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What do these results mean for Labour in London?

May 15, 2012 2:43 pm

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The ward-level data for the London election came out today and is downloadable here.

There’s loads of useful info here for organisers, election strategists and psephologists.

I thought I’d set the ball rolling on dissecting it with the table of Ken’s percentage support on first preference votes by borough:

Newham 71.9%
Hackney 59.9%
Tower Hamlets 59.1%
Barking & Dagenham 54.5%
Haringey 54.4%
Brent 53.7%
Lewisham 51.9%
Waltham Forest 51.1%
Southwark 49.9%
Lambeth 49.4%
Islington 49.3%
Ealing 45.5%
Redbridge 44.9%
Greenwich 44.7%
Hounslow 43.1%
Enfield 43.0%
Camden 41.3%
Harrow 38.5%
Merton 38.3%
Croydon 37.8%
Hillingdon 31.7%
Hammersmith & Fulham31.0%
Barnet 30.8%
Wandsworth 30.7%
Westminster 29.6%
Bexley 26.4%
Kingston-upon-Thames 25.2%
City of London 24.8%
Sutton 23.6%
Havering 22.4%
Kensington & Chelsea 20.1%
Richmond-upon-Thames 20.1%
Bromley 19.7%

Please feel free to use the comments to analyse this or to post other interesting bits of data you derive from the tables e.g. constituency by constituency results, or wards in ranked order.

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  5. Labour needs a new leader for London to take the attack to Boris
  • T Windle

    In Lambeth, the Liberal Democrats finished fourth in every ward where they have councillors.

  • James C

    In East Ham North, Ken got 84%, is there any bigger than that anywhere?!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Homfray/510980099 Mike Homfray

    Former contributor Ralph Baldwin, Barking and Dagenham councillor, whose contributions and tirades against the leadership made me or Alan look like Tories has …..joined the Tories!

    From the figures above I don’t think he’d hold the seat in a by election

    • derek

      Hi Mike, I was shocked by this so did a dig? apparently Ralph is now an Independent?
      http://moderngov.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=1722 

      • treborc1

        At least he’s kept the red tie

        • derek

          Yep! I’d guess he will be spitting teeth over the cuts and welfare reforms.

          • derek

            Hmmm, I kinda of thinking he’s spitting teeth because the pace of cuts and reforms aren’t fast and deep enough! Jeez! talk about complete u-turns. 

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Homfray/510980099 Mike Homfray

            Yes, I mean, he had me down as a right-wing toady who wouldn’t criticise the leadership.

          • derek

            @Mike, wow! what a turd! who could believe a word he speaks now. 

          • AlanGiles

            I know a little about the situation in Barking & Dagenham. Briefly two councillors from the Mayesbrook ward (Ralph Baldwin and George Barratt, who contributes to LL from time to time) both left the Labour group and became Independents.

            There is a certain amount of concern among many Labour supporters about the conduct of the leader of that council, Mr Liam Smith. Like most London boroughs B & D have severe council housing shortages, but shortly after the break-up of his marriage, Mr Smith was allocated a council home, for himself and his 16 year old son, which many people, within the council and without, felt showed favourtism .

            The story made the national as well as local press, Mr Smith naturally denies the allegation, but it is felt that Mr Smith is somewhat autocratic in his running of the council.

            I must admit I could never join the Conservatives, even though sometimes, if New Labour had it’s way, it would merely be a branch office of Toryism.

            When I read “labour” onslaughts on the sick disabled and disadvantaged, especially,  I have to confess I sometimes have to wonder if it is worth in my declining years, continuing supporting a party that I often find myself out of sympathy with, or finds itself out of sympathy with me, but in my case, my move, I freely admit it, would be to the Greens. But I suppose this just confirms that these days the two big parties are in some minds quite close together. I remember back in the 1970s when Reg Prentice, Labour MP for Newham, crossed over to the Conservatives it was considered unthinkable, almost a mental aberration. These days we have Luke Bozier crossing over and Shaun Woodward of course, went in the opposite direction. It’s a funny old world!

            Mike Zwerin (1930-2010)

          • derek

            Alan , It sounds as though the constituents of  Mayesbrook are correct to call into question Mr Smith.

