[HeadingNorth]

Obviously, no local council elections in Sheffield (indeed anywhere in South Yorkshire) this year, but results from the rest of the country have started to trickle through.

So far three councils have declard. In Lincolnshire, Labour has lost fifteen of its 19 seats and the Tories now have an overwhelming majority, with 60/77 councillors.
In Bristol, Labour has lost 8 out of 24 seats, four each to the Conservatives and Lib-Dems, which leaves the Lib-Dems in overall control.
In Central Bedfordshire, a brand-new council authority (I don't know what councils were responsible for the area before), Labour have won a grand total of zero seats. The make-up of the new council is: Conservative 54, Lib-Dem 11, Independents 1.

The result here with perhaps the most significance is Bristol, which was in Labour hands as recently as 2002. It's very early days, but the apparent trend is one of Labour implosion. If it is repeated throughout the country, they may have very few councils at all left in their hands.

[anarchist]

You can watch the Labour vote disintegrate before your eyes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/h...p/html/map.stm

[HeadingNorth]

That's the page from which I just reported the results, by the way.

I have no idea when the next council is likely to return. Most of them apparently weren't going to start counting until this morning.

[HeadingNorth]

A little more detail, thanks to the Times:

In Bristol, ten of Labour's 24 councillors were standing for re-election; eight lost.
In the city of Lincoln - Labour's stronghold within the county - ten of their councillors were standing, and seven lost.

Both of the two councils which have been replaced by Central Beds., were already under Tory control, but both did have a Labour presence, which is now eliminated.

[Jessica23]

This page might be of interest: the Guardian doing live updates on 'Labour in crisis':

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/b...pean-elections

[Tricky]

Originally Posted by HeadingNorth

A little more detail, thanks to the Times:

In Bristol, ten of Labour's 24 councillors were standing for re-election; eight lost.
In the city of Lincoln - Labour's stronghold within the county - ten of their councillors were standing, and seven lost.

Both of the two councils which have been replaced by Central Beds., were already under Tory control, but both did have a Labour presence, which is now eliminated.

The Bristol result is extraordinary - this is turning into a massacre. Good for the voters, good for democracy, good for the Libs, not necessarily good for the Tories who'd prefer Gordon to limp on, fatally wounded.

[Cuey]

We all knew Labour would take a bit of a kicking but this is astounding. Its complete Carnage. If a general went like this they could take years to re group.

So what do we think the excuses will be. Some of them are always funny. What you never hear is "we are out of touch and didn't represent the electorate".

The ones to watch for are Stafford and Derbyshire.

[Funky_Gibbon]

Originally Posted by Tricky

The Bristol result is extraordinary - this is turning into a massacre. Good for the voters, good for democracy,

I'm not sure how having a large majority of local councils run by a single party, the Tories in this case, is good for democracy. Explain please.

[Minimo]

Post withdrawn.

[anarchist]

Originally Posted by Funky_Gibbon

I'm not sure how having a large majority of local councils run by a single party, the Tories in this case, is good for democracy. Explain please.

Generally speaking that means the council isn't run by Labour, which has to be a step in the right direction.

[BasilRathbon]

Have any of the TV networks managed to find someone who confessed to voting for Labour yet? What I find utterly baffling is that the current level of public support for the Labour Party is higher than 0%. Why?

[Tricky]

Originally Posted by Funky_Gibbon

I'm not sure how having a large majority of local councils run by a single party, the Tories in this case, is good for democracy. Explain please.

It shows that the public have stopped mythering on about how crap things are, in between episodes of Britain's Got Talent and are prepared to take decisive action to let the political class know that they can no longer get away with taking ill-thought through and damaging actions on our behalf without letting the people have any input 'on the basis that the public are too ignorant'. While at the same time doing their level best to promote that ignorance via a dumbing down of the media, refusal to engage in debate, easy rhetoric and sound bite mentality.

That the country should be painted one political colour would not be a good thing, that Labour is getting a kicking is.

[Cuey]

Councils who used to work across political divides had increasingly become more party political under labour. The result is that they are more susceptible to political wind changes. They are now reaping the rewards.

If council spent less time cozying up to there London friends and spouting party lines then they would have been slightly more protected from the current crisis. You reap what you sow.

I hope the labour councilors in Sheffield consider that before towing party line over education in the future.

[HeadingNorth]

Somerset council's results are all in. The Conservatives have gained 11 seats, 9 from the Lib-Dems and 2 from Labour; this gives them control of the council, which was previous controlled by LD. Labour's council presence is halved, from 4 to 2.

Several other councils have been "called," all of them apparently as a Tory gain or hold. Official full results are not yet in.

[epiphany]

Not voting Labour = wise.

Voting Tory instead = moronic (IMO).

People are so hopelessly submersed in the two-party system.

"save us, Conservatives, from Labour"

"save us, Labour, from the Conservatives"

"save us, Conservatives, from Labour"

"save us, Labour, from the Conservatives"

"save us, Conservatives, from Labour"

"save us, Labour, from the Conservatives"

"save us, Conservatives, from Labour"

"save us, Labour, from the Conservatives"

...ad nauseum.

[craigmason]

The conservatives now hold dronfield north and south

[epiphany]

I can see it now:

"Take that Labour, mwahahahahahahaaa...ha...hm.....oh........****"

[esme]

looks like we are stuck in a redblueredblue cycle

so much for change, so much for reform, so much for having MP's who listen, so much for the idea of recalling MP's, so much for the idea of open democracy, so much for making government accountable to the people

we must love being told what to do by people who have no idea what life is like outside politics

I think I may as well dig a big hole and climb in

--EDIT--

and so much for the dream of proportional representation too

just bring on more MP's who don't listen to anyone but the party whip

[HeadingNorth]

Derbyshire county council returns: Conservatives take control from Labour.

Tories gain 19 seats to 33.
Labour lose 16, leaving 21.
Lib/Dem lose 2, leaving 8
2 Independents lose their seats; 2 seats gained by "Other" (I'm not sure what other - Greens, BNP, UKIP, your guess is as good as mine.)

Warwickshire results: Tories gain control. Labour lose 12 of their 22 councillors.

Worcestershire results: Tories increase their grip. Labour lose 12 of their 15 seats.

Essex results: Tories now have a stranglehold, with 60 of 75 seats. Labour cut down from 15 seats to just one.



The results so far seem to be even worse than the Doomsday-mongers were forecasting for Labour.

[HeