Election Results

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Well, what do you think? Who did you vote for? And who'll follow Hague?

― DG, Friday, 8 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Personally, I voted LibDem, and accidentally-on-purpose forgot to deliver a load of Labour leaflets...ho ho ho. I'd put money on the next Tory leader being Ann Widdecombe, actually.

― DG, Friday, 8 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Widdy? No chance. The Tory's would love it though, but they know she isn't 'presentable'. I suppose it'll end up being Miguel Xavier Port-chchchhillo. The Spanish Little Englander who SUDDENLY turned into 'caring, compasionate Tory' after getting his smarmy arse kicked in '97. Either him or that Dr Fox. (not *that* Dr Fox - the DJ. *Another* Dr Fox. Oh it's confusing!).

― DavidM, Friday, 8 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oooh! exciting! I used my democratic right for the first time, and voted lib dem, because we got one last time (the infamous winchester bi-election: he won by two, then 15,000 :) and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. the tories? it's gonna be a portillo/clarke alliance, you mark my words...but I am surprised hague has gone, he had a strong campaign, and it was still better than the sucky labour one, as nearly everybody pointed out.

bet they never get into power again, actually.

Bill

― Bill, Friday, 8 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Lib Dems did well in Winchester, didn't they? A majority of about 9,500: not at all bad for a seat which was held by the Tories for nearly half a century until 1997.

Well, I voted Lib Dem, and was nervous about the consequences in the Tory-Labour marginal of Dorset South, but Labour got in with a majority of 153. So, tight, but a great achievement; the first Labour MP in Dorset for 37 years and the first time I've lived in a non-Tory constituency since I was a baby in Southwark & Bermondsey 20 years ago. Which feels *very* good. The Lib Dems won neighbouring Dorset Mid and Poole North, as well.

If the Tories promote Widdecombe or, shudder, Iain Duncan Smith (who inherited Norman Tebbit's seat and has seemingly modelled his Little Englandism on his predecessor) they're completely fucked forever. Portillo is the only one who can *possibly* do what Kinnock did for Labour - that is, take them from the brink of total demise to set them up for electability. But there are *big* differences between Labour in 1983 and the Tories now - Labour did not have such an overwhelmingly middle-aged and elderly core vote as the Tories now have, and while they were clearly associated with a declining British working-class proletarian culture, it was not as *total* as the Tories' current association with the equivalent declining (or, literally, dying) culture among the middle and upper classes in the shires.

I think the game might truly be up now. I genuinely think the Tories might never get in again. History has been made; now it's up to *true* progressives to assert themselves over the worst aspects of Blairism and make something of it.

― Robin Carmody, Friday, 8 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"declining British working-class proletarian culture": actually, this might be part of the answer to the qn over at rock-the-vote. Because what actually happened through 50s/60s/70s/80s was that "working-class" and "proletarian" cultures were diverging from one another, somewhat generationally, extremely convulsively and dynamically, with volatile sectors of both flying from left to right and back, at difft times.

― mark s, Friday, 8 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

To be vulgar for a second, I don't think they'll have Portillo, as I can't see Joe Public voting for a perceived 'shirtlifter'. If he hadn't come out, I think he would have been in with a better chance, but he'll probably win the leadership contest anyway. I live in fear of the Widdecombe horror ever holding a public office of any kind again.

― DG, Friday, 8 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh you're right, Mark, I phrased it simplistically, but what I meant was that Labour were heavily linked in 1983 to the old Scargillian socially conservative working-class culture (from which Hague comes, incidentally - his geographical / family background is of the wing of Old Labour which could *never* have been described as "progressive". Obviously it's a lot more complicated than that, but my point was that, back in the 80s, the Tories were seen by most (even those who didn't support them) as the party in tune with "the way Britain was going" and Labour were seen (even by some of those who *did* support them, esp. by those who flirted with the SDP) as trapped by their past, whereas now it's the other way round. I don't think anyone would disagree with that.