            Had Ralph any evidence that the tories were making things better he may have had an excuse? but the fact that we’re flatlining  and in another recession, beggars belief why Ralph thinks the tories have the answers?    

            There is a note of observation here and one which is a concern.Ed failed to take the opportunity to move some on and the appointment of JC couple with several Scottish council forming admins with the tories is off putting to say the least.

            I’m with you Alan, the Greens seem to be the only party that have an alternative agenda and one worth supporting.   

          • AlanGiles

            Hi Derek, The Conservatives have virtually no wards or seats in any part of B & D – at the last elections all seats went to Labour,  and I very much doubt that there would be any chance of them getting any (it is a very poor, run down area with quite high unemployment, an area very much in decline since the loss of Fords, and many smaller businesses failing due to the recession in  more recent times – both retail and the small manufacturing businesses that used to occupy the industrial estate.

            I frankly think the truth is that the 3 main parties, in prescribing very much the same medicine to patients who see and feel no improvement, are becoming the problem rather than the solution.

            I find Ed Miliband’s reshuffle equally pointless. Jon Cruddas is hardly a man of action, and in caving in to threats from Byrne’s pals, and letting him continue his bullying shadowing DWP, EM has made a rod for his own back. It says something about his own insecurity that even with good election results and the coalition imploding he lacks courage to face the Blairites down. Not a good sign of things to come. It reminds me of the last scene of Jimmy Cagney’s “White Heat” – as  Cody yells  - “made it, ma – top of the world!”. Then he blew himself up….

            The reshuffle didn’t even make it on the Radio 4 PM programme or 6.00 News!

            * Trummy Young (1912-1984)

          • treborc1

             The worry has to be for labour the young will be  moving between parties, because their is nothing to keep them, in my day the NHS, social housing, welfare, labour was worth fighting for and to get the party in took a lot.

            My grandson said to me does it matter who gets in, and the fact is really speaking it does not really

          • AlanGiles

            I think it’s probably better that people leave rather than go on pretending.

            * Ben Webster (1909-1973)

          • john P Reid

            I hope I speak for Hpi sen, Dan Hodges, Sunder katwala, Peter Watt, Santantra, and Luke Akehurst, But when we all joined labour in 1987, we were at it’s lowest Ebb it took us ten years of fighting the far left to get us elected, Even though Smoeitmes I’d feel better suited in the greens, I’ve stayed as I’m not going to lef tthe far left reinfultrate us agian,and put us out of pwer for another generation.

          • treborc1

             You made new labour

          • treborc1

            Ah you annoyed him and he thought he get you by calling you a Tory, I loved the reaction.

      • treborc1

         He has a piece on Con Home, he has moved to the Tories, he went independent then moved.

        • derek

          Thanks Trebroc, If there is a hidden reason I can’t really see it?

          • treborc1

            I doubt these people have a reason, they came to labour because of Blair , Blair has gone so have they.

    • derek

      My apologies Mike! just caught this headline.

      ”
      Cllr Ralph Baldwin: Why I am joining the Conservative Party
      Cllr Ralph Baldwin of Barking and Dagenham Council announces his decision to join the Conservative Party
      Over the past months I have been preparing myself for a massive change. Ironically it has been a much smoother process than anticipated. People are often questioning their parties, more often than not because they care very much about the issues and policies their Leaders are implementing. It’s a sign of healthy vibrancy and introspection, of intelligence and debate, of freedom over control. When you are sitting in the Council Chamber of Barking and Dagenham, one thing you quickly realise is the silence and even the local paper mentions the strange “lack of discussion” in meetings.It is no longer about “loyalty”, it is about nothing short of totalitarian control. The strangest aspect was the lack of discussion in the Labour Group meetings where people were too afraid to speak out. The fear was palpable.Watching Question Time I see the same expressions and hear the same voices, the common denominator in all of them is the lack of any form of service to the public and lack of concern about the circumstances or policy being discussed. The supercilious attitude of people who have nothing to do with any kind of political tradition or ethos beyond their own advancement regardless of the consequences or damage used to be quite shocking to me.”

