Gorton and Denton: the state of British politicsThere's a plethora of hot takes about this week's by election out there. I'm going to throw my hat into the ring, hopefully with a few observations you won't see anywhere else. Gorton and Denton was hyped up as something historic - there are exceptional aspects to it - the first time since 1945 that neither Labour or Conservatives have finished in the first two in a by election, and the first ever win for the Greens. The result confirms what we've known for a while - two party politics is a thing of the past and we have a ... (more) |
ALDC by-election report, 26th FebruaryThis week, there was one principal council by-election down on the South Coast. With national attention staring north at the parliamentary by-election in Gorton and Denton, it offered a straightforward snapshot of how voters are moving locally. In Southampton, we were defending the seat and held on in a close finish, staying just ahead of Labour. While the margin tightened, the seat stayed in our hands. The Greens made a clear step forward and Reform UK registered a noticeable first outing, yet neither was enough to shift the overall picture. Congratulations are due to Councillor Chris Shank and the local ... (more) |
The Grifto-maticYou may already be aware of the grifting phenomenon known as Crypto Treasury Companies, described in the link as "businesses that hold substantial reserves of cryptocurrencies — most often Bitcoin — as core balance sheet assets." It appears to work this way. Suckers.Inc, who may or may not have had a real business going on, but certainly have a share price, issue equity and use the money raised to buy, say, Bitcoin. To all extents and purposes, they are just a pot of virtual money*. If the no-arbitrage condition held, there would be nothing of interest here. If a company ... (more) |
No Zack Polanski, the Gorton by-election does not "change everything!"In the 1970s David Steel told us to go back to our constituencies and prepare for Government! It has not quite happened yet. I wish Greens happiness today but do not think they should prepare for Government tomorrow! I have been an active Liberal and then Liberal Democrat politician for 59 years. In that time, I have seen repeated surges for my Party and projections of an imminent break through. I have been the organiser of a Parliamentary by-election in Ripon where we gained a seat from the Tories on the same day that we took the Isle of Ely ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1481"Other guests at the party included Mandelson's good friend Nathaniel (Nat) Rothschild, a financier and heir to the Rothschild fortune (Mandelson often stayed at his villa in Corfu), and Rothschild's old schoolmate, the then shadow chancellor George Osborne." Tamsin Shaw looks back to the Yachtgate scandal of 2008 and argues that we misread it at the time. "Across the country, thousands of children are quietly lingering in ORR [Office of Refugee Resettlement] facilities, unable to reunite with parents or relatives because of new Trump administration policies limiting who can sponsor them. According to a class action lawsuit filed by immigration ... (more) |
Lib Dem takeaways from Gorton and DentonIt would be very churlish not to congratulate Hannah Spencer and the Greens this morning. It's a good feeling to win a by-election. Having another young, progressive woman in Parliament is so much better a result than it could have been. The Greens did pretty much our playbook and took a seat that, in other times, we would have grabbed and we have to ask ourselves whether the strategy that allowed that to happen is one that we wish to continue. The result was: Green Party – 14,980 40.7%. +28% Reform UK – 10,578 28.7% +15% Labour Party – 9,364 ... (more) |
Lessons from this week's by-electionsIt has already been a week in which the Liberal Democrats picked up five councillors, in Flintshire, Swansea and Huntingdonshire. Only the one principal authority council by-elections this week, in a ward that saw a spectacular Lib Dem by-election gain the year before last, coming from third to beat Labour. Andrew Teale explains the circumstances of the by-election: The 2024 by-election winner George Percival served for just fifteen months on Southampton council before he tendered his resignation in January. He has been promoted at work, and his new role – which presumably pays more than being a councillor – is ... (more) |
The devastating impact of year of UK aid cutsThe Independent reports that a year after Keir Starmer announced that Britain's aid budget would be slashed by up to 40 per cent, the leaders of dozens of charities have warned the "devastating" consequences of the cuts are being felt in some of the world's most fragile corners: Last February, the prime minister confirmed that the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) would fall from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent by the end of 2027 - in a move justified as helping fund higher defence spending in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But in ... (more) |
Council by-election results scorecard 2025-2026Here's the tally of seats changing hands in principal authority council by-elections held between the May 2025 and the May 2026 local elections: Con Lab Lib Dem Green Reform SNP Plaid Ind/ Other Net Con [15] +2 (+2/0) -10 (+2/-12) +2 (+2/0) -20 (+2/-22) -1 (0/-1) – +1 (+2/-1) -26 Lab -2 (0/-2) [16] -5 (0/-4) -7 (0/-7) -29 (0/-28) – -2 (0/-2) -7 (0/-7) -52 Lib Dem +10 (+12/-2) +5 (+5/0) [33] +2 (+3/-1) -1 (+2/-3) +2 (+2/0) – +3 (+3/0) +21 Grn -2 (0/-2) +7 (+7/0) -2 (+1/-3) [7] +1 (+1/0) – – -1 (0/-1) +3 Ref +20 ... (more) |
Two more councillors join the Lib Dems in Huntingdonshire[IMG: Tom Sanderson and Ann Blackwell] Tom Sanderson and Ann Blackwell Huntingdonshire Liberal Democrats report: Widely respected District Councillors Tom Sanderson and Ann Blackwell (The Stukeleys ward) have joined the Liberal Democrats. The two previously independent councillors announced that they have joined the Lib Dems on Thursday, highlighting the values they share with the party and their priority to get things done for their residents in The Stukeleys... Cllr Sanderson and Cllr Blackwell are the fourth and fifth councillors in Huntingdonshire to join the Liberal Democrats this year, joining Cllr Cath Gleadow (St Ives South), Cllr Sally Howell (Yaxley), and ... (more) |