MEME MONDAY #88

The memes tailed off towards the end of last week as Karl was on holiday.  He'd already prepared at least one meme for each of the most likely outcomes in Makerfield, but beyond Burnham's victory they dried up and Richey turned his hand with a rare effort come Sunday.  Karl is currently shifting through a backlog of work, which is why our regular articles are appearing very late in the day.  Normal service will resume shortly.

Mon 15 Jun - 381 shares.  Bluesky was completely omitted when the government
began listing proposed sites that could be subject to the ban, leading to consternation
among those on the right.  When minister Liz Kendall was confronted about Bluesky
the following day during an LBC phone-in, she gave a conflicted response: "So in
Australia, Bluesky is included in the ban and we plan to use their model".  The
problem with this response is that Bluesky was not included in the Australia ban,
so this may not be the u-turn that Kendall was alluding to

Tue 16 Jun - 208 shares

Tue 16 Jun - 426 shares

Tue 16 Jun - 24 shares

Tue 16 Jun - 14 shares.  The result of this emoji poll was as follows:
Yes = 4
No = 139

Wed 17 Jun - 9 shares.  Five days later Wes u-turned yet again, backing out
altogether and endorsing Burnham.  Come on Wes, we wanted a damaging
drawn out leadership battle!

Wed 17 Jun - 5 shares

Wed 17 Jun - 22 shares.  The Burnham camp clearly knew that the Labour
brand is so toxic in working class communities that they went to great
lengths to omit it from the campaign.  The top left photo features the rare
sight of a Labour 'moderate' (Stella Creasy) and an SCG lefty (Rachael
Maskell) posing together

Thu 17 Jun - 110 shares.  The result of this emoji poll was as follows:
Yes = 8,112
No = 538
Wishful thinking?  We both called it for Labour in Thursday's election preview,
but very much hoped we were wrong!

Fri 19 Jun - 79 shares

Sat 20 Jun - 398 shares

Sat 20 Jun - 171 shares.  One of Richey's rare efforts

Sun 21 Jun - 82 shares

Five Facebook Stories were published last week, as follows.

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COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 11.06.26

Three seats were up for grabs this week, a gentle warm-up for next week's mammoth round of by-elections (18 council and three Westminster).  The lads mostly favoured Reform for success this week, but Reform drew a rare blank.

Christleton & Huntington, Cheshire West and Chester Council

Con: 1,214 (32.9%) +6.8%

Grn: 1,122 (30.4%) +7.8%

Ref: 635 (17.2%) New

Lab: 389 (10.5%) -9.8%

LDm: 331 (9.0%) -7.5%

Con HOLD

Triggered by the death of the incumbent, the Tories selected a former MP to defend the seat in his honour.  Stephen Mosley lost his City of Chester seat at Westminster after just one term in 2015 (Labour have held the seat since).  Mosley successfully held this time, albeit in the face of a strong challenge from the Greens.  There was no independent candidate this time, which appeared to benefit both parties, who not only increased their vote share, but their number of votes also.  The ward is only 30 miles from the Makerfield constituency, so Reform's campaign may have been diluted by their focus on the big Westminster by-election.

Karl - Ref GAIN ✘

Rich - Grn GAIN ✘

Apsley & Corner Hall, Dacorum Borough Council

LDm: 742 (32.9%) -15.6%

Ref: 552 (24.5%) New

Con: 404 (17.9%) -14.9%

Ind: 213 (9.5%) New

Grn: 181 (8.0%) New

Lab: 161 (7.1%) -11.5%

LDm HOLD

This was a notional hold for the Lib Dems, with the incumbent having served as an independent for the last two years.  She resigned from the Lib Dems alongside several colleagues, following a row with the then Lib Dem council leader.  The Lib Dems lost their majority on the council as a result.  The party got the seat back on Thursday night, but with a much reduced majority.  Reform surged straight into second place, with the Tory and Labour vote share suffering also.

Karl - LDm HOLD ✔

Rich - Ref GAIN ✘

Cippenham Green, Slough Borough Council

Grn: 409 (24.5%) New

Con: 404 (24.2%) -19.9%

Lab: 355 (21.3%) -6.9%

Ref: 326 (19.5%) New

LDm: 176 (10.5%) +1.0%

Grn GAIN from Con

The Greens came from nowhere to stun the Conservatives, albeit by the slimmest of margins with just five votes in it.  This was a close run contest all round, with just 83 votes separating the Green victors from fourth place Reform.  The Tories had won this seat fairly easily in 2023 and were looking for a hold after the incumbent unexpectedly resigned.  The Greens clearly benefited from an electorate containing a significant Asian population, but curiously it was only the two right-leaning parties that selected Asian candidates.  The Reform candidate had the unfortunate surname Mahboob (which stems from a term of endearment in Arabic).

Karl - Con HOLD ✘

Rich - Ref GAIN ✘

Of the nine by-elections held since May 7th, these are the overall scores on the doors (look away Richey).  This could all change next week, with lots to play for (especially if your name's Andy and you love yourself and want the top job).

