Labour Make Big Gains In Local Elections And Mayoral Polls

The Huffington Post UK  |  By Posted: 03/05/2012 21:49 Updated: 04/05/2012 08:16

Results are coming in from the 2012 local elections in England and Wales, and all indications are that Labour are making significant gains at the expense of the coalition parties.

With about half of the English and Welsh councils declared the results are starting to look particularly embarrassing for David Cameron, who has seen Labour make gains in Tory heartlands. Elsewhere Nottingham, Manchester and Coventry all voted No to the PM's plan to have elected Mayors. A referendum on in Birmingham is likely to produce the same result.

By 7:00 on Friday morning Labour had gained more than 450 council seats in England - while the Tories had lost over 250 seats and the Lib Dems had lost nearly 130 councillors. Turnout was projected to be 32% - a disturbingly low figure, even for local elections.

Labour were up by nearly 100 councillors in Wales, the Tories were down 30 and the Lib Dems down 25. Paid Cymru were down 12 councillors.

Key councils such as Thurrock, Harlow, Southampton, Birmingham, Norwich, Great Yarmouth and Chorley fell to Labour.

The Prime Minister was also embarrassed by losses in his Oxfordshire constituency - with Labour taking the seats of Witney Central, Witney East and Chipping Norton.

Labour also won the Liverpool Mayoral election - with Joe Anderson, a former leader of the council - winning by a landslide.

Andy Sawford from the local government think-tank LGiU told HuffPost on Friday morning: "Ed Miliband has hugely strengthened his leadership of the Labour party, having won more than the number of seats and councils that were predicted at the half way stage, with more counts to come today.

"Crucially though he will point to the correlation between council gains and the key marginals that Labour needs to win if it is to have a chance of forming the next government."

But it wasn't all plain sailing for Ed Miliband - shortly after 5am the Labour leader of Bradford Council lost his seat to a Respect party candidate. The party gained five seats overall - the council remains under no overall control.

Click here or scroll down for live updates

Although the rain has held off in London for most of the day, Thursday was a washout across much of the Midlands - torrential downpours in places like Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire could suppress what's widely predicted to be a low turnout.

Austerity measures mean that many councils are not counting votes overnight - about a third are holding off until later on Friday morning, as is London and every count in Scotland.

See also:

Tactical Voting Expected In London Mayoral Contest

Massive Rejection For Cameron's Elected Mayors Plan

Labour Man Takes Liverpool Mayoral Election By A Landslide

So it's going to be a long process of drip-drip results. The narrative - we expect - is for the Tories and Lib Dems to suffer bad headlines first thing in the morning, when it will become clear they're on course to lose hundreds of council seats.

But Labour will not be crowing. In addition to their problems in Bradford, it could easily be their turn to feel the wrath of voters later in the day when the results of the London and Glasgow elections come in. Many fear that Ken Livingstone is going to lose out against Boris Johnson, and that Glasgow Council, the so-called "jewel in the crown" of Labour's local powerbase, could be lost to an SNP surge.

There was another setback for Labour in Bradford, when the party's council leader was defeated by a Respect candidate. The result emulated George Galloway's shock success in last month's parliamentary by-election.

A BBC projection of the national results suggested that Labour received 39% of the vote, the Tories 31%, Lib Dems 16% and others 14%.

Voting in the London Mayoral Election begins at 8:45am - with a declaration expected by Friday evening.

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  • London Mayoral Election

    Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha leave the polling station at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, London, after voting in the mayoral and council elections.

  • Local council elections

    SNP Deputy Leader Nicola Sturgeon casts her vote at Broomhouse Halls polling station in Glasgow, as Scots go to the polls today to elect their local councillors.

  • Local council elections

    Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont at Berryknowe Resource Centre polling station in Glasgow, as Scots go to the polls today to elect their local councillors.

  • Local council elections

    SNP Deputy Leader Nicola Sturgeon arrives to cast her vote at Broomhouse Halls polling station in Glasgow, as Scots go to the polls today to elect their local councillors.

  • Local council elections

    A voter arrives at Berryknowe Resource Centre polling station in Glasgow, as Scots go to the polls today to elect their local councillors.

