Hartlepool - Election result

[Manoverboard]

What a result for the Tory Government and the people of this town

Con gain 15,000 votes to less than 8,000 for Labour .

I noted that the LibDem variation got about the same as the many Looney Partys, says it all really

[screwy]

Starmer failed his first test.?

[Onelife]

7/1 about Lisa Nandy becoming the next labour leader looks a fair bet on theses results…Get On!!

[barney]

Devastating for Labour.

I voted for Nandy at the last leadership election but was willing to give Starmer a chance.
It’s too early to change again.

What I find disconcerting is that our first instinct is to turn on each other.
Until there is some semblance of unity, the Tories will be unopposed.

[CaroleF]

Surely the Labour party aren't going to go along with one suggestion I've read, that they go further to the Left. The remnants of the Jeremy Corbyn set are already suggesting that's the direction they should follow. Posing with a roll of wallpaper didn't do Kier Starmer much good! One thing that was mentioned in the Election Results programme was that Labour need to get away from the idea that they are the party of the working class. I don't know enough about it to make a comment but if places like Hartlepool aren't supporting Labour then they need to have a rethink.

Carole

[Mervyn and Trish]

I've seen comments from Labour figures that they need to go further left and others that they ned more distance between them and the Corbyn years.

Typical comments this morning: from Dianne Abbot: "Not possible to blame Jeremy Corbyn for this result. Labour won the seat twice under his leadership. Keir Starmer must think again about his strategy."

No, but you never won a general election under him.

And from John McDonnell: "While speaking on the Today Programme he insisted the Hartlepool election was lost in part due to the Brexit debate. He added that the party needed more radical policies than it had in 2019 in order to combat the issues that people care about like living in poverty."

Does he not remember how well that went?

What the extreme left and the extreme right both forget is that elections are won in the middle ground, because that is where most voters are. You can lean a little either way but not too far.

[Manoverboard]

Still lots more results to come but so far in the Council Elections ...

Labour are down 58 and the Tories are up 59, the Greens are up 3 and the LibDems up one 1
.

[Manoverboard]

... What the extreme left and the extreme right both forget is that elections are won in the middle ground, because that is where most voters are. You can lean a little either way but not too far.

What did they expect Diane Abbot to say, couldn't they find a moderate voice ?

[towny44]

... What the extreme left and the extreme right both forget is that elections are won in the middle ground, because that is where most voters are. You can lean a little either way but not too far.

What did they expect Diane Abbot to say, couldn't they find a moderate voice ?

The only moderate voice I have heard was Mandelson, the left leaning Beeb concentrated more on Abbot, McDonell and McCluskey. I just cannot see the Corbynistas ever accepting another centrist candidate like Blair, so unless the party splits, they will continue to elect someone who will follow the left's agenda when pushed.

[Bensham33]

For over a week before the by election, every news bulletin on TV and radio reported labour complaining about how much Boris spent on decorating his flat and who paid for it.

Until Labour become an effective opposition, taking the Tories to task and offering an alternative argument with solutions this is going to happen. People won't vote for them.

[Mervyn and Trish]

For over a week before the by election, every news bulletin on TV and radio reported labour complaining about how much Boris spent on decorating his flat and who paid for it.

Until Labour become an effective opposition, taking the Tories to task and offering an alternative argument with solutions this is going to happen. People won't vote for them.

Very true. We need an effective opposition and that means one that offers credible policies and doesn't just gripe about wallpaper. Whatever the Boris critics think most people don't care about it. There are more important things.

[allatc]

Another Corbyn ally, union boss Len McCluskey, warned Labour faced a "continuous downward decline" unless Sir Keir started "talking about the radical alternative for ordinary working people".

"People don't know what his vision is. People don't know what Labour stand for anymore," said the Unite general secretary.

And when people do find out what they stand for ( a'la Corbyn) then they still won't vote for them

[Esprit]

Anyone notice the miserable cow on the platform who refused to clap when the Conservative winner was formally announced by the Returning Officer!

[Onelife]

I’m sure Hartlepool Freeport status will have gone a long way in securing this Conservative victory.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Another Corbyn ally, union boss Len McCluskey, warned Labour faced a "continuous downward decline" unless Sir Keir started "talking about the radical alternative for ordinary working people".

"People don't know what his vision is. People don't know what Labour stand for anymore," said the Unite general secretary.

