COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 20.01.22

Five council seats were up for grabs this week in four by-elections.  All seats were held (three Labour, one Tory) except for a free-for-all in North Yorkshire.  That seat went to the Conservatives in a narrow eight vote win after the incumbent Yorkshire Party failed to put anyone up to defend the seat.

In Charnwood, Leicestershire there were two seats on offer after the death of one Labour councillor and the resignation of another.  It was an easy hold for Labour over the second placed Conservative who  intriguingly only fielded one candidate.  UKIP and the British Democratic Party did not field candidates this time.

Labour held in East Lothian, while the Tories held in East Lindsey, Lincolnshire.  Labour and the Skegness Urban District Society did not field candidates in the latter.

Loughborough Shelthorpe, Charnwood Borough Council

(two seats)

Lab: 709

Lab: 654

Con: 311

Ind: 149

LDem: 136

Grn: 108

LDem: 104

Grn: 81

Lab HOLD (both seats)

Chapel St Leonards, East Lindsey District Council

Con: 436 (62.0%) -5.4%

Ind: 267 (38.0%) +33.1%

Con HOLD

Preston, Seton & Gosford, East Lothian Council

(first preference votes)

Lab: 1,793 (38.5%) -4.2%

SNP: 1,217 (26.2%) -1.4%

Con: 1,154 (24.8%) +0.7%

Grn: 231 (5.0%) +1.9%

LDem: 136 (2.9%) +0.5%

Ind: 122 (2.6%) New

Lab HOLD (elected at stage 5)

Byram & Brotherton, Selby District Council

Con: 215 (48.1%) +13.4%

Lab: 207 (46.3%) +26.2%

Grn: 25 (5.6%) New

Con GAIN from Yorks

Abbreviations

Lab = Labour

Con = Conservative

LDem = Liberal Democrat

Grn = Green

SNP = Scottish National Party

Yorks = Yorkshire Party

Ind = Independents

LEFT CLING TO MASK MANDATES

It will come as no surprise to anyone that Sadiq Khan wasted no time in rebuking the end of Plan B measures by announcing that face masks would remain a 'condition of carriage' on London transport.  Khan has retained a mask 'requirement' on public transport throughout the pandemic, but it is clear that Londoners are increasingly tiring of his diktat and are ditching the muzzle in ever greater numbers.

Like all his Labour comrades, Khan continues to muzzle up only when it suits him.

Mask mandates for the masses will also continue in socialist Scotland and Wales.  Sturgeon and Drakeford have never lifted their mask diktats and there is currently no indication as to when or if they ever will.

Remember, you can exempt yourself from wearing a face mask.  You are not required by law to carry an exemption card.  Mass non-compliance is the only way out of this nonsense.

SELF-SERVING TORY DEFECTS

One of the 2019 intake of Tory MPs defected to Labour on Wednesday immediately prior to PMQs.  Christian Wakeford (pictured above) took up a seat on the opposition benches as Keir Starmer smugly welcomed his new MP.  Wakeford submitted a letter of no confidence in the PM last week.  He wrote directly to the PM on Wednesday highlighting his supposed reasons for the defection (see below).

There are a number of issues to unpick with Wakeford's resignation, not least the timing of it.  The 37-year-old has been an elected councillor for the Conservatives since 2013, on both Lancashire County Council and Pendle Borough Council.  After his election in 2019, he continued to claim allowances for both roles, on top of his £81,932 salary as an MP.  There certainly appears to be a history of greed with this largely unknown entity and we might therefore suggest that, as opposed to 'putting his constituents first', Mr Wakeford is actually putting himself and his position on the gravy train first.

Wakeford has a tiny majority of just 402 in Bury South, having overturned a 5,965 majority in 2019.  The incumbent MP had resigned from Labour a year earlier and stood as an independent, but had tried unsuccessfully to withdraw his candidacy at the last minute and called on voters to back the Tory candidate.  He still managed to receive 1,366 votes, which was potentially crucial in delivering victory to Wakeford.  All this, combined with the Tory poll slump, has clearly been weighing on Wakeford's mind.  If Johnson clings on as PM, most red wall seats will almost certainly be returned to Labour at the next election.  So why resign now, when the PM's downfall is imminent?

It probably wasn't an easy call to make for Wakeford, but if not now, then when?  A new Prime Minister with a fresh slate would not offer a viable motive to resign.  Now is probably the only moment he could have done so with a seemingly principled reason.