  • Local council elections

    Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont (left) and local candidate Alistair Watson (right) at Berryknowe Resource Centre polling station in Glasgow, as Scots go to the polls today to elect their local councillors.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha leave the polling station at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, London, after voting in the mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Ken Livingstone and his wife Emma arrive at their local polling station in north London with their son Tom, to cast their votes in the mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha arrive at the polling station in Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, London, before voting in the mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Ken Livingstone and his wife Emma leave their local polling station in north London with their dog Coco and children Mia and Tom after voting in the mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha leave the polling station at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, London, after voting in the mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Ken Livingstone and his wife Emma leave their local polling station in north London with their dog Coco after voting in the mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Ken Livingstone and his wife Emma leave their local polling station in north London after voting in mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha leave the polling station at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, London, after voting in the mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Ken Livingstone and his wife Emma leave their local polling station in north London after voting in mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Ken Livingstone and his wife Emma leave their local polling station in north London after voting in the mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Labour leader Ed Miliband and his wife Justine arrive at their local polling station in north London to vote in the mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Labour leader Ed Miliband and his wife Justine leave their local polling station in north London after voting in the mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Labour leader Ed Miliband and wife Justine arrive at their local polling station in Highgate, north London, to vote in the elections for the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Labour leader Ed Miliband and wife Justine arrive at their local polling station in Highgate, north London, to vote in the elections for the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

  • Local council elections

    Ballot boxes are sent out to polling stations around Edinburgh from the council headquarters ahead of the local elections tomorrow.

  • Local council elections

    A voter arrives to cast a vote at Broomhouse Halls polling station in Glasgow, as Scots go to the polls today to elect their local councillors.

  • Local council elections

    A voter arrives to cast a vote at Broomhouse Halls polling station in Glasgow, as Scots go to the polls today to elect their local councillors.

  • Local council elections

    Ballot boxes are sent out to polling stations around Edinburgh from the council headquarters ahead of the local elections tomorrow.

  • Local council elections

    Ballot boxes are sent out to polling stations around Edinburgh from the council headquarters ahead of the local elections tomorrow.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Boris Johnson and his wife Marina Wheeler leave their local polling station in London after voting in the mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Boris Johnson and his wife Marina Wheeler arrive at their local polling station in London to vote in the mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Boris Johnson and his wife Marina Wheeler leave their local polling station in London after voting in the mayoral and council elections.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat Party leader Nick Clegg arrives to cast his vote in the local elections at the Park Hill community centre in his constituency in Stannington in Sheffield.

  • London Mayoral Election

    Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat Party leader Nick Clegg arrives to cast his vote in the local elections at the Park Hill community centre in his constituency in Stannington in Sheffield.

  • A man watches the vote count status on s

    A man watches the vote count status on screens inside City Hall in London as results are tallied in the London Mayoral and local elections on May 4, 2012. Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party took a bashing Friday in mid-term local elections, capping a bad month for the government after Britain slid back into recession. However, early vote indications showed Conservative Boris Johnson may hold on to the mayor's job in London in the year of the 2012 Olympics. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/GettyImages)

  • Two men watch the vote count status on s

    Two men watch the vote count status on screens inside City Hall as results are tallied in the London Mayoral and local elections on May 4, 2012. Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party took a bashing Friday in mid-term local elections, capping a bad month for the government after Britain slid back into recession. However, early vote indications showed Conservative Boris Johnson may hold on to the mayor's job in London in the year of the 2012 Olympics. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/GettyImages)

  • Local council elections

    Labour leader Ed Miliband in Victoria Square, Birmingham, after Labour made significant gains in the mid-term local elections.

  • Local council elections

    Labour leader Ed Miliband in Victoria Square, Birmingham, after Labour made significant gains in the mid-term local elections.

  • Local council elections

    Labour leader Ed Miliband congratulates Labour Group leader Sir Albert Bore (right) in Victoria Square, Birmingham, after Labour made significant gains in the mid-term local elections.

  • Local council elections

    Edinburgh City Council votes are counted at the Meadowbank stadium, Edinburgh.

  • Local council elections

    Edinburgh City Council votes are counted at the Meadowbank stadium, Edinburgh.

  • Local council elections

    (From left to right) First Minister Carwyn Jones, Cardiff Council leader Heather Joyce and Shadow Wales Secretary Peter Hain celebrate the party's local government election win in the Welsh capital in Queen Street, Cardiff.

  • Local council elections

    Respect Party leader George Galloway at the party's Bradford HQ after they won five seats on the Bradford Council, including that of the Labour leader.

  • Local council elections

    Respect Party leader George Galloway with supporters at the party's Bradford HQ after they won five seats on the Bradford Council, including that of the Labour leader.

  • Local council elections

    Scottish Labour Leader Johann Lamont (right), MP Margaret Curran (left) and Labour leader Gordon Matheson at the SECC in Glasgow, as votes are counted in the Glasgow City Council elections.