And when people do find out what they stand for ( a'la Corbyn) then they still won't vote for them

What he forgets is that the number of working class people as he would understand them has declined and most have aspirations to improve themselves. They'll never get elected by appealing solely to benefit claimants and students. They need the middle class vote. Corbyn demonstrated exactly what radical left policies achieve. They're repeating the mistakes of the 80s.

[Kendhni]

For a mid-term election the Tory's have done well.

[barney]

It’s only the third time in forty years that a sitting government has won a seat from the opposition.
It’s a disaster for Labour.

It does appear that for all Johnson’s faults, the majority don’t actually care.

[oldbluefox]

What made Labour think it was a good idea to put up a staunch EU Remainer to stand for parliament in an area which voted 70% to leave. It seems like political suicide and demonstrates that Labour do not have a handle on the issues of these northern towns and cities.Gone are the days of the miners and steelworkers where the unions had a strong influence. For too many years parts of the country have been starved of funds and neglected. Boris has vowed to 'level up'. It's now up to him to honour that promise.

[towny44]

It’s only the third time in forty years that a sitting government has won a seat from the opposition.
It’s a disaster for Labour.

It does appear that for all Johnson’s faults, the majority don’t actually care.

They probably do care, but since there is no credible alternative, then Boris's faults are considered quite trivial compared to his achievements.

[Manoverboard]

In Hartlepool Labour had let them down ... according to an old chap on BBC Breakfast ... he explained how their town was a wreck and that it had gone to the dogs due to a lack of funding. He then explained that his father had voted Labour because his Grandad did and then that he had done the same until now that is.

He then said " It is time for us to think for ourselves !!! "
.

[gilly88]

What is labors view on smart motorways, what are their views on immigration, what are their views on concreating over the countryside. all of these things people care about, and they have no answers that they are ready to discuss. I know that the opposition is not obligated to deciare all their hand. but they seem to have no opinion on anything other than wallpaper costs! they need to start caring about the British people and at least look as if they care about the country.

[Kendhni]

What is labors view on smart motorways, what are their views on immigration, what are their views on concreating over the countryside. all of these things people care about, and they have no answers that they are ready to discuss. I know that the opposition is not obligated to deciare all their hand. but they seem to have no opinion on anything other than wallpaper costs! they need to start caring about the British people and at least look as if they care about the country.

To be fair all of that equally applies to the Tories - the only difference is that they are meant to have a policy, but anything they have seems to change more often than the weather.

[Manoverboard]

What is labors view on smart motorways, what are their views on immigration, what are their views on concreating over the countryside. all of these things people care about, and they have no answers that they are ready to discuss. I know that the opposition is not obligated to deciare all their hand. but they seem to have no opinion on anything other than wallpaper costs! they need to start caring about the British people and at least look as if they care about the country.

To be fair all of that equally applies to the Tories - the only difference is that they are meant to have a policy, but anything they have seems to change more often than the weather.

The electorate don't seem to agree with you.

[Kendhni]

What is labors view on smart motorways, what are their views on immigration, what are their views on concreating over the countryside. all of these things people care about, and they have no answers that they are ready to discuss. I know that the opposition is not obligated to deciare all their hand. but they seem to have no opinion on anything other than wallpaper costs! they need to start caring about the British people and at least look as if they care about the country.

To be fair all of that equally applies to the Tories - the only difference is that they are meant to have a policy, but anything they have seems to change more often than the weather.

The electorate don't seem to agree with you.

I wasn't aware that the electorate had been given the opportunity to specifically vote on these subjects. I was under the impression that the most recent election was a local election which will be related more towards local issues and I would suggest the vast majority of electorate never considered at least 2 of the options mentioned. However given past history I am sure immigration was probably the only issue on some peoples minds.

[towny44]

I wasn't aware that the electorate had been given the opportunity to specifically vote on these subjects. I was under the impression that the most recent election was a local election which will be related more towards local issues and I would suggest the vast majority of electorate never considered at least 2 of the options mentioned. However given past history I am sure immigration was probably the only issue on some peoples minds.

Ken, I know you claim loyalty to neither Tory or Labour, which I suppose being from NI is reasonable, but most of your posts seem to be more in favour of Labour than Tory.
However the English electorate seem to disagree with all your above points. There are lots of articles in the M on S today giving the electorates assessment of why they voted the way they did, one in particular by Joe Haines, Harold Wilson's press security, maybe you should study these in preference to wherever you're getting your current incorrect views.