BY-ELECTIONS 05.06.25

It was a busy Thursday this week, with a major by-election north of the border, plus eight council by-elections south of the border.

In Hamilton there was an MSP vacancy following the death of the SNP incumbent.  Usually such elections are a walkover for the defending party, but the declining popularity of the SNP saw the party lose to Labour and narrowly avoid a third place finish.  The SNP had been defending a 4,582 majority.  

Once again, Reform UK came from nowhere to push the main parties in a tight three-way contest.  Reform also enjoyed a significant swing from the SNP, in line with recent polling that suggested even some pro-independence voters were considering a vote for Reform.  We live in interesting times.

Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse, Scottish Parliament

(first past the post)

Lab: 8,559 (31.5%) -2.0%

SNP: 7,957 (29.4%) -16.8%

Ref: 7,088 (26.2%) New

Con: 1,621 (6.0%) -11.5%

Grn: 695 (2.6%) New

LDm: 533 (2.0%) -0.8%

SSP: 278 (1.0%) New

SFP: 219 (0.8%) New

Ind: 109 (0.4%) New

UKIP: 50 (0.2%) New

Lab GAIN from SNP

While Labour will be cock-a-hoop with the Holyrood result, the story further south was dismal.  They lost all three seats they were defending to Reform.  The Labour vote share was down in every single ward, ranging from a marginal 0.2 per cent to a whopping 50.5 per cent.

Reform also gained a seat from the Conservatives, while it was also a good night for the Lib Dems who held two and gained two, both from the Tories.

Somercotes, Amber Valley Borough Council

Ref: 396 (45.3%) New

Lab: 346 (39.6%) -27.0%

Con: 53 (6.1%) -15.1%

LDm: 48 (5.5%) -1.1%

Grn: 20 (2.3%) -3.3%

Ind: 11 (1.3%) New

Ref GAIN from Lab

Fairstead, Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Ref: 289 (39.1%) New

LDm: 275 (37.2%) New

Lab: 118 (16.0%) -29.7%

Grn: 36 (4.9%) -16.9%

Ind: 21 (2.8%) New

Ref GAIN from Lab

North Lynn, Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Ref: 278 (49.6%) New

LDm: 123 (22.0%) New

Lab: 107 (19.1%) -50.5%

Grn: 52 (9.3%) New

Ref GAIN from Lab

Frinton, Tendring District Council

Ref: 1,222 (57.2%) New

Con: 577 (27.0%) -15.0%

Lab: 168 (7.9%) -7.0%

Grn: 93 (4.3%) -8.0%

LDm: 78 (3.6%) New

Ref GAIN from Con

Burgess Hill North, West Sussex County Council

LDm: 1,088 (40.9%) n/c

Ref: 707 (26.6%) New

Con: 618 (23.3%) -14.9%

Grn: 153 (5.8%) -5.4%

Lab: 92 (4.7%) -5.0%

LDm HOLD

Hassocks & Burgess Hill South, West Sussex County Council

LDm: 1,694 (55.3%) -6.6%

Ref: 762 (24.9%) New

Con: 310 (10.1%) -15.9%

Grn: 175 (5.7%) New

Lab: 123 (4.0%) -8.1%

LDm HOLD

St Leonard's Forest, West Sussex County Council

LDm: 644 (32.5%) +2.2%

Ref: 584 (29.5%) New

Con: 401 (20.2%) -34.3%

Grn: 259 (13.1%) New

Lab: 94 (4.7%) -10.5%

LDm GAIN from Con

Maiden Erlegh & Whitegates, Wokingham Borough Council

LDm: 1,028 (31.2%) +3.2%

Lab: 793 (24.1%) -0.2%

Con: 788 (23.9%) -4.2%

Ref: 486 (14.8%) New

Grn: 189 (5.5%) -6.2%

TUS: 17 (0.5%) New

LDm GAIN from Con

Abbreviations

SNP = Scottish National Party

Lab = Labour

Ref = Reform UK

Con = Conservative

Grn = Green

LDm = Liberal Democrat

SSP = Scottish Socialist Party

SFP = Scottish Family Party

UKIP = United Kingdom Independence Party

TUS = Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Ind = Independent

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 24.04.25

The four by-elections held on Thursday were the last to be held before next week's watered down local elections in England.  Barely ten per cent of England's council seats will be up for grabs next Thursday, with nine councils having their scheduled elections postponed.  However, there will be six regional mayors elected, plus the hotly anticipated Westminster by-election for Runcorn and Helsby.

Three of the four vacancies on Thursday were held by incumbents, while Reform won a seat at the first time of asking in West Sussex.