  • Local council elections

    Scottish Labour Leader Johann Lamont (left) and Labour leader Gordon Matheson at the SECC in Glasgow as votes are counted in the Glasgow City Council elections.

  • Local council elections

    Scottish Labour Leader Johann Lamont at the SECC in Glasgow as votes are counted in the Glasgow City Council elections.

  • Local council elections

    SNP Leader Allison Hunter (left) and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (right) at the SECC in Glasgow as votes are counted in the Glasgow City Council elections.

  • Local council elections

    Leader of the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson (left) with David Meikle at the SECC in Glasgow as votes are counted in the Glasgow City Council elections.


So over 41 hours after polls opened on Thursday morning, Boris Johnson is mayor of London and we can all go to bed to dream analytical dreams about what the results mean for the country.

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Probable ETA of a declaration is about an hour, hopefully less (please)

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London Elects statement:

We have results in from 13 of the 14 constituencies in the Mayor of London and London Assembly election. The final constituency is Brent & Harrow. The Greater London Returning Officer has been in touch with the CRO for Brent & Harrow to establish the reason for a delay. All batches of ballot papers were registered and scanned. Two batches went to storage without some ballot papers being manually entered as required. Manual entry is required when a scanner cannot read a ballot paper – for example if a ballot paper is damaged. It is not an issue with the scanners. The issue was identified during the verification stage. These two batches are being re-processed. To make this happen as quickly as possible we have separated out into several smaller batches. This is why the progress screens appear to show a changing number of verified ballot papers.

We will declare as soon as possible but it is obviously important that every vote is counted.

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Well we don't entirely know. The latest is that at least two ballot boxes were found unscanned at the Brent count, and they're now being counted by hand, for some reason.

There are rumours that Ken's team has asked for a full recount in Brent, which would delay things for another few hours.

London elects thinks it'll be only another 20 mins, but they've been saying that for nearly two hours.

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@ tnewtondunn : The Sun's pollster Peter Kellner of YouGov calls it - "Boris has won. He has too big a lead for Ken to overturn".

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It's leading to a sharp narrowing in the polls between the two candidates. On 1st preference votes Boris now has 44% and Ken 40% - 8 out of 14 constituencies have now declared.

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Here's the latest.

london shocker

People are talking about 50/50 odds between Ken and Boris. The atmosphere at City Hall has changed dramatically in the past half hour.

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Ed Miliband, speaking in Southampton, has declared that Labour is "coming back".

This comes after Labour took control of Southampton from the Conservatives.

He railed against the "out of touch government in Westminster".

"David Cameron promised change, not for the better but for the worse. Today in Southampton, it is a rejection of the economic failure of this government, and the unfairness of this government". he added

He also boasted that Labour is "beating back" the SNP in Scotland.

He recognised the low turnouts, saying it showed there was "still more to do".

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Conservative MP Peter Bone has said that the PM has 'one hand tied behind his back'.

"Worst of all, we've got the Liberals holding us back" he added

The results signified the "beginning of the end of the coalition", he told the BBC.

"We're seeing Boris winning as a Conservative in London, yet the Coalition losing against Labour. So the message must be let's come out of this coalition as soon as possible." he said

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Liam Byrne, who quit the Shadow Cabinet in preparation for running for Birmingham Mayor, has just tweeted this

@ LiamByrneMP : A huge thanks to ALL who supported Yes2Mayor, Albert and me: our job now is to get 4-square behind our brilliant new Lbr council #brummayor

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@ SmithTonyD : Brum result: Leader 120,611, Mayor 88,085. 57.8 Per cent "no" #BrumVote12

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@ oflynnexpress : Brum votes No to a Mayor. Has anyone noticed people like voting No in refs? No2EU

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With 56 of 79 seats declared, Labour currently lead over the SNP by 29 to 20.

Barring a major upset, Labour will resist the SNP advance in Glasgow.

@ suemacmillan : Labour holding its majority in Glasgow is a whopper of a result. Well done @scottishlabour

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@ JenWilliamsMEN : Ian Stewart is mayor of Salford.

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@ baddogOTM : Labour win CHIPPING NORTON! David Cameron, Rebekah Brooks, Elisabeth Murdoch, Steve Hilton + Jeremy Clarkson now have a LABOUR council.

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With 166 of 181 councils declared, Labour have gained more than 700 council seats.

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Former Libdem leader Paddy Ashdown has said the Liberal Democrats should "keep on doing" what it is doing.

