UK: By-election setback for Labour

[muriel_volestrangler]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3898823.stm

(Note: updated headline)

"Labour has lost its parliamentary seat in Leicester South to the Liberal Democrats but held Birmingham Hodge Hill with a reduced majority."


In Birmingham, the Respect coalition got 1282 votes - Labour's margin over the Lib Dems was just 460 votes. Previously, it was over 11,600 (ahead of the Tories, who slipped from 2nd to 3rd in both constituencies).

[louis c]

1. Blair (U.K.), Berlasconi (Italy), Howard (Australia)

will all be gone soon. They listened to the asshole in the White House. Left, right, or indifferent, if they backed Bush, they're going to be thrown the F**k out.

Good riddance.

[annxburns]

2. YEAH!

Liberal party won! and the second election was a real squeaker ...


The only way Blair is going to go is if the Labour party eats its own .....

[Hoping4Change]

3. Brits have had it up to their kazoo with B.Liar!!!

[Minstrel Boy]

4. Best news is the slippage of the Tories is even worse than Blair's. n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Conservative vote collapsed

Leicester, 2001: 9,715 ; 2004: 5,796
Birmingham, 2001: 5,283 ; 2004: 3,543

Even allowing for the lower turnout in 2004, both votes were lower in terms of percentage cast on the day. For an opposition party (especially one without a serious competitor on its wing - the UKIP didn't stand in either of these elections this time, but they did in 2001, so the Tories don't have that excuse), that's pretty disasterous.