Marine, Arun District Council

Ref: 306 (26.0%) New

LDm: 296 (25.2%) -2.8%

Lab: 236 (20.1%) -1.1%

Con: 192 (16.3%) -1.3%

Grn: 115 (9.8%) New

Ind: 31 (2.6%) New

Ref GAIN from Ind

Glenrothes Central & Thornton, Fife Council

(first preference votes)

SNP: 1,439 (47.6%) -1.1%

Lab: 649 (21.5%) -6.4%

Ref: 541 (17.9%) New

LDm: 207 (6.9%) +2.9%

Con: 185 (6.1%) -5.9%

SNP HOLD (elected at stage 4)

St John's, Suffolk County Council

Lab: 600 (28.0%) -19.7%

Grn: 458 (21.4%) +13.6%

Ref: 442 (20.6%) New

LDm: 323 (15.1%) +9.8%

Con: 318 (14.9%) -24.4%

Lab HOLD

Thatcham North East, West Berkshire Council

LDm: 690 (41.1%) -14.8%

Con: 428 (25.5%) +0.1%

Ref: 367 (21.9%) New

Grn: 127 (7.6%) -11.0%

Lab: 65 (3.9%) New

LDm HOLD

ISRAEL BARS LABOUR PAIR

Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang

Two Labour MPs have been denied entry to Israel and detained by authorities on arrival.  Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang were accused of entering the country to 'spread hate speech against Israel', according to the Israeli immigration authority.  They were detained alongside two aides who were travelling with them.

Neither MP is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group of rabid pro-Palestinian leftists, so the Israeli decision appears to be a little presumptuous at best.  While it is true that both Mohamed and Yang have been publicly critical of Israel over the Gaza conflict, is the state of Israel now so fragile and proactively oppressive as to publicly declare that this supposed 'hate speech' is a threat to its being?

Israeli authorities added that Internal Minister Moshe Arbel had formally denied entry to the four individuals after they had been detained and questioned.  They also stood accused of entering the country to 'document Israeli security forces'.  Again, this is incredibly defensive.  The MPs were not set to enter the warzone of Gaza, but merely the occupied West Bank.

Mohamed and Yang - both new MPs elected in last year's general election - issued a joint statement on social media (see below).

The Foreign Secretary sprang to the defence of his 'centrist' comrades, describing their detention as 'unacceptable' and 'counterproductive'.

The following day Lammy embroiled himself in a row with Kemi Badenoch after she backed Israel's actions in an interview with Laura Kuenssberg.  The Tory leader said every country had a right to control its own borders and said it was 'shocking we have MPs in Labour who other countries will not allow through'.  A clip of that section of the interview can be found here.

Her unequivocal support for the Israeli authorities drew criticism from Lammy, who described her response as 'disgraceful'.  In order to make clear his disdain, he tagged Badenoch into the same X post and sought to further politicise the matter by referring to Conservative MPs having been barred entry from China.

Badenoch then hit back with her own personal attack, questioning Lammy's ability to be a 'good Foreign Sec'.  She also referred to the recent letter from various Labour MPs calling for a new airport in Kashmir and 'promoting Hamas propaganda in parliament'.  Lammy did not respond further on X.

Badenoch's stance did not even enjoy universal support from her own front bench, with Shadow Treasury Secretary Richard Fuller telling Times Radio he supported the ability of MPs to be 'welcomed into any country'.  He also quite rightly questioned the democratic values of a state that barred foreign MPs from its soil, whether it be China, Israel or any state.

There is also the issue of who paid for this trip?  When it comes to the Westminster gravy train, one suspects that the answer is glaringly obvious - the humble British taxpayer.

What we found quite telling about this whole affair is how it portrays the demographic shift in Britain, rather than events in the West Bank or Gaza.  The two MPs at the centre of this row were both born overseas, while Kemi Badenoch - birth name Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke - was only born in the UK to exploit birthright citizenship, after which her parents took her back to Nigeria.  Lammy, although London born, has duel UK-Guyanese citizenship, while the Beeb's Kuenssberg was also born overseas.

When Mohamed was elected for Sheffield Central last year, she became the first Yemeni Member of Parliament.  Yang is the first Chinese-born MP, after being elected last year for the Berkshire constituency of Earley and Woodley.  Who knew Berkshire was home to so many constituents with a vested interest in Palestine?

The only bona fide Brit named in this article is Fuller, who was born here to British parents and does not share citizenship with a foreign country.  To quote Sir Keir Starmer - Britain is changing.  Sadly, it is changing beyond belief.

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 06.02.25

Five council contests were held on Thursday, with six vacancies on offer.  It was a stunning night for Reform UK, with three gains across the five seats it contested - all for the first time.  Two of those victories was a double gain over Labour in Kent, while they also took a Conservative seat in Essex.

All but one of the by-elections took place in the south of England, so it was perhaps indicative of yet another dismal night for Labour that the Tories swiped the only northern seat on offer - in Lancashire.  Labour trailed in third there, behind newcomers Reform.  The Labour vote share was down by more than twenty percentage points in all but one of the elections (Berkshire).