    • Brumanuensis

      Read his ConHome piece. What a pile of hysterical, sanctimonious drivel.

      Let’s just ignore him, before he becomes another ’cause celebre’.

      • jaime taurosangastre candelas

        There was a time about 18 months ago when Ralph was a regular poster on LL, and it seems to me to be very much admired for his tough reality, as well as his (and Margaret Hodge’s) great success in getting rid of the BNP from Tower Hamlets.  Perhaps I mis-remember, but I don’t think so.

        with very great respect, I don’t believe you can simply dismiss someone who has a positive track record of actively fighting for something I imagine all Labour minded people would support with the words “hysterical sanctimonious drivel”, particularly when they were very successful. I don’t know you, you may very well have an equal record of political achievement, but Ralph has nothing to be ashamed of in his political past. Where his political future takes him is a different matter, but I think you could be a little more generous in your assessment.

        • Brumanuensis

          I was judging him on his Conservative Home piece, which to me read exactly as I described it. I can’t, indeed I refuse, to take seriously an article which states, among other things:

          “We need a strong Conservative Party, this is no longer about the left vs the right, it’s about the centre and the right, about democracy vs the complete corruption and collapse of Parliament”.

          I may be hard on the Tories, but I’d never accuse them of seeking to destroy Parliamentary democracy. The whole piece came across as the fruit of one man’s personal grudge against his colleagues. 
          Maybe Baldwin was wronged and if he did have a good record combatting the BNP, well, all credit to him. But I stand by my original opinion about this piece he penned.   

        • treborc1

           I will judge him and people like Bozier, Luke and a few others it’s called feathering one’s bed, be it blue red or yellow so long as it leads to a better job a better position and finally an MP.

  • SR819
    • http://twitter.com/kb32904 KathyB

       There seems to be some discussion on ConHome about whether this mean another by-election but surely it is inevitable seeing as he was elected under a Labour manifesto & not a Con ?

      • treborc1

         Does not always mean that an MP can cross the floor and nothing, but it does worry me that these people do this after just winning an election

    • treborc1

       Best place for him, if that bloke had a labour bone it was chicken and stuck in his throat.

  • Kajann

    What I find shocking is the level of postal voting for the Tories, it’s almost as if they’re deflecting their guilt onto Labour and Labour councils…a bit like how supposedly we had “loony Left” councils in the 80s when the real loony behaviour was that of the Tories councils – Shirley Porter, Wandsworth and their gerrymandering and K&C council leader selling of their historic town hall for a pittance and on the sly etc

    Someone in Islington had tweeted Emily Thornberry about the postal voting antics of the Tories perhaps we should either get better at similar tactics or

    We really should put a stop to postal voting!

    • treborc1

      Well that would mean if i wanted to vote, I could not, I’ve a serious disability, everyone in my small housing estate has a disability, I will admit their are seriously problems with postal voting as we have seen.

      But their has to be another way of allowing people to vote, with a postal vote and protecting it.

      But no need to worry about my vote I’ve given up.

    • john P Reid

      I know Andrew Rossindel when He was first standing for A councillor went to an old folks home ,where the people were barely aware of their surroundings and got lots of votes form them, the tories are good at genuine postal votes, we should follow their suit

      • AlanGiles

        The sadness for younger politicians like Rossindell is that they came along too late – he would have been much better off  in the heyday of the Blessed Margaret, when he might have been given a job involving affairs of state, rather than having to content himself with machinations and punch-ups with his local party. Similarily a lot of the wannabes and actual bright young things  on our side who still believe in “New Labour” should have been there 15 years ago when Phoney Tony was in his prime. Alas, they are too late for the party….

        * Alan Skidmore (1941 –   )

        • treborc1

           Lets see if the blair-ites are to late, you maybe  be surprised…..

          • john P Reid

            Yes but to Miquote Tony benn It was amazing how easy some blairites like My namesake (the Numpty) or David Blunkett went from Stalinist to nearly fascistic.

