[Youngian]

Dan Wootton’s response is an apocalyptic break down, luck he doesn’t have followers. None of these blabbermouths will make good their threats and leave London.

[satnav]

The comments from Calvin Robinson are hilarious, he clearly forgets that he was born and raised in Mansfield. Mansfield could certainly be described as a third world town.

[Abernathy]

@Abernathy
What was the importance/size of the 'Gaza' vote going against Labour in the West Midlands, do you think?

I’d say that it more or less equates to the 69,000 odd votes polled by Akhmed Yakoob - damned substantial. His entire campaign seemed to be anti-Labour on the basis of the Palestine/Gaza issue. Which is worrying because we‘ve been here before : in Birmingham in 2004, Lib Dems took advantage of anger at Labour over the invasion of Iraq the previous year, in combination with an all-up election on re-drawn ward boundaries, to defeat Labour in key muslim Labour-supporting areas by stirring up anti-Labour sentiment, and which led to the Tory/Lib Dem coalition that controlled the city for eight years and was supposedly the model for the dreadful national Tory/LibDem Clegg/Cameron coalition of 2010- 2015.

[davidjay]

@Abernathy
What was the importance/size of the 'Gaza' vote going against Labour in the West Midlands, do you think?

The independent had no policies other than Palestine so I would guess that about 90% of his vote was down to that. He got two-thirds of his votes in Birmingham, and there are no marginals there with a large Muslim community.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Think it may be overrated how many of the Independent voters would have even voted otherwise. Voting against Genocide is a bigger thing than voting for tram extensions or to stick it to Rishi Sunak. Slight swing against Labour in Birmingham, so I suppose a lot of them must have been Labour voters but by no means all.

[The Weeping Angel]

Think it may be overrated how many of the Independent voters would have even voted otherwise. Voting against Genocide is a bigger thing than voting for tram extensions or to stick it to Rishi Sunak. Slight swing against Labour in Birmingham, so I suppose a lot of them must have been Labour voters but by no means all.

I'd add even without all that is happening in Gaza it would still have been close.

[Abernathy]

Think it may be overrated how many of the Independent voters would have even voted otherwise. Voting against Genocide is a bigger thing than voting for tram extensions or to stick it to Rishi Sunak. Slight swing against Labour in Birmingham, so I suppose a lot of them must have been Labour voters but by no means all.

I'd add even without all that is happening in Gaza it would still have been close.

Yes, of course it would. The point is that without the Gaza issue being deployed in the way it was, it would have been appreciably less close.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The West Midlands PCC election was won very easily by Labour. It was a straight fight between Labour and Tory, no Galloway-Independent. Looks like some of the Gaza voters voted Labour in that.

The trouble for Labour is that the 6 weeks of a GE campaign is a long time for Galloway to tour the country and get up a head of steam.

[kreuzberger]

The war might well be over by whenever the election is called.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Ha ha ha. This is the most obvious job application since Seb Payne.

Among other things, the hung Parliament projection relies upon no Labour gains in Wales or Scotland. I take Scotland polls as too good to be true, but surely the Tories won't do as well in Wales as last time?

[The Weeping Angel]

The West Midlands PCC election was won very easily by Labour. It was a straight fight between Labour and Tory, no Galloway-Independent. Looks like some of the Gaza voters voted Labour in that.

The trouble for Labour is that the 6 weeks of a GE campaign is a long time for Galloway to tour the country and get up a head of steam.

That election almost didn't take place as Andy Street wanted to get rid of the role and absorb the responsibilties into the combined authority. Simon Foster had to go to court for the election to go ahead,

[Tubby Isaacs]

Didn't the government fuck up the transfer to Street?

[Bones McCoy]

Binface beats Britain First in mayoral election.

[Bones McCoy]

OK, let's do this.

[Watchman]

Just had a look at the local elections for 2023, the seeds were clearly sow and we are now seeing the result, nothing has improved for Sunak, plus all the by-elections losses. And they are still saying now what they said then, “protest vote”, “ no stomach for Starmer”, “we will turn it round”, and Sunak was in denial then. Looks like the last 12 months haven’t been a bad dream at all, but bad reality. Admit it man , you’re fucked

[slilley]

Just had a look at the local elections for 2023, the seeds were clearly sow and we are now seeing the result, nothing has improved for Sunak, plus all the by-elections losses. And they are still saying now what they said then, “protest vote”, “ no stomach for Starmer”, “we will turn it round”, and Sunak was in denial then. Looks like the last 12 months haven’t been a bad dream at all, but bad reality. Admit it man , you’re fucked

All the Government interviews I have seen since polling day have been the same that the results were disappointing (an understatement), that only the Conservatives have a plan ( hmm I think both main opposition parties are saying what they would do), that the Government has brought down inflation (how? I think it is the bank of England and its interest rate policy mostly responsible), there is no enthusiasm for Starmer (maybe not but plenty of people voted for his party).

I appreciate these people get sent out to bat with a certain message, but it takes the electorate for fools if they keep parroting this stuff. The results were a walloping, they ended up with less seats than the Liberal Democrats, so if they said yes we took a beating and we need to address people's concerns, which are mainly around the economy and public services they would get a far fairer hearing. But they are in a state of denial in public at the very least and long may it continue.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Would be good if this happened with the, by definition, lower engagement voters who'll only show up at the General Election.. But not a good sign for the government at all.

[Tubby Isaacs]

People want change, says candidate that just got 1/6th of the winning incumbent's vote.

[Andy McDandy]

Ah yes, proper "if this student social committee election is anything to go by, Corbyn is on track for a landslide in 2099" delusion.

[Youngian]

And the percentages are