Speaking to the BBC, Lord Ashdown said the party's mettle has been "tested" by the results.

"The party's mettle has been tested, it has been tested before. We should keep on doing what we're doing" he said

"It doesn't look as bad in terms of hanging onto our seats that we have got as it might have been." he added.

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According to the Guardian, Ken Livingstone's team are privately conceding defeat.

They reportedly also think Boris Johnson will increase his majority.

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A council candidate dressed as a penguin called Professor Pongoo has received more votes than the Liberal Democrats in Edinburgh.

Professor Pongoo (real name Mike Ferrigan) was an independent candidate who had pledged to wear the penguin outfit to every council meeting if he was elected.

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From the votes counted so far, Labour are on 44%, Conservatives are on 33% and the Greens are on 8%.

The LibDems dwell at 7% while Ukip are on 5%.

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Harman castigated Watson for his "hold your nose and vote for Ken" comment - and was a bit hesitant to agree that Ken had been the right candidate in the first place...we thought.

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Clearly annoyed, Farage has arrived at City Hall and says that the ballot paper fail was UKIP's fault, not London Elects. But he's blaming it on UKIP's poor performance. They're currently trailing in 6th place behind Siobhan Benita

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Ukip leader Nigel Farage is reportedly furious that his party's candidate for Mayor of London, Lawrence Webb, was listed on the ballot paper as Fresh Choice for London.

webb

He says it was a 'cockup which undoubtedly cost UKIP votes' and could have helped Boris Johnson's bid for four more years at City Hall.

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Also here is a round-up from HuffPost of Tory dissent following the local elections drubbing. A few themes emerge. Many Tories think House of Lords reform is a distraction - a couple but don't like gay marriage, but the overwhelming narrative is there needs to be a growth strategy.

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In an update to previous news about the BNP's difficulties, it has emerged that the party has lost every single one of the 12 seats it has been defending.

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@ Kevin_Maguire : Looks like Labour will win London but lose the Mayoralty, getting most votes/seats in the Assembly but Blue Boris beats Red Ken

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@ StewartHosieMP : 16 out of 16 #SNP win outright control of Dundee

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Results are coming in from the 2012 local elections in England and Wales, and all indications are that Labour are making significant gains at the expense of the coalition parties. With about half...
Results are coming in from the 2012 local elections in England and Wales, and all indications are that Labour are making significant gains at the expense of the coalition parties. With about half...
 
 
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06:12 PM on 05/05/2012
Here in Sheffield Cleggy says he was happy that all his Councillors in the Hallam ward (Gleggs Constituancy) held their seats, while the rest of the Sheffield held Lib Dem wards lost.

What he didnt tell the electorate was that these were the only wards that the Lib Dems worked hard defending, bringing in extra supporters leaving the other wards to rot just so Gleggy wouldnt lose face.

The Lib Dems know need to cut ties now with the Tories, and elect a new leader, otherwise there will be a large number of Lib Dem MPs who are gonna be made redundant. Having said that theres no way Gleggy is going to give up his lavish life style now hes had a taste of power.

The man is a liar, he promised no rise whatsoever in student tuition fees, and made a pledge to this effect which we all saw him holding in a photo.

Theres one thing for certain, people here in Sheffield dont forget liars.
02:54 PM on 05/04/2012
Sadly, the electorate dont understand that the recession we are in now was the fault of Labour when they were voted in last time! Problems on this scale cannot be sorted out in days weeks or months and in the eyes of the people, as the recession is still here, who do they blame? Yep, the coalition in power atm! I just hope all those that voted labour back in in their local elections dont live to regret it when the general elections come along. Allowing Labour back in will most certainly kill Britain off altogether!
03:24 PM on 05/04/2012
PISH
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03:53 PM on 05/04/2012
You obviously have a short memory. It was labour who got the economy going we had less unemployment and manufacturing was much higher. This shower did not inherit from labour but from the greedy people in the square mile of London i.e the bankers who are all tory voting people who only care about themselves, and if people like Ashcroft and Philip Green were to pay their taxes we would be much better off and that also goes for all these greedy people who set up companies to have their wages which they earn in this country paid into and thus avoid paying tax or is all this ok by you. They really make me sick and I cannot wait to see dodgy Dave in front of the Levenson enqiury, but there again he has been using top lawyers to get help with his appearance there says it all mate.
04:56 PM on 05/04/2012
And I can't wait to see Blair at the Hague, but he has top lawyers too. He is also talking about coming back into politics. How much worse can things get.
10:40 PM on 05/04/2012
I dont have a short memory at all - there is just a lot to remember! I dont agree with a lot the Conservatives have done either - their name shortened 'Cons' suit them perfectly, but then I am beginning to feel that about all of the leading parties. Next election I shall certainly be looking into alternative voting. And with regard to the main point, yes I remember well when labour was the scourge of the hard working self employed back in the 60's/70's and yes I do mean it was their policies which started the roll of the recession now. Like an avalanche, the cracks started slowly and when in full fall it is nigh on impossible to stop at any speed. The fact that there was an election and change of party during its run is the key to this
02:38 PM on 05/04/2012
I have always previously voted Labour, but how can you believe them ? They borrowed and spent when the economy was booming and now they will borrow and spend when it is in recession. When, just when would they every start to repay those who they borrowed from ?