            Alot of the Blarites who were too young for 97,Like James purnell or Sion Simon bailed out, in 2010 rather than stayed to fight the fight. If, And I hope it doens’t happen I’m sure some blairites will say to teh Medhi Hasans and Sunny hundals that ,to Quote Kinnock “we’ve got our party back” and look what’s happened we lost, So if you wat to win agian its New labour, or No labour, and before people say that If Red Ed loses it’s better tolose as Old labour than win as new labour, When i was homeless in cardboard city when the tories were last in, I recall Tony benn Lving in His mansion saying that the 1980′s Elections were Moral victories, I was starving and freezing But at least Tony Benn, was having the chance to say that, His wonderfull 1983 manifesto was an alternative to what he considered fascism,IE Margaret thatcher’s prevention of buying council homes

          • treborc1

             I think Purnell left as he left his flat in a hell of a mess, but of course Purnell was just a foot soldier doing the bidding of the leaders.

        • http://twitter.com/gonzozzz dave stone

          “they are too late for the party…. ”

          I expect a lot of them will jump ship once they realise there are much fewer opportunities for wearing a bow-tie while wobbling around clutching a bottle of champagne.

        • treborc1

           I doubt they will think they are to late, maybe they are hoping a move from the DWP into a leadership contest for one super Blairite

      • treborc1

         Did you seek a medical tests for people John or did you do a Miliband and just look at them and decide they were not right in the head.

        we should follow their suit, what and go around  care homes.

        • john P Reid

          no that was another sentence we should follow their suit get our supporters who don’t get to goto the poll booths, Postal votes 

    • Eastender

      There is probably a very simple explanation. If you look at the breakdown of voting intention by age the most Tory inclined age group is the over 60s, who are also most likely to vote and most likely to have a postal vote.

      The irony here is that the government seems to want to make it more difficult to get a postal vote in the mistaken belief that postal votes benefit Labour most.

    • Test-test

      A Labour man calling for an end to postal voting, good God. More joy in heaven over one sinner who repenteth, etc.

  • Brumanuensis

    Luke, have you got a link for comparisons with 2008?

    • john P Reid

      it should be on the same website, in the same format, Except thwy actually put the candidates name rather candidate 1 etc.

      • Brumanuensis

        Thanks John.

  • Eastender

    Looking at East London (where I have local knowledge) a few things stand out.

    The ludicrous result in Newham, in one ward Ken got over 84% of the vote! East Ham and West Ham are just about the safest seats in the country for any party and that shows no sign of changing.

    The results in Redbridge were very good. I know the ward figures exclude postal votes which seem to be slightly more inclined to the Tories than non postal votes, but on these figures Labour would have “won” Ilford North. There was even a small oddity – Roding ward, where I used to live, which has never been Labour or remotely near (it currently has 3 Lib Dem councillors previously always Tories) was “won” by Labour. Even leafy Wanstead (which did have Labour councillors in the 90s) was easily “won” by Labour. Things look positive to take back control of the council in 2014.

    On the less good side was the result in Havering. The figures were not good (this was not a Ken thing). The Tories got nearly twice as many votes as Labour (in the party vote). This in a borough that returned 3 Labour MPs in 1997. Some of this in in Jon Cruddas’ constituency so not good. Why should this be? I really cant see that the demographic is worse here for Labour than in Kingston or Bexley or Westminster.

    Lots has been written about Ken which really isnt worth going into again but it is worth noting that in East London at least, Ken’s figures were near enough identical to the overall figure or the GLA member figure. The difference was that Boris’ figures were much better than the Tory figures. Even in Ken loving Newham (Ken got a few more votes than John Biggs) Boris got nearly double the Tory figure and in Havering around 11,500 / 38% more votes than the Tory list. I know that East London might be different, but here it was certainly not the case of Ken being unpopular or “loosing” votes but very much of Boris picking up practically all non Labour inclined voters.

    • AlanGiles

      Ilford North was held by Labour until 2001 by Linda Perham – it has tended to be one of those constituencies which returns an MP of the party which goes on to win the election outright (though Cameron couldn’t have been said to “win” 2 years ago the seat is still held by the Conservatives by Lee Scott a former local councillor who won in 2005 and 2010). 