Baxenden, Hyndburn Borough Council

Con: 406 (35.7%) -13.2%

Ref: 368 (32.3%) New

Lab: 328 (28.8%) -22.3%

Grn: 36 (3.2%) New

Con GAIN from Lab

Gillingham South, Medway Council

Lab: 706 (37.4%) -20.7%

Ref: 506 (26.8%) New

Con: 330 (17.5%) +0.5%

Grn: 167 (8.8%) -4.6%

LDm: 99 (5.2%) -6.3%

SDP: 69 (3.7%) New

Hrt: 12 (0.6%) New

Lab HOLD

Rochester East & Warren Wood, Medway Council

(two seats)

Ref: 870 & 802 (36.7%) New

Lab: 781 & 717 (32.9%) -22.0%

Con: 479 & 432 (20.2%) -5.8%

Grn: 141 & 109 (5.9%) -6.3%

LDm: 81 & 80 (3.4%) New

Hrt: 21 (0.9%) New

Ref GAIN from Lab (x 2)

The Bentleys & Frating, Tendring District Council

Ref: 432 (45.3%) New

LDm: 328 (34.4%) +15.9%

Con: 163 (17.1%) -30.9%

Lab: 31 (3.2%) -7.6%

Ref GAIN from Con

Winnersh, Wokingham Borough Council

LDm: 1,177 (52.7%) -7.2%

Con: 833 (37.3%) +10.7%

Lab: 126 (5.6%) -5.1%

Grn: 99 (4.4%) New

LDm HOLD

Abbreviations

Con = Conservative

Ref = Reform UK

Lab = Labour

Grn = Green

SDP = Social Democratic Party

Hrt = Heritage

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 05.12.24

In this week's round of by-elections there were mixed results for Labour, with an overall net loss of one seat.  They defended a safe seat in Cardiff, albeit their vote share plummeted by more than 30 points.  They lost a seat in Berkshire to the Conservatives and also a seat to the SNP in Stirling.  However, they also gained a seat from the SNP in Glasgow.

Splott, Cardiff City Council

Lab: 717 (34.4%) -31.1%

Grn: 362 (17.3%) +3.6%

Ppl: 305 (14.6%) +11.2%

LDm: 292 (14.0%) +8.6%

Ref: 271 (13.0%) New

Pld: 88 (4.2%) New

Con: 60 (2.9%) -5.9%

Lab HOLD

Kilgrimol, Fylde Borough Council

Con: 340 (46.1%) +9.4%

Ref: 204 (27.6%) New

LDm: 108 (14.6%) New

Lab: 86 (11.7%) -11.6%

Con GAIN from Ind

Partick East/Kelvindale, Glasgow City Council

(First preference votes)

Lab: 1,723 (37.5%) +5.3%

SNP: 1,062 (23.1%) -5.2%

Grn: 837 (18.2%) -2.7%

Con: 632 (13.8%) +0.4%

LDm: 339 (7.4%) +3.6%

Lab GAIN from SNP (elected stage 4)

Cholsey, South Oxfordshire District Council

LDm: 949 (62.2%) +16.1%

Con: 362 (23.7%) +0.9%

SDP: 116 (7.6%) +2.3%

Lab: 71 (4.7%) New

Ind: 28 (1.8%) New

LDm HOLD

Stirling East, Stirling Council

(First preference votes)

SNP: 650 (34.6%) +2.9%

Lab: 480 (25.5%) +2.2%

Ref: 265 (14.1%) New

Con: 230 (12.2%) -11.1%

Ind: 106 (5.6%) -2.9%

Grn: 95 (5.1%) +0.4%

LDm: 55 (2.9%) +0.4%

SNP GAIN from Lab (elected stage 7)

Shinfield, Wokingham Borough Council

Con: 765 (49.0%) +10.4%

Lab: 387 (24.8%) -18.9%

LDm: 336 (21.5%) +3.8%

Grn: 73 (4.7%) New

Con GAIN from Lab

Abbreviations

Lab = Labour

Grn = Green

Ppl = Propel

LDm = Liberal Democrat

Ref = Reform UK

Pld = Plaid Cymru

Con = Conservative

SNP = Scottish National Party

Ind = Independents

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 07.11.24

It's an overwhelmingly Scottish affair this week. with five of the nine by-elections taking place north of the border.  Please note that Scotland uses the Single Transferable Vote system, as opposed to the First Past the Post system used in England and Wales.

Scottish Tories will be overjoyed with four gains from the SNP, three of which came in Aberdeenshire.  Elsewhere, Labour held in Inverclyde where lots of absentees helped them to a rare increased vote share.  Their vote share was down in four other seats and they amassed a grand total of just 12 votes, standing as newcomers in Herefordshire.