With any luck, Johnson's replacement will provide the conservative agenda that the electorate voted for and consign Wakeford and his new colours to the dustbin at the next election.  Wakeford, like Johnson, was clearly never a true conservative anyway.  If he were, then he would have stayed on and rallied around a conservative successor.  Instead, he swapped Johnson's blue socialists for Starmer's red socialists, two groups currently indisdinguishble with their shared vision of high taxation, high migration, climate hysteria and nanny state authoritarianism.  Someone who makes that switch on the eve of a potential new beginning for his party does not do so in the 'best interests of his constituents'.

Bury South 2019 general election

Christian Wakeford (Con) 22,034 (43.8%) +2.2%

Lucy Burke (Lab) 21,632 (43.0%) -10.3%

Richard Kilpatrick (LDem) 2,315 (4.6%) +2.5%

Andrea Livesey (Brexit) 1,672 (3.3%) New

Ivan Lewis (Ind) 1,366 (2.7%) New

Glyn Heath (Grn) 848 (1.7%) New

Michael Boyle (Ind) 277 (0.6%) New

Gemma Evans (Women) 130 (0.3%) New

PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTIONS 19.01.22

Watch here from noon, in what could potentially be Boris Johnson's final PMQs.

MSM TOOL SCHOOLED AGAIN

Establishment journalist Matthew Stadlen has been humiliated on Twitter yet again after he posted a poll in support of the BBC.  Hoping to skew the poll in his favour, he typed the 'no' option in capital letters and preceded the poll with several tweets attacking the government's TV licence freeze.  Just a reminder that your TV licence money (if you pay it) goes towards paying the likes of Gary Lineker over a million pounds each year!  The BBC and its 'stars' can afford a pay freeze or, better still, a pay cut.

After twelve hours and 36,830 votes, it was clear Stadlen's poll did not quite pan out the way he envisaged...

Stadlen bemoaned the result of his poll, accusing the Yes voters of being 'vandals' belonging to a 'cult'.  The only surprise was he failed to demand they vote again...

Stadlen has worked for various media outlets, including the BBC, and is the son of former High Court judge Sir Nicholas Stadlen.  He is a vocal critic of GB News and was famously humiliated by the broadcaster's then head of news John McAndrew (see exchange below) who pointed out that Stadlen had applied for a presenting job 'on several occasions'.

Matt's not the sharpest tool in the box, but he wants to convey the establishment narrative by any means possible.

TOGETHER PETITION TO NUMBER TEN

A 360,000 name petition was handed in to Downing Street on Monday against vaccine passports and vaccine mandates.  The Together declaration was delivered to Number Ten by a delegation that included Tory backbencher Steve Baker (see above picture).  Also present were the Together chair Alan Miller (centre), alongside campaigners Adam Brooks, Tonia Buxton and Richard Taylor - all of whom have been seen on GB News recently, whereas the mainstream media have predictably ignored the story altogether.

The Together delegation were later joined by DUP MP Sammy Wilson, Reclaim's Laurence Fox and Dr Steve James, the NHS consultant who confronted Sajid Javid over the mandate that will see people like him lose their jobs.  While many Tory voters believe that the government will repeal the NHS mandate prior to April 1, the NHS confirmed yesterday that it will begin sacking tens of thousands of workers in just two weeks time.  So much for a pandemic that is threatening to 'overwhelm' the NHS!

Alan Miller spoke to supporters briefly outside Downing Street (see video below) and bemoaned the lack of support from trade unions such as Unite and Unison, who have drawn a collective deaf 'un despite the rampant discrimination that is threatening the livelihoods of thousands of NHS staff.  Also disgracefully ignoring the plight of NHS workers is Starmer and his MPs, most of whom voted for the mandate.

While the BBC, Sky News and the rest of the Covid narrative media ignored the declaration, Dan Wootton and Tonia Buxton covered the story on GB News.  Click below for the clip.

You can follow the Together campaign on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

FOX'S TOP TEN COVID CUN...

It's fair to say that the Reclaim Party have got off to a slow start.  They've spent thousands on election deposits and lost every penny.  How long it will be before Laurence Fox bores of his new career is anyone's guess, but one thing is for sure - he will not fail to entertain along the way.  Here is a man who does not take himself seriously, which is perhaps a view shared by the electorate - albeit such an attribute did not stop the current Prime Minister from reaching the very top.

In his latest video Fox counts down his top ten 'Covid hypocrites' ie. the establishment figures and organisations that have contradicted their own medicine.  It's not all frivolity from Fox here, there is a very serious message about the hapless restrictions.  Click below for the full four minute and 45 second masterclass...

