no voting in London boroughs in last year's locals? I can't remember.

I suppose we'll be seeing more recounts and tighter finishes in the nationals next year if UKIP continue eating into Labour and Tory support.

Quoting like for like? Local government elections are not nationwide

elections.

[Mathis]

I don't think I've ever voted quite so enthusiastically as I did this week. The Lib Dems seem to be the only party with any grown ups in it.

I get that they can't be a protest vote anymore, but the vitriol against them seems bizarre to me.

[SeanF]

It will be interesting to see if there is a marked discrepancy between the UKIP vote in the local and the Euro elections. UKIP vote down compared to last years local despite this time being on the same day as the Euro elections, which is striking. Was there no voting in London boroughs in last year's locals? I can't remember.

I suppose we'll be seeing more recounts and tighter finishes in the nationals next year if UKIP continue eating into Labour and Tory support.

Survation carried out a poll, for both Euro and local elections, which was pretty accurate for the latter. They found that 41% of people who were planning to vote UKIP in the Euros, planned to vote for someone else at local level. That would imply a vote share for UKIP of 29% in the Euro elections.

[Lummel]

Survation carried out a poll, for both Euro and local elections, which was pretty accurate for the latter. They found that 41% of people who were planning to vote UKIP in the Euros, planned to vote for someone else at local level. That would imply a vote share for UKIP of 29% in the Euro elections.

Interesting! Thanks. Not such good news for UKIP ambitions of winning parliamentary seats.

[The Marquis de Leech]

With all but two councils done, Labour gains are 338, Tory losses are 231, Lib Dem losses are 307, and UKIP are on 163 (161 gains).

So a pretty good night for Labour.

[Hereward]

A pretty bad night for Labour. They should be doing far better if they want any chance of an outright victory next year. The party seems to agree as the rebellion over Red Ed's leadership has changed up a gear.

[SeanF]

With all but two councils done, Labour gains are 338, Tory losses are 231, Lib Dem losses are 307, and UKIP are on 163 (161 gains).

So a pretty good night for Labour.

Labour did very well indeed, in London, their best result since 1971. Outside of London, though, their performance was pretty poor.

[The Marquis de Leech]

A pretty bad night for Labour. They should be doing far better if they want any chance of an outright victory next year. The party seems to agree as the rebellion over Red Ed's leadership has changed up a gear.

A gain of under 200 would have been poor. A gain of around 350, including a net gain of six councils? Perfectly OK. Not to mention more than twice the gains of the UKIP. I honestly think there's a fair degree of media bias at work - they decided their narrative would be Labour in Trouble, and ran with it.

[Lummel]

The media narrative, at least in the UK, reflects the timings of the results. UKIP did best in the early results, so that was the story that led the coverage. Also UKIP are a media gift because it seems you can find one of their members saying something newsworthy as needed and Farage provides a ready source of pictures of man drinking beer.

Overall it was bad for the Lib Dems, not awful for the Conservatives, not exciting for Labour but good for the Residents Association. In line with the polling things look tight. Prospects are good (or bad depending on your point of view) for another hung parliament. The question is will the results be tight enough that Labour or Conservatives can risk a minority government with some confidence and supply deals or will the Lib Dems be just numerous enough to be the belle of the coalition ball again. Vince Cable is keeping his dancing shoes well polished after all.

[Alex.]

Michael Gove's latest amendment to the curriculum is a belter even for him. Removing classic literature from classrooms because its not written by British people.

Incredible scenes.

[MinDonner]

I hope he's replacing them with Katie Price and Jeffery Archer. :-/

[polishgenius]

Words fail.

[SeanF]

A gain of under 200 would have been poor. A gain of around 350, including a net gain of six councils? Perfectly OK. Not to mention more than twice the gains of the UKIP. I honestly think there's a fair degree of media bias at work - they decided their narrative would be Labour in Trouble, and ran with it.

Two thirds of Labour's gains came in London though, and often in places that are already solid for them, like Haringey, Brent, Lambeth, Islington, Lewisham. It's great to make a clean sweep, but under FPTP, they need to be moving forward in marginal seats, like Battersea, Ilford North, Thurrock, Tamworth, Swindon North and South, Harlow etc., and there, Labour's performance was far more patchy.

It's Labour MPs, who've been criticising Milliband to the Press.

[Deedles]

That sounds, well, utterly moronic. Can he even do that? Is the Minister in charge of the various curricula? It's sounds a bit mad if he is. I wouldn't trust any one person to have a sufficient breath of knowledge in one subject area, let alone all of them.

[The BlackBear]

Michael Gove has rather unusual and specific ideas about education. Which I think most tellingly aren't shared by teachers