I never want to see Widdecombe's face again. What I *really* fear is Andrew Bastard Rosindell getting a shadow cabinet post, not an impossibility if they continue hurtling in a far-right direction. I'd also agree that the Tories' ageing blue-rinse hardcore is probably *the* most homophobic segment of British society (though Scargillian diehards are often scarcely less so). But I'm pleased for you, David, that *both* the Ilford seats stayed Labour. Pity about Romford, though ...

― Robin Carmody, Friday, 8 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yes indeed Robin, I'm tempted to get my shit together, do some proper research about Rosindell and stand in Romford town centre harrassing paasers by, telling them exactly *who* they voted for. Despite there being popular right-wing elements in UK politics, people are very wary of anything that could be branded fascist/Nazi in anyway.

― DG, Friday, 8 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm worried for the same reason as you: did people in Romford *really* know who / what they were voting for? Mind you, the BNP's share of the vote in both Oldham seats is *deeply* disturbing and shows the instinctive racism that still lurks within a certain section of the population, just waiting to be picked up on and exploited. I can't help fearing that something similar happened with Rosindell.

― Robin Carmody, Saturday, 9 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I couldn't believe that Oldham nonsense. It was like some surreal bad dream...it would have been a NIGHTMARE of course if both of those constituencies had returned BNP MPs.

― DG, Saturday, 9 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think the shocked silence on the TV results programmes and in the town hall when the results from Oldham were announced said it all.

― Robin Carmody, Saturday, 9 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

not really sure, but i think the oldham thing was possibly waiting to happen a little bit (if it was going to happen anywhere oldham certainly would have seemed one of the most likely).

i was more surprised by the incident in leeds last week, that didn't seem likely (although i have been away from the leeds/bradford area for a couple years now)

― gareth, Sunday, 10 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I voted labour by post from Italy, made no difference. I only voted labour because I'd signed up with someone in Richmond to vote tactically and felt duty bound to go through with the agreement. the Lib Dems kept Richjmond though. Thouroughly dissapointed not just because the only entertainment all night was Mandy's acceptance speach, (What was he on?). Labour need a strong oposition to kick there arse a bit to take up camp on the centre right. Hopefully it'll be Portillo/Clark who'll push labour back to the left a bit. As Alastair cook said on letter from america last week (http://news.bbc.co.uk/ under world) Tony blair is actually a victory for conservatism ('c' not 'C').

However PR anyone

― Ed, Sunday, 10 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

As Alastair cook said on letter from america last week (http://news.bbc.co.uk/ under world) Tony blair is actually a victory for conservatism ('c' not 'C').

He probably got the idea from the front cover of the Economist which had a picture of Tony Blair - hair morphed into Thatcher's (like Labour's poster of Hague...and a similar one of Blair by the Socialist Alliance) with the slogan 'vote conservative' underneath.

― David, Sunday, 10 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Interestingly this is the first time the very right-wing and free- marketeer Economist has embraced Labour since 1964. Why then, I wonder? Might it have had something to do with Wilson's cult of technology and dynamism as against bumbling fusty Old Etonian Lord Home which persuaded them 37 years ago - their obsession with economic newness overriding their innate Conservatism?

And yes, Ed, I support PR as well. If that had happened (and bear in mind my constituency only had Labour, Tory, Lib Dem and UKIP) I'd have voted Lib Dem first choice, Labour second, and blanked the other two.

― Robin Carmody, Sunday, 10 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Robin...re the Economist supporting Labour in 1964. Yes there must have been a widespread perception of Labour representing modernity; and of course there was also a strong sense that the previous run of Conservative administrations was exhausted (and discredited what with Profumo and so on). The old 'time for a change' syndrome.

― David, Sunday, 10 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And, of course, that syndrome was replayed in 1997 - Labour's slogan in 1964 was "Let's Go With Labour For The New Britain"; sound familiar? Though "New Britain" is also the name of a far-right party, which proves that this phraseology works both ways. Still, "Let's Go With Labour!" - classic mid-60s modernity-speak; see also any use of the phrase "go-ahead" (as Peter Hitchens perceptively pointed out; I actually always link the phrase "go-ahead" with modernisation of farming because of the Jonathan Bell song in Camberwick Green, of all things).