Fox and his deputy Martin Daubney (ex-Brexit Party MEP) are worth a follow on Twitter.  In an age of mass psychosis and tyranny it is essential that we rally around voices who speak up for freedom - whether that be Tory backbenchers, irreverent former actors or libertarian GB News presenters.  We are in this together and together we are always stronger.

To recap, here's Fox's list of Covid hypocrites in full.

10. Nicola Sturgeon

9.  Mark Drakeford

8.  Sadiq Khan

7.  Zarah Sultana

6.  Journalists

5.  Gary Lineker

4.  Keir Starmer

3.  Matt Hancock

2.  Dancing Tik Tok 'Heroes'

1.  Boris Johnson

THE WEEK IN CARTOONS 9-15 JAN 2022

09.01.22 - Andy Davey, Sunday Telegraph

09.01.22 - Matt Pritchett, Sunday Telegraph

09.01.22 - Morten Morland, Sunday Times

09.01.22 - Jimbob, Gab

09.01.22 - Tom Stiglich, Twitter

10.01.22 - Ben Garrison, Grrr Graphics

10.01.22 - Patrick Blower, Daily Telegraph

10.01.22 - Christian Adams, Evening Standard

10.01.22 - Brian Adcock, Independent

10.01.22 - Guy Venables, Metro

11.01.22 - Graeme Bandeira, Yorkshire Post

11.01.22 - Patrick Blower, Daily Telegraph

11.01.22 - Brian Adcock, Independent

12.01.22 - Christian Adams, Evening Standard

12.01.22 - Ben Jennings, Guardian

12.01.22 - Dave Brown, Independent

12.01.22 - Guy Venables, Metro

12.01.22 - Peter Brookes, The Times

14.01.22 - Dave Brown, Independent

14.01.22 - David Simonds, Guardian

14.01.22 - Peter Brookes, The Times

14.01.22 - Andy Davey, Daily Telegraph

14.01.22 - Tjeerd Royaards, Cartoon Movement

15.01.22 - Dave Brown, Independent

15.01.22 -Tom Stiglich, Twitter

MILLER HUMILIATES HERSELF

Earlier this week Gina Miller became the latest remoaner to launch a political party.  Gina's 'True & Fair' party follows in the footsteps of other Remain failures such as the now defunct Change UK and hapless Rejoin EU Party (which only has two policies).  As an increasing number of Remain voters choose to get on with their lives and accept UK independence, enthusiasm for rejoining the EU fades.  It is only rabid EU fanatics such as Miller and Labour's Lord Adonis who persist with fantasies about rejoining the bloc.

As a prime example of how detached from reality they are, earlier this week Adonis tweeted: "If Boris goes, Brexit goes".  Those who have followed the musings of the loony lord in recent years won't be surprised by that outlandish tweet.

Gina Miller made a name for herself in the aftermath of the Leave mandate, but she is now nothing more than a broken record, an establishment fad that passed.  Hence the total embarrassment of her party launch - just 13 people turned up.  Journalist Noa Hoffman covered the launch in a hilarious Twitter thread, which included a video of the sparse reception (see below).

Hoffman reports that Gina's press conference ended after just three questions from the assembled journalists, but at least they all got a free mug and a baseball cap.  Miller clearly overestimated her pulling power, but the reality is that her Brexit-blocking antics are now but a distant memory.  She may have hoped to capitalise on public disillusionment with establishment politics, but this privately-educated globalist millionaire just about epitomises the establishment.

Oh, and one more thing Gina.  'Our democracy' does not include the Irish Republic.  Your website should at least get the basics right.

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 13.01.22

The Green Party claimed the first by-election of 2022 with a gain from the Conservatives.  The contest in Worcestershire was the only council by-election on Thursday and voters were clearly not in a sympathetic mood, despite the death of the Tory incumbent.

The Littletons, Wychavon District Council

Grn: 291 (39.1%) -6.3%

Con: 274 (36.8%) -17.8%

LDem: 179 (24.1%) New

Grn GAIN from Con

WELSH LABOUR'S HYPOCRISY

Welsh Labour continue to snipe at the Westminster Tory government, following Mark Drakeford's extraordinary attack last Friday.  Welsh government minister Vaughan Gething tweeted on Wednesday to brag that his government 'had never had a VIP lane' and that 'the same rules applied to everyone'.  This is a bit rich coming from Gething, who was Welsh health minister when he was photographed eating a meal at a picnic table with his family during the first lockdown.  Gething, of course, had done nothing wrong according to the Welsh government - but ordinary Welsh folk could potentially have been fined for doing the same thing.