      As regards Havering, I have to say the local party is – how to put this nicely? – relaxed. It’s committee rooms (Saffron House) appear to be disused much of the time, and during the recent LA elections, I didn’t see as much as one single leaflet, still less anyone standing outside Romford Station or market handing them out, which the smaller parties did. However, there is trouble in Havering Conservative Party – their autocratic MP Andrew Rossindell has been implicated in having a lot of the old guard removed and very “Andy-friendly” youngsters have been installed.  Top man is 24 years of age. There is a very entertaining piece about their woes in the “Romford Recorder” issue dated May 10th. Stories of locks being changed on committee room doors at midnight, that sort of thing. (I don’t think the local paper is on line, but I will check to see if I can find a link – I think until a couple of years ago the RR were still using an old Adana machine!).

      Haverings last labour MP, the excellent John Cryer sadly lost Hornchurch in 2005 and the boundries have been redrawn, so his constituency ceased to exist by the 2010 election. 

      * Arnett Cobb (1918-1989)

      • AlanGiles

        This is the best I can do: The story appears on the inside pages. Not a lot happens in Havering. Our idea of going to see the Christmas lights is to hold a sprig of holly at the traffic lights on December 24th. They had to shoot one resident in order to start the cemetary, in parts of Romford the pigeons fly upside down – nothing worth s*i!!ng on (I always knew those old Ronnie Scott jokes would come in handy one day :-)   ).

        One word of advice: Don’t be ill in Havering – you’ll get sent to Queens (unless you can bribe the driver to take you to the PDSA in Crow Lane) – frequent stories of women giving birth on the floor of the lavatory in A & E and that ISN’T a joke.

        * Harry Allen (1966 –    )

        • AlanGiles

          Sorry the link failed to appear:

          http://www.london24.com/news/news/havering-news 

        • john P Reid

          I got 2 leaflets out in the Whole of Havering during the 2008 election -190,000 (we got 1000 more votes in 2008 than 2004) all I really did this time was hand out a few by Upmisnter train station and run 5 people in my car to vote, Not knocking everyones hard work but, it was geared to the working class areas rather than the middle class ones, I kept saying to Jon Cryer and co that, we should have concentrated on the middle class areas as that was where  alot of votes were ,but it fell on deaf ears

          • treborc1

             My god John you will be kicked out, talking about working class

  • john P Reid

    Havering’s 22% was up from the 19.5 in 2008, When the Tories got 50% this time they got 60%, the BNP in havering got 20%  in 2008 this time about 4% being over taken By Ukip, if this result is about the assembly ,then A group ‘the residents’ got 6% too,  there was A huge decrease in voter turnout there, more than the Average, But this maybe due to the very high turnout in 2008 as although our  percetage went up our vote fell by more than 700, Similar the tories vote fell, but by only 2 votes

    • Eastender

      But why does the Labour Party do so badly in Havering? In next door Redbridge the Labour Party’s fortunes have been on a long term upward trend since the mid 80′s. I admit that the result in 1997 was probably a one off but even so we should be more competitive than we appear to be. The decline of the BNP is welcome but that really does not explain why Havering should seem to behave differently (in voting terms) than other parts of London.

      • AlanGiles

        I think there are several reasons. First of all you have to remember that Havering covers a multitude of sins from the 
        bourgeois pretentiousness of Upminster, Cranham and Gidea Park (to have a house whose garden backs on to the lake at Raphael Park is one of the highest callings man can aspire to in Havering), you have the village like atmosphere of Rainham (where I believe all three councillors are the Residents Association), you have the young upwardly mobile “aspirational” types who bought flats built on the remains of the previous shopping centre, and commute into Docklands each morning, just as the shoppers are about to arrive at the open market on Wednesdays, you have the market traders and the taxi drivers who have what I call the “Steptoe” love of the Conservative party (Harold Steptoe once wondered why the old man was a Tory – “after all, you’re working class” he says to dad, who replies “I ain’t bleeding working class. I’m management. Got me own business”). I say this because many of the market traders sported posters supporting Johnson on their stalls, the lady I get my fruit from one morning was practically wetting herself because Johnson had been on a visit “he actually spoke to me!” she said, sounding as if Billy Graham had washed her sins away. The only Labour councillors are in the Harold Hill area, and a few years ago briefly the BNP (!) had two councillors in the Gooshays ward.  It really is a very mixed borough with very little cohesion.