It is easy to say austerity is the wrong path, but then you should not have got into debt when the economy was flush.
02:23 PM on 05/04/2012
Same old Camoron on the news today. They inherited this mess from the last labour government, get real you inherited this mess from greedy bankers and tory benefactors at least we did not have mass unemployment and massive manufacturing losses with exports down under a labour government, after all is said and done the tories are all for the wealthy greedy arrogant people who earn their money here but not willing to pay taxes here, if all these people were to pay their dues like the ordinary working person of this country we would not have a national debt, so get real Camoron and Gideon and start getting these people to pay their taxes in this country like the rest of us
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slowuncle
Ella Megalast Burls Forever
02:14 PM on 05/04/2012
Britain's referendum on GOP-style austerity, plain & simple

Gov Walker: you're first up to the gallows
01:21 PM on 05/04/2012
am I alone in thiking the BBC is over the moon with joy
01:02 PM on 05/04/2012
Oh no not labour again ! thats why we are in this mess !!! God help the country !!!
01:47 PM on 05/04/2012
We are in this mess today due to the tory sell off (out) of British industry and Utilities in the Eighties. Only the Tories rich mates benefitted from that .
04:42 PM on 05/04/2012
And Labours rich mates of which there where many who benefited.
northern git
fed up with all the political crap in life
01:42 PM on 05/05/2012
that was 30 years ago


get over it
03:56 PM on 05/04/2012
What rubbish you speak
09:55 PM on 05/06/2012
Its not rubbish ! are you not aware of the state of the country which the labour government left it in !!!! Its the conservatives that are trying to sort it out and of course they have to make cuts ! you have a short memory !
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ben Wilson
Might as well laugh while you still can.
01:02 PM on 05/04/2012
And let it be known Ken Livingstone is the reason most of the mayor cities have voted against a Mayor. He lowered the standard like never before and was the worst selling point for Mayors. It also explain why local Labour groups were vigorous against Mayors. The left always do bad in mud slinging personality battles.
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Fozwords
Abandon hope when you post on here
01:41 PM on 05/04/2012
The only Mayor with cudos was Ray Malling, hope I got the name right from Middlesborough, he stood for the boro through and through, he made enemies but stood up to the media and his opponents, unfortunately the mold has been broken and we now get Borises or Kens, public oncosts.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
cynic123
01:01 PM on 05/04/2012
I have been watxhing the elections most of the night.Wins and losses every where. But it is clear to me that the BBC are run by tory's and are clearly showing it with some of the comments the hosts have said. The party that has as part of their election campain says they will make the BBC a independent company will get my vote.It's time for the bbc to have to work to stay alive is long over due.47 years having paid a tv licence and still seeing each year the same old stuff at Christmas is just not on.
01:10 PM on 05/04/2012
you couldnt be more wrong, the bbc are a very anti-tory establishment, every news broadcast seems to show a very one sided documentary
northern git
fed up with all the political crap in life
01:44 PM on 05/05/2012
I agree, you only have to listen to political interviews

