Labour retains Glenrothes
Labour have won the by-election in Glenrothes, a bordering constituency to Gordon Brown’s Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath constituency.
When John MacDougal died earlier this year (following a visit by Jonah Brown, incidently) Labour had a majority of over 10,000. Their majority has now been reduced to 6,737 with a swing to the SNP of 5%.
The Conservatives will be celebrating a glorious victory – they managed to knock the Lib Dems into fourth place which, in Scotland, is no mean feat for them. UKIP will also be pleased that they didn’t come last. One day both the Conservatives and UKIP will realise that Scotland votes for eurofederalist, supposedly socialist parties and concentrate on England where they actually achieve some success.
This is a thoroughly disappointing result to any right thinking person – the SNP were widely expected to overturn Labour’s majority like they have done the last couple of times and there was some speculation that El Gordo might even lose his job if Labour lost yet another by-election in their celtic heartlands. But sadly the people of Glenrothes decided to vote for a representative of the most sleaze-ridden, corrupt and illiberal British government this country has ever known.
Thanks for nothing Glenrothes.
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[...] if this had been Gordon Brown’s tombstone, but unlike some English nationalist bloggers (see here and here) I don’t despair too much at Labour’s unlikely and incredible victory in [...]
November 7th, 2008 at 9:04 amGood grief, it’s pathetic.
Lindsay Roy has about as much charisma as Gordon Brown’s big toenail. His policies were all local based – none of which he could implement, even if he wanted to as they are all devolved issues.
Ans so Roy will wend his way down south, to take up the Queen’s shilling plus 200 grand a year once the salary, gold plated pension, obscene exees and various allowances are taken into account.
I can picture him now, busily making his list on what he is going to vote on at Westminster – it’ll all be English stuff, obviously – he’ll barely have jack of an impact on his own constituents…
What wories me is there just COULD be a sort of formula going on here – the Scots vote in their own nationalist administration at Holyrood, but decide to vote in unionist politicians to Westminster, knowing they cannot do much to affect their own lives, but will defend their Barnett cash and their ‘punching above their weight’ favours at Westminster.
The best of both worlds.
November 7th, 2008 at 11:04 amAnd the worst of all worlds for us!
November 7th, 2008 at 11:05 amStupid, yeah; but it’s the economy, stupid. You’re right, Alfie. The economy became the decisive issue, and the economy is a retained matter. So it makes sense to vote for the party that puts Scotland’s interests first and can do something about it at Westminster: Labour.
However, I wouldn’t be too downhearted about it. There’s plenty more s*** that’s going to hit the fan on the economy before the next general election; and it’s going to start sticking to Labour and Brown more and more as the recession in the real economy bites in and starts taking away Scottish jobs. Who knows, the expression ‘the Brown stuff’ might catch on to describe it all!
Besides, Labour are in a lose-lose situation with regard to public expenditure in Scotland. If they increase it (on the basis of ‘spending our way out of recession’), then it’s the Scottish Government that gets to allocate the domestic Scottish spending, and they can maximise the benefit in terms of Scottish jobs, enabling them to claim the responsibility. If the government decides to decrease public expenditure, they can be blamed for resultant declining services and job losses in Scotland.
This is a Brown blip, not a Brown bounce. Things can turn very fast; they have done before, in and against Brown’s favour. And they’ll do so again.
November 7th, 2008 at 11:49 amMichael Portillo is convinced that Brown is going to go to the country very soon.
November 7th, 2008 at 8:07 pmAs Mike says, “Things can only get worse!”
Yup, just as I suggested in the other thread. The Labour scaremongering was afoot in the social clubs, stoking up fear about local issues Mr.Roy is in no position to affect in his new role as ‘pointless yes man’. I dare say you guys will welcome yet ANOTHER useless Brit-nat who is quite happy to throw his weight into English issues? Pathetic, all in.
CEP have a media watch, right? Well, at this end of the border, the media have been an absolute joke in the run-up to this by-election. From Gordon Brown as the saviour of the Western World [when he SHOULD be OUT OF A JOB as someone who had ALL the facts and COULD HAVE steered all these countries away somewhat from this crisis] – right through to unionists irrelevant attacks on local issues in the constituency.
With Brown allowed to prince it over a situation he is cuplable for, with others, in the first place [saviour of the Western world? Eh?].
And of course, there’s the uber-negative Labour scaremongering tactics. This time on local issues Mr.Roy cannot affect in his post! But we’re all used to that of course.
Further, after the election, the media moguls have decided that:
- the Brown bounce is real. Eh?
- Brown won a personal victory against Salmond, directly. Eh?
- Labour can now win in England? Double-eh?
- The SNP ‘bubble has burst’. ?!?
- This was a magnificent and thoroughly unexpected victory. What? A 10,000 majority and the media lording Brown up as best they can? Painting the SNP as malcontent’s as Mr.Brown tries ever so hard to save us all in the impending financial crisis?
Just for info., Alex Salmond done the right thing after the defeat. Let’s not forget that the SNP vote went up 13% in a Labour heartland.
However, the Liebour vote went up 3%, and that IS an issue. Alex Salmond has admitted this – and I personally think he can take away some lessons from this. One of which is NOT to tell the British media you have it in the bag weeks beforehand.
The subtlety of the media treatment is bizarre, and alarming. I like how the BBC have essentially buried Peter Grant’s touching speech after the defeat – you’d need a sherpa to find the clip, called ‘SNP candidate speaks after defeat’ – not even name specific.
The Scotsman ‘the North Britishman’ calls it a ‘stunning victory’.
Lessons learnt. We’ll be ready for such tactics the next time. Over 13,000 people say so in Glenrothes, though you’d be hard pressed to realise that.
November 8th, 2008 at 9:15 amThe UK government bailout of both RBS and HBOS was politically motivated to save Labour in Scotland. If the bank saviour had not happened the SNP would have won. Both RBS and HBOS are massive companies – they could have sorted themselves out without government help. All RBS has to do is sell off Natwest, likewise HBOS just needs to sell off Halifax – problem solved.
The bank bailout was designed to scare the Scots into supporting the union, unfotunately it worked in Labour’s favour this time. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 9th, 2008 at 1:38 pm