        And I do have to say the local party organisation seems chaotic. Labour have three councillors on the council and even their quarterly  newsletter seems to have withered on the vine. If you are in the area take a look at Saffron House, it hasn’t been painted or decorated since Maxine Gordon lost the seat to Rosindell. It sort of sums up the lack of enthusiasm.

        * Hank Mobley (1930-1986)

        • john P Reid

          we was told to put the newletter on hold during the mayoral contest, actually it was bi-monthly
          We have A website
          Http://hornchurchandupminsterlabour.org.uk it was Elieen gordon and it was painted 5 years ago not 11, I’m constituency secretary now ,so expect A few changes As I said I had a 16% swing towards me in Brooklands the biggest in london when istood in 2010 and When I organised the 2008 Mayoral cmapaign i got 1000 more votes than 2004 or 2012
          can’t disagree with your assesment of the Area though.

          • AlanGiles

            Hi John, Sorry yes Eileen (I used to work with a Maxine Gordon years ago – Freudian slip, or perhaps it is just with old age comes anec-doteage!).

            Good luck though, anyway.

            * Flip Phillips (1915-2001)

          • john P Reid

            5 Years Ago I  said (and Sam Tarry and Blogger Aunerin agreed with me) that the National front of the 1970′s was “when we were the empire it was Queen and Country ,Mosley was Misunderstood and Enoch was right” Where the BNP now are trying to appeal to dislusioned Labour voters up north With there ‘Build more council homes renationalise everything attitude’ , While In Essex and Kent they were trying to Apeeal to “Loadsamoney Essex Man who probably is on A good wage and votes tory”
             
             I think this also explains the Former rise of the BNP in the area.

      • john P Reid

        It’s always been A right wing area, the labour council got in ,in ’90, on the back of the Poll tax and was fairly right wing, plus 94 was our peek and we still had the honey moon from blair in 1998, lot’s of bickering lost it for us in 2002, I feel Alot of Essex Boys moved out the east end and over A generation forgot their working class routes and the rights unions gave them and were happy to See their old East london friends have the Unempl;oymnet and crime aslong as they got their Bling, Havering is Also the most White demgraphically place in the U.K (even My old area Of Aberdeen) My mum told me when they Had A mock Election at her School in Ilford in 1959 she was the Only Kid In the school to vote labour, It was the same with me in 1987, One reason that the Toriesd lost her in 1997 was that 2 of the 3 of them were hated by one nation tories who thought they were extreme, Of course region doens’t care about how well we do here as tehy can win elections with out us, and I can’t say I blame them, I have to say that I found Both Balvinder saund in 2008 and Mandy richards in 2012 say they didn’t get any racism on the door, Unfortunatley  Alot of the votes the BNP picked up in 2008 were form working class areas, but alot of thoses “white van man”tpes are probably on £35,000 and seeing that Boris did so much better on second prefernces it was obvious who the BNP supportes had put for second choice,Maybe the more middle calss people who voted Laobur had moved out form the East end 3 generations ago and weren’t First time tory voters in 1979, But remembered what Labour had done for them in the 40′s and Hadn’t forgot what it was like to be poor and still voted Labour recalling the tories uncaring attitude. 

  • G Barratt

    I note, with some sadness, that my fellow Mayesbrook councillor, Ralph Baldwin, has decided to join the Conservative Party.

    This means that, in practice, he will be voting with the other 49 members of the Labour Group who have already agreed, without a word of protest, to implement the cuts imposed by the Tory-led government.

    The Labour Group, although elected in one of the most deprived boroughs in London, have therefore become apologists for the most reactionary government since Margaret Thatcher. 

    However, there appears to be a growing pool of resentment at local and national level, as indicated by the victory of George Galloway and the Respect Party, and also by the recent local government elections. The low turnout shows that people are not voting with their feet, but with their television sets, because they refuse to go out to the polling stations. The task for socialists is to fill the political vacuum.