a tory spokesperson will be interupted up to twenty times on almost any topic

but labour get a virtually uninterupted platforn to pronounce their rubbish
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Fozwords
Abandon hope when you post on here
01:42 PM on 05/04/2012
The BBC are the equivelant of an ingrowing toe nail, very painful it needs to be cut drastically.
12:49 PM on 05/04/2012
Its good to see lots of sensible comments on here today reminding us about why we are where we are. Its a pity the memories of many voters seems to be very short indeed.
01:46 PM on 05/04/2012
We are where we are today due to the tory sell off (out) of British industry and Utilities in the Eighties. Only the Tories rich mates benefitted from that , yet some sun readers on here want to blame others for the witches doing, and that is pathetic
07:39 PM on 05/04/2012
The architect of our general demise was Thatcher.
Once a ship involved in a sinking gets a deck edge emersion theres bugger all you can do , but take to the life boats.
Thatcher stteered us onto the rocks and at the same time created a very very devisive split in the UK.
12:38 PM on 05/04/2012
Is this a sign of things to come (next gen election) I wonder? The country aren't happy with the austerity plans put in place by the coalition, even though Labour admitted (although only AFTER the previous gen election) they would have had to do this as well, despite putting the country in a financially poor footing by spending too much prior to the banking collapse. Yes, things are difficult at the moment - they would have been difficult no matter who had been elected. Remember things were difficult during the Thatcher years, but her government got the country's finances sorted, then Labour got back in power and Blair/Brown p*ssed it down the toilet and now we're back in 1979, but the Tories won't get 17 years to fix the economy. they'll get 5 years whcih won't be enough and Labour will get back in a put us back in a pickle.
01:03 PM on 05/04/2012
Thatcher sold everything she could and RUINED this country ! She took the WE out of society and replaced it with ME !! Selfish and arrogant old crone !!
Labour had NOTHING to sell when they came to power and thats the main reason they also failed dismally !!
Torys, Lib-dems and Labour are all a bunch of thieves and have no interest in the public , only themselves !
Ukip, Bnp etc are the only creditable alternatives to these so called politicians we have now !!
01:13 PM on 05/04/2012
labour had nothing to sell then, so someone stole all our gold and the pensions did they, get your facts right
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gundaw
I know nuffinck!
02:07 PM on 05/04/2012
Noooooo! Not Ukip or BNP!!!!
12:36 PM on 05/04/2012
how very sad the THE SHEEPLE SLEEPWALK INTO A FEDERAL EUROPE WHAT A MESS THIS IS JUST THE START IN THE LOCALS ITS ALL PART OF THE ENDGAME NOT LONG BEFORE VERY HIGH OPPRESSIVE STAEALTH TAXES GET MUCH WORSE .AND OF COURSE THE STALINIST STATE COMING YOUR WAY GOD HELP OUR ONCE PROUD NATION IM AFRAID ITS THE BEGINING OF THE END.
12:32 PM on 05/04/2012
Its the same in America, both sides are bad but people are going to vote for the one that looks not as bad.
12:32 PM on 05/04/2012
Thatchers government was not perfect. Yes she encouraged people to buy their council houses and sold them cheap, but many of those that bought couldn't really afford to, the banks jumped up and down with glee when they saw people flocking throught the doors for mortgages, and then jumped up and down again when they reposses the same properties because people realized they really couldn't afford it after all. As for immigration, we have had that situation since the 1950's, when we had no one to clean the hospitals, sweep the streets, and drive the buses, because thousands of our men had been killed in the war.
EVERY government over time has made bad judgement calls- the tory's right now hold the prize
12:57 PM on 05/04/2012
Talking our your rear end luv. Most people who bought their counciol house actually DROPPED their monthly payments due to the earned discounts. Because of the newly-acquired wealth, people then approched the banks for loans, credit cards, over drafts etc and spent, spent, spent. It was this additional debt they coudn't afford - hardly the governments fault!! Of course then Labour got in and spent, spent, spent pushing the countries debt to unmanageable levels and then the banking crisis happened. It was like piling up the credit whilst ignoring a leaky roof and when the heavens eventually open, having no cash/credit available for repairs. And then we have the Public Investment Plan (much like a Capital One credit card with 5 billion or so credit limit), or signing a contract to build an aircraft carrier at £5billion or cancel for £5.7billion!! Bad judgement calls?? On this matter Labour are King!!
12:29 PM on 05/04/2012
I shake my head in disbelief when once again we see an exodus from one main party to another main party, as if there are only two options. Next time no doubt, the people who voted Labour will return to vote Tory, then back again to Labour.
Why not take a look at the UKIP manifesto ? It puts the people of the UK first, and doesn't interest itself with age old squabbles between Labour and Conservative which are so counter productive.
My wife and I have attended a few UKIP meetings, and they deal with problems of the UK, sensibly and considerately, calling into question many of the ridiculous rules imposed on us by the E.U. like how many millions of pounds were wasted discussing how straight a banana must be to comply with EU regulations ? Honestly, it happened, but does anyone really care how straight a banana is ? UKIP are not dogma bound like other major parties, and their results are looking very promising now.
Let us get out of the money drain that is the E.U before it breaks the UK.