While Douglas Ross will be cock-a-hoop in Scotland, Kemi Badenoch will not be so pleased with results in England.  There were a couple of intriguing results, both gains that involved newcomers Reform.  Labour gained a council seat in Blackpool from the Conservatives, despite seeing their vote share dip by more than 16 points.  The Tories themselves were pushed into third place with their share plunging by almost 30 points.  Why?  Reform stood here for the first time and racked up an impressive total, missing out on a gain of their own by just 13 votes.  This is the first seat Labour have gained in England since the general election/

The other seat of interest was also in Lancashire, where Reform again came from nowhere to take a seat from the Conseravatives on Wyre Council.  Not a great start for Kemi...

Central Buchan, Aberdeenshire Council

(First preference votes)

Con: 1,260 (41.3%) +8.0%

SNP: 869 (28.5%) -2.6%

LDm: 435 (14.3%) +1.2%

Ref: 332 (10.9%) New

SFP: 83 (2.7%) +1.3%

Ind: 71 (2.3%) New

Con GAIN from SNP (elected stage 5)

Fraserburgh & District, Aberdeenshire Council

(First preference votes)

Con: 1,145 (36.3%) +3.9%

SNP: 895 (28.4%) +8.4%

Ref: 817 (25.9%) New

LDm: 222 (7.0%) +2.2%

SFP: 71 (2.3%) +1.3%

Con GAIN from SNP (elected stage 5)

Mearns, Aberdeenshire Council

(First preference votes)

Con: 1,347 (39.2%) +7.5%

SNP: 832 (24.2%) -4.8%

LDm: 745 (21.7%) +15.2%

Ref: 375 (10.9%) New

Grn: 136 (4.0%) +0.6%

Con GAIN from SNP (elected stage 4)

Great Hollands, Bracknell Forest Borough Council

Lab: 681 (46.1%) -27.8%

Con: 411 (27.8%) +1.7%

Ref: 258 (14.1%) New

Ind: 158 (10.7%) New

Hrt: 20 (1.4%) New

Lab HOLD

Bispham, Blackpool Borough Council

Lab: 436 (31.5%) -16.5%

Ref: 424 (30.7%) New

Con: 314 (22.7%) -29.2%

Ind: 148 (10.7%)New

Grn: 36 (2.6%) New

LDm: 24 (1.7%) New

Lab GAIN from Con

Bishops Frome & Cradley, Herefordshire Council

Grn: 531 (60.1%) -8.9%

Con: 215 (24.3%) -2.9%

Ref: 99 (11.2%) New

LDm: 27 (3.1%) -0.8%

Lab: 12 (1.4%) New

Grn HOLD

Inverclyde West, Inverclyde Council

(First preference votes)

Lab: 932 (34.0%) +7.9%

SNP: 923 (33.7%) +7.1%

Con: 415 (15.2%) +5.7%

Alb: 239 (8.7%) +6.1%

Ref: 230 (8.4%) New

Lab HOLD (stage TBC)

Elgin City South, Moray Council

(First preference votes)

SNP: 849 (33.2%) -3.3%

Con: 834 (31.6%) +4.8%

Lab: 487 (18.5%) -9.6%

LDm: 466 (17.7%) +14.6%

Con GAIN from SNP (elected at stage 4)

Marsh Mill, Wyre Borough Council

Ref: 567 (38.6%) New

Con: 449 (30.6%) -27.2%

Lab: 400 (27.2%) -15.0%

Grn: 52 (3.5%) New

Ref GAIN from Con

Abbreviations

Con = Conservative

SNP = Scottish National Party

LDm = Liberal Democrat

Ref = Reform UK

SFP = Scottish Family Party

Grn = Green

Lab = Labour

Hrt = Heritage

Alb = Alba

Ind = Independents

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 17.10.24

16 seats available this week, with Labour defending seven of them.  They lost four - three to the Conservatives and one to the Greens.

Labour held a seat in Bexley, London, despite a significant swing to newcomers Reform.  They held a seat in Cumberland, despite a big swing to the Conservatives.  They narrowly hung on in Falkirk, despite the SNP gaining more first preference votes and they clung on by just four votes in North Hertfordshire!

All in all, the Labour vote share was down in 11 of the 14 seats the party contested.

Aylesford & East Stour, Ashford Borough Council

Grn: 299 (31.6%) +2.8%

Lab: 293 (31.0%) -1.2%

Ref: 216 (22.9%) New

Con: 111 (11.7%) -2.2%

LDm: 26 (2.8%) New

Grn GAIN from Lab

Belvedere, Bexley London Borough Council

Lab: 862 (38.5%) -14.4%

Con: 713 (31.9%) -1.4%

Ref: 378 (16.9%) New

Grn: 157 (7.0%) -6.8%

LDm: 127 (5.7%) New

Lab HOLD

Tirymynach, Ceredigion County Council

LDm: 285 (48.9%) 

Plaid: 242 (41.5%) 

Ref: 25 (4.3%) 

Con: 17 (2.9%) 

Lab: 8 (1.4%) 

Grn: 6 (1.0%) 

LDm HOLD (previously elected unopposed)