    Here in the Peoples’ Democratic Republic of Barking and Dagenham, a small opposition group has been formed under the name of BARKING AND DAGENHAM AGAINST THE CUTS. We will be holding a conference on Saturday, 9 June to see if there are others willing to campaign on the NHS, council housing, jobs and pensions, and multiculturalism.

    If you want something to be done properly, do not rely on your elected representatives.
    Do it yourself!

    George Barratt,
    Independent Socialist Councillor,
    Mayesbrook Ward,
    London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

    • AlanGiles

      Good morning George.

      I did make mention of the problems in B & D on here yesterday – in particular problems with the leader of the council Liam Smith.

      For those who want to read more (and I apologise for the source):-

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2096781/Liam-Smith-Council-leader-accused-jumping-queue-11k-people-2nd-flat.html 

      Mr Smith apparently brooks no discussion or disagreement, so I am not at all surprised that some – including yourself – choose to disassociate yourselves from the  group. You have my sincere sympaty – but my admiration. It is never easy to kick against te you-know-whats.

      As regards Ralph: I always admired his honesty and individuality on LL, also his courage on fighting ill-health while campaigning in Barking. I have to confess I cannot see a good reason for jumping from Labour to Conservative (or vice versa) because the philosophy should – SHOULD – be totally opposite, but then when you look at the likes of Liam Byrne and Frank Field, what are they but apologists and closet supporters of the coalition, and perhaps like Ralph and others they should move over as well. 

      I wish you well for June 9th and beyond. Good luck

      (* Tommy Whittle 1926 –   )

    • Brumanuensis

      Of course, if you did resist the government, you’d be put in special measures and Eric Pickles would be deciding what to cut instead. I’m sure that’s a prospect that warms the heart of any socialist.

  • Judoker

    Need to compare from 2008: http://data.london.gov.uk/datastore/package/london-elections-results-2008-borough
    Looks like a big increase in Newham in particular.

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  • News Whitewash report claims that there’s no such thing as DWP “league tables” for sanctions

    Whitewash report claims that there’s no such thing as DWP “league tables” for sanctions

    Whilst the Westminster village has been working itself up into a lather over the rise of UKIP and when/if there should be an EU referendum, the DWP snuck out a report on the evidence of DWP league tables that we brought you recently. It’s a total whitewash. The report – which you can read here – argues that claims of a league table are entirely down to individual managers at a number of job centres. You could call it the [...]

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  • Featured Equal Marriage is the most important thing – but Labour can’t let Equal Civil Partnerships get the “long grass” treatment

    Equal Marriage is the most important thing – but Labour can’t let Equal Civil Partnerships get the “long grass” treatment

    By Mark Ferguson

    So after toying with support for the Tim Loughton amendment over the weekend, Labour has decided to abstain on that particular amendment, and propose their own. Let’s be clear – the most important news today is that Equal Marriage will pass through the commons, and that’s a cause for huge celebration for all but an isolated minority in the Labour Party. I made clear this morning that I didn’t buy the argument that supporting the Loughton amendment would stop or [...]

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  • News Labour’s Equal marriage Bill amendment on Civil Partnerships

    Labour’s Equal marriage Bill amendment on Civil Partnerships

    Labour MPs will be encouraged to back this amendment – rather than that of Tory backbencher Tim Loughton – today: House of Commons Monday 20 May 2013 CONSIDERATION OF BILL New Amendments handed in are marked thus * MARRIAGE (SAME SEX COUPLES) BILL MANUSCRIPT AMENDMENT (a) As an Amendment to Secretary Maria Miller’s proposed New Clause (Review of civil partnership) (NC16):- Kate Green (a)(a * Line 8, leave out from ‘practicable’ to end of Clause, and insert ‘and include a [...]

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  • News Is Ed Miliband picking a fight with Google?

    Is Ed Miliband picking a fight with Google?

    By Mark Ferguson

    In his interview with the Observer yesterday, Ed Miliband singled out Google as a company who aren’t “living up to their responsibilities” on tax, saying: ” I don’t think [Google] are living up to their responsibilities at the moment, and I will be very clear about that on Wednesday. It is part of a culture of irresponsibility. If everyone approaches their tax affairs as some of these companies have approached their tax affairs we wouldn’t have a health service, we wouldn’t [...]

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