I wonder why the Economist didn't support Labour last time? Presumably they were still thinking in terms of Labour's poor record on the economy: devaluation of the pound in '67, inflation in the mid- 70s and so on ...

― Robin Carmody, Sunday, 10 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

So which animated rubber farmer d'you think came through the 90s best, Robin: Jonathan Bell or Windy Miller?

― mark s, Sunday, 10 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Windy, because his song didn't have an opening line that is *pure* 1965.

I'm not going to go into a Wilsonian-modernism-vs-traditional- countryside slant in the Bell / Miller debate for fear that, if I do, the name on my birth certificate will suddenly change to "Stuart Maconie" and a big black cloud will come down ...

― Robin Carmody, Sunday, 10 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Just went for a stroll on the outer hull — ie LUSENET — toi get from ILM to ILE the scenic route (cuz forgot where left portal), to discover we have spawned a THIRD, TROLL-FORM OFFSHOOT , born I think some time back, in a less than generous spirit!

It's all getting very Michael Moorcock.

― mark s, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

A quick shout-out to Guildford for sacking the Tories and ending a hundred years of all-blue Surrey. That said the excitable picture of G'ford as a town of 'booming bass-bins' and liberated cosmopolitanism painted in the IoS is not one I recognise. Still it caused my biggest air-punching moment of the night, spent watching the results roll in in the company of a Tory local councillor (my girlfriend's dad).

― Tom, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

But Tom: surely the *whole country* is more like that than it was even 10 years ago?

Number of cars I heard playing dance / R&B / hip-hop on the afternoon Blair visited my old school in the Dorset South constituency *alone*: four. Number of cars I've heard playing folk-related music *at any point* in the seven years I've lived here: none. Recognition of this fact in the national media coverage of the election battleground in Dorset: zero.

Fair play to the Sindie. I'm sure their "portrayal" of Guildford is closer to the truth than the utterly unreal, outmoded, mythical portrayal of Dorset peddled on BBC radio and most other newspapers, which bares no resemblance whatsoever to the place in which I live. And people wonder why I feel as though I'm being declared a non- person ...

― Robin Carmody, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Robin - yeah indeed, whole country = more bassbin friendly but guildford no more so than anywhere else as your report points out, so no reason for Lib Dem progressive wave to have swept Tories away *there* and not in say Mole Valley (big up the Leatherhead massive, etc.). Actual reason is - at a guess - that larger Home Counties towns are getting on average a less affluent population not more as service industry workers in London are forced to live out in zone 7.

― Tom, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm sure you're right. I'm sure also that a liberal / forward- thinking paper like the IoS would play up the bassbin aspect in the same way that the Telegraph or Mail would play up the "quaint" aspect of Dorset. All papers have an agenda, it's just that the IoS agenda is (generally) closer to the way Britain is heading.

Actually I have a similar theory as to why Dorset Mid and North Poole went Lib Dem but Dorset West didn't: Dorset M and N Poole ("hideous name" - David Dimbleby, last week) is two-thirds suburban and has a lot of "new economy" jobs, Dorset W has older average population (I'm guessing), less hi-tech industry and much more hunting and hence many more Countryside Alliance types.

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 12 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

sixteen years pass...

bet they never get into power again, actually.
― Bill, Friday, June 8, 2001 1:00 AM (sixteen years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I think the game might truly be up now. I genuinely think the Tories might never get in again. History has been made; now it's up to *true* progressives to assert themselves over the worst aspects of Blairism and make something of it.
― Robin Carmody, Friday, June 8, 2001 1:00 AM (sixteen years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Oh dear.

― call me by your name..or Finn (fionnland), Thursday, 18 January 2018 11:56 (seven years ago)

lol

― #TeamHailing (imago), Thursday, 18 January 2018 12:02 (seven years ago)

are you attempting to ignite a new era of what was once known as the 'lol britpop zing crew'

― #TeamHailing (imago), Thursday, 18 January 2018 12:03 (seven years ago)

great revive

― grim-n-gritty hooty reboot (bizarro gazzara), Thursday, 18 January 2018 12:07 (seven years ago)

It was always burning

― call me by your name..or Finn (fionnland), Thursday, 18 January 2018 12:17 (seven years ago)

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