Keswick, Cumberland Council

Lab: 513 (50.7%) -17.1%

Con: 384 (38.0%) +22.0%

Grn: 85 (8.4%) New

LDm: 29 (2.9%) New

Lab HOLD

Wetheral, Cumberland Council

Con: 665 (51.6%) -1.7%

LDm: 463 (35.9%) +16.9%

Lab: 160 (12.4%) -15.2%

Con HOLD

Llanberis, Cyngor Gwynedd (Gwynedd Council)

Plaid: 254 (60.9%) +1.7%

Grn: 422 (36.7%) New

LDm: 9 (1.3%) New

Ind: 8 (1.2%) New

Plaid HOLD

Falkirk South, Falkirk Council

(first preference votes)

SNP: 1,043 (31.3%) -10.3%

Lab: 1,014 (30.5%) +8.1%

Con: 448 (14.7%) -13.9%

Ref: 330 (9.9%) New

Ind: 184 (5.5%) New

Grn: 151 (4.5%) -1.1%

LDm: 119 (3.6%) New

Lab HOLD (elected at stage 7)

Eltham Town & Avery Hill, Greenwich London Borough Council

Con: 1,522 (48.8%) +11.8%

Lab: 981 (31.5%) -8.9%

Ref: 290 (9.3%) +5.9%

LDm: 132 (4.2%) -2.9%

Grn: 123 (3.9%) -8.1%

Ind: 70 (2.2%) New

Con GAIN from Lab

Holme Valley South, Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council

Con: 1,639 (39.1%) -2.2%

Lab: 1,134 (27.0%) -18.3%

Grn: 734 (17.5%) +8.0%

Ref: 511 (12.2%) New

LDm: 158 (3.8%) -0.1%

Ind: 17 (0.4%) New

Con GAIN from Lab

Royston Palace, North Herts Council

Lab: 302 (25.9%) -12.4%

LDm: 498 (25.6%) +1.7%

Con: 280 (24.1%) -0.8%

Ref: 196 (16.8%) New

Grn: 88 (7.6%) New

Lab HOLD

Harpenden North & Rural, St Albans City and District Council

Con: 661 (49.3%) +18.7%

LDm: 546 (40.7%) -13.0%

Grn: 82 (6.1%) -0.9%

Lab: 51 (3.8%) -4.8%

Con GAIN from LDm

Bredbury Green & Romiley, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

LDm: 1,056 (65.8%) +7.1%

Con: 552 (24.1%) +5.5%

Lab: 127 (5.5%) -11.4%

Grn: 104 (4.5%) -1.2%

LDm HOLD

Cheadle West & Gatley, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

LDm: 1,159 (45.1%) -12.0%

Con: 553 (21.5%) +7.3%

Lab: 517 (20.1%) +0.5%

Grn: 341 (13.3%) +4.2%

LDm HOLD

Rodbourne Cheney, Swindon Borough Council

Con: 991 (48.8%) +15.9%

Lab: 694 (34.2%) -19.6%

Grn: 173 (8.0%) -0.7%

Ind: 100 (4.9%) New

LDm: 82 (4.0%) -0.4%

Con GAIN from Lab

Grange & Cartmel, Westmorland and Furness Council

LDm: 2,180 (84.8%) +7.6%

Con: 392 (15.2%) -3.5%

LDm HOLD

Ascot & Sunninghill, Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council

Con: 1,264 (58.5%) +18.4%

LDm: 703 (32.6%) +1.3%

Ind: 118 (5.5%) New

Lab: 74 (3.4%) -11.6%

Con HOLD

Abbreviations

Grn = Green

Lab = Labour

Ref = Reform UK

Con = Conservative

LDm = Liberal Democrat

Plaid = Plaid Cymru

SNP = Scottish National Party

Ind = Independents

BY-ELECTIONS 16.12.21

A huge swing to the Liberal Democrats in North Shropshire dealt a crushing blow to the embattled Conservatives in Thursday's Westminster by-election.  The Lib Dems came third here in 2019, but swept to victory in a previously safe Tory seat, more than trebling their vote from 5,643 to 17,957.  Labour slumped to an embarrassing third place, dropping 8,806 votes in a further blow to Keir Starmer's uninspiring leadership.

Helen Morgan is the first non-Tory to ever win this rural seat, first created in 1832, abolished in 1876 and then re-established in 1983.  The Conservative majority in 2019 was 22,949.

North Shropshire

Helen Morgan (LDem) 17,957 (47.2%) +37.2%

Neil Shastri-Hurst (Con) 12,032 (31.6%) -31.1%

Ben Wood (Lab) 3,686 (9.7%) -12.4%

Duncan Kerr (Grn) 1,738 (4.6%) +1.4%

Kirsty Walmsley (RefUK) 1,427 (3.8%) New

Andrea Allen (UKIP) 378 (1.0%) New

Martin Daubney (Rec) 375 (1.0%) New

Alan Howling Laud Hope (Loon) 118 (0.3%) New

Suzie Akers-Smith (Ind) 95 (0.2%) New

James Elliot (Herit) 79 (0.2%) New

Boris Been Bunged (Rejoin) 58 (0.2%) New

Earl Jesse (Freedom) 57 (0.1%) New

Russell Dean 19 (Party) 0.1 New

Yolande Kenward (Ind) 3 (0.0%) New

There were twelve council by-elections on Thursday - seven Conservative defences, four Labour defences and a free-for-all.