Then there was the Senedd drinking scandal, when three assembly members were revealed to have consumed alcohol in the parliament building days after an alcohol ban was slapped on Welsh pubs.  Two of them were Tories, the other was Labour.  Apologies were issued all round, including from Alun Davies - the Labour member involved in the breach who was also suspended from the Labour group in response to the scandal.  Davies was later readmitted to the Labour group, but look who retweeted Gething on Wednesday...

Short memory or selective memory Alun?

More recently there was also Mark Drakeford's Diwali knees-up in November.  At a time when he and his government were beginning to ramp up their Covid rhetoric, the First Minister was filmed dancing among an indoor crowd at a Diwali celebration in Cardiff.  Despite the never-ending mask mandate in Wales, there were no face masks to be seen anywhere in the footage (see below).

The Welsh government later said that no rules were broken as it took place in a premises where food and drink were being served.  A month later the same government ordered nightclubs in Wales to close.  It's safe to dance in a crowd when you're the First Minister, but ordinary Welsh folk must be careful!

PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTIONS 12.01.22

Keir Starmer returns for PMQs following his latest self-isolation for coronavirus.  Watch below.

DROMEY VACATES SEAT

The death of Mr Harriet Harman means there will be yet another Westminster by-election in the near future.  Jack Dromey died suddenly over the weekend at the age of 73, having spoken in the Commons the previous day complaining that the government is not doing enough for Afghan 'refugees'.  Cue lots of glowing tributes from across the establishment and no mention of the numerous scandals he was embroiled in during his life.

Originally from Brent, Dromey spent years trying to get himself parachuted into a safe seat before he finally made it as the candidate for Birmingham Erdington in 2010.  Erdington had been held by Labour since 1945, albeit mostly as a marginal.  Dromey held the seat for Labour in 2010 with a 3,277 majority, followed by 5,129 in 2015, 7,285 in 2017 and 3,601 in 2019.  If the Tories were not in such a desperate state at the moment, they might have fancied their chances here.

A date for the by-election has not yet been decided.

Birmingham Erdington 2019 general election

Jack Dromey (Lab) 17,720 (50.3%) -7.7%

Robert Alden (Con) 14,119 (40.1%) +1.7%

Wendy Garcarz (Brexit) 1,441 (4.1%) New

Ann Holtom (LDem) 1,301 (3.7%) +1.7%

Rob Grant (Grn) 648 (1.8%) +0.2%

VAZ HITS THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Concerns continue to grow that Keith Vaz is plotting a return to the Commons in place of the disgraced Claudia Webbe.  Vaz was seen on the campaign trail for a forthcoming council by-election on Saturday (see tweet below, in which Vaz can be seen out front alongside the Labour candidate).  Note the stunning lack of diversity in Labour's campaign team!

At the moment there is no vacancy for Webbe's seat.  A by-election in Leicester East rests on the outcome of her appeal against her harassment conviction, set for March 9.  Even if she loses that appeal, she still has an outside chance of retaining the seat if the resultant recall petition fails to gather enough signatures to kick her out.  However, if Jim the washing machine salesman has his eyes on his former seat, make no mistake that petition will succeed!

While Labour's Asian crew all looked very happy with themselves in the above photo, a disgruntled local can be seen in the background sending an altogether different message...

THE WEEK IN CARTOONS 2-8 JAN 2022

02.01.22 - Andy Davey, Sunday Telegraph

03.01.22 - Guy Venables, Metro

03.01.22 - Patrick Blower, Daily Telegraph

03.01.22 - Nicola Jennings, Guardian

03.01.22 - Cian Ci, Twitter

04.01.22 - AF Branco, Daily Torch

04.01.22 - Graeme Bandeira, Yorkshire Post

04.01.22 - Patrick Blower, Daily Telegraph

05.01.22 - Matt Pritchett, Daily Telegraph

05.01.22 - Jimbob, Gab

05.01.22 - Dave Brown, Independent

05.01.22 - Patrick Blower, Daily Telegraph

05.01.22 - Pete Songi, Twitter

05.01.22 - Tom Stiglich, Twitter

06.01.22 - Ben Garrison, Grrr Graphics

06.01.22 - Jimbob, Gab

06.01.22 - Patrick Blower, Daily Telegraph

07.01.22 - Steve Bell, Guardian

07.01.22 - Andy Davey, Daily Telegraph

08.01.22 - Matt Pritchett, Daily Telegraph

08.01.22 - Richard Jolley, Spectator

08.01.22 - Morten Morland, Spectator