Of those seven Tory defences, they lost four and held three.  Of those four defeats, they lost three to the Lib Dems and one to the Greens.

Labour held three of their four defences (although one of those wins is now void).  They lost a seat to an independent who came from nowhere to win a seat in South Wales.  Labour also gained the free-for-all in Middlesbrough after the independent incumbent had vacated the seat.

Now, let's discuss that void result in Walsall.  The contest was a straightforward battle between Labour and the Tories.  However, the Labour candidate was employed by Walsall Council and should have resigned prior to the election in order to be eligible to serve as a councillor.  Having failed to do so, she could not accept the post she had easily won.  Simran Cheema apologised to ward residents and claimed that she had been unaware her part-time job at a Walsall library barred her from standing.  The farce cost an estimated £20,000 and the seat will now remain vacant until the next local elections in May 2022.

Labour's Simran Cheema at last night's count in Walsall, which turned out to be
a costly waste of time

Lomond North, Argyll and Bute Council

(First preference votes)

Con: 742 (40.7%) +11.3%

SNP: 459 (25.2%) +5.0%

Ind: 418 (22.9%) New

Ind: 259 (11.2%) New

Con HOLD (elected at stage 4)

Highfield, Ashford Borough Council

Grn: 191 (40.0%) +21.2%

Con: 163 (34.1%) -7.0%

Ind: 101 (21.1%) -7.4%

Lab: 23 (4.8%) New

Grn GAIN from Con

Caerau, Bridgend County Borough Council

Ind: 515 (48.8%) New

Lab: 441 (41.8%) -6.4%

Plaid: 82 (7.8%) -10.7%

Con: 18 (1.7%) New

Ind GAIN from Lab

Roffey South, Horsham District Council

LDem: 462 (41.5%) +0.6%

Con: 335 (30.1%) -11.4%

Grn: 222 (19.9%) New

Lab: 95 (8.5%) -9.1%

LDem GAIN from Con

Armitage with Handsacre, Lichfield District Council

Con: 458 (60.3%) -2.2%

Lab: 301 (39.7%) +2.2%

Con HOLD 

Rochester East, Medway Council

Lab: 870 (63.3%) +15.2%

Con: 388 (28.2%) +8.7%

Grn: 69 (5.0%) -9.2%

LDem: 48 (3.5%) -2.8%

Lab HOLD

North Ormesby, Middlesbrough Council

Lab: 172 (74.5%) +47.7%

Ind: 32 (13.9%) +13.9%

Con: 20 (8.7%) +5.5%

LDem: 7 (3.0%) New

Lab GAIN from Ind

Hexham East, Northumberland County Council

LDem: 584 (47.3%) +11.7%

Con: 370 (30.0%) -13.9%

Lab: 154 (12.5%) -8.1%

Ind: 127 (10.3%) New

LDem GAIN from Con

Dawley & Aqueduct, Telford and Wrekin Council

Lab: 996 (55.8%) -6.1%

Con: 735 (41.2%) +3.0%

LDem: 55 (3.1%) +3.1%

Lab HOLD

Pleck, Walsall Council

Lab: 698 (64.6%) -15.5%

Con: 382 (35.4%) +15.5%

Lab HOLD (election VOID due to ineligibility of Labour candidate)

Tilehurst South & Holybrook, West Berkshire Council

Con: 548 (42.3%) -15.6%

Lab: 387 (29.9%) +4.8%

LDem: 359 (27.7%) +10.8%

Con HOLD

Nettleham, West Lindsey District Council

LDem: 585 (51.0%) +1.2%

Con: 374 (32.6%) -17.5%

Lab: 116 (10.1%) New

Grn: 71 (6.2%) New

LDem GAIN from Con

Abbreviations

LDem = Liberal Democrat

Con = Conservative

Lab = Labour

Grn = Green

RefUK = Reform UK

UKIP = UK Independence Party

Rec = Reclaim

Loon = Monster Raving Loony

Herit = Heritage

Rejoin = Rejoin EU

Freedom = Freedom Alliance

Party = The Party Party

SNP = Scottish National Party

Plaid = Plaid Cymru

Ind = Independents

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 09.12.21

Seven by-elections this week - six Conservative defences and a free-for-all.  It was an awful night for the Tories as they lost all but one of the seats they were defending.  They lost two seats to Labour, two to the Lib Dems and one to the Greens.  The Aughton and Swallownest election in Rotherham was a technical gain for Labour, as the last election in May was for two seats and the Tory was elected in second place.

On a lighter note for the Tories, they gained a seat in Torridge (Devon) after the independent incumbent had been disqualified for non-attendance.

The Lib Dems did not contest Old Bracknell or Castle this time round.  UKIP did not contest Northam.

Old Bracknell, Bracknell Forest Council

Lab: 434 (61.1%) +23.2%

Con: 276 (38.9%) -9.3%

Lab GAIN from Con

Anston & Woodsetts, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

LDem: 1,016 (38.6%) +16.6%

Con: 686 (26.1%) -6.6%

Lab: 533 (20.3%) +0.4%

Ind: 189 (7.2%) New

Ind: 118 (4.5%) -11.7%

Grn: 63 (2.4%) -5.8%

York: 20 (0.8%) New

RDP: 6 (0.2%) New

LDem GAIN from Con

Aughton & Swallownest, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Lab: 645 (49.8%) +10.2%

Con: 496 (38.3%) +6.1%

Grn: 59 (4.6%) New

York: 35 (2.7%) New

TUSC: 32 (2.5%) New

RDP: 15 (1.2%) -15.3%

LDem: 14 (1.1%) -4.1%

Lab GAIN from Con (see notes)

Castle, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council

Grn: 731 (59.3%) +36.0%

Con: 454 (36.8%) -7.3%

Lab: 48 (3.9%) -5.0%

Grn GAIN from Con

Kings Hill, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council

Con: 740 (59.3%) +12.2%

Ind: 316 (25.3%) -9.3%

LDem: 191 (15.3%) -3.0%

Con HOLD

West Malling & Leybourne, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council

LDem: 776 (49.6%) +17.7%

Con: 624 (39.8%) +4.0%

Grn: 137 (8.7%) New

Lab: 29 (1.9%) -4.1%

LDem GAIN from Con

Northam, Torridge District Council

Con: 386 (38.7%) +19.1%

LDem: 230 (23.1%) +9.9%

Grn: 224 (22.5%) New

Lab: 103 (10.3%) -0.7%

Ind: 54 (5.4%) New

Con GAIN from Ind

Abbreviations

Lab = Labour

LDem = Liberal Democrat

Con = Conservative

Grn = Green

York = Yorkshire Party

RDP = Rotherham Democratic Party

TUSC = Trade Union and Socialist Coalition

Ind = Independents

DEAFENING SILENCE

Ash Sarkar has spent all morning on Twitter defending herself against the absurdly insensitive tweet she put out last night.  She has dedicated more than a dozen tweets to ridiculing the backlash, but has still not passed any comment - let alone condemnation - of the atrocity in Reading.  Is this just rampant narcissism or is it symptomatic of something more sinister?

We know that the left struggles to condemn Islamist terrorism.  Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott famously referred to several Islamist terror attacks as 'incidents', while they instantly condemned attacks on Muslims as 'far right terrorism'.  This was the tweet that Jeremy Corbyn put out two days ago.

Today - nothing.  Nothing from Diane Abbott either.  Nothing from John McDonnell, Richard Burgon, Ian Lavery, Owen Jones or Aaron Boring Bastani.  Nothing from many of the other race-baiting tubthumpers for Black Lives Matter either.  Silence from Lammy, silence from Khan.

The lack of condemnation from the left in the current climate exposes their hypocrisy like never before.  They've been saying for weeks that 'black lives matter' and anyone who says 'all lives matter' is missing the point.  Now we see them for who they really are and what their slogan truly means - only black lives matter, but only those black lives that have been taken by white perpetrators.  You don't hear them speaking out about the much bigger problem of black-on-black violence.  They aren't speaking out about the 23 people who died in the George Floyd riots.  Who are the racists here?

UPDATE

Jeremy Corbyn finally tweeted at 14:40 on Sunday afternoon.  Note how he makes no reference to Reading having been a terror attack.  Contrast and compare with the above tweet from two days ago in which he very explicitly refers to the Finsbury Park terrorist attack.

SARKAR'S NEW LOW?

It was perhaps no great surprise that the left suddenly fell into a collective silence last night as news spread of a potential Islamist terror attack in Reading.  The serial tweeters who have been so busy whipping people up into a frenzy in recent weeks had precisely nothing to say.  Or did they?

This was the very disturbing photo that Novara Media's Ash Sarkar posted at 22:05, well after the news had broke.

The image of Sarkar smirking as she relaxed in a park setting turned a lot of stomachs, coming as it did at a time when most people were taking in the horror of what was unfolding in a park in Reading.  There's no way she couldn't have known about the attack - the news was all over Twitter at the time and she is, after all, supposed to be a journalist.  Some Twitter users even suggested that the three emojis that accompanied her odd tweet may have been intended to represent the three suspected fatalities of the attack, but surely this would be too callous - even for a hateful communist like Ash, surely?

Meanwhile, her pal Little Owen couldn't even muster a cryptic reference to the attack.  His only post on Twitter last night was a complaint about a new parody account in his name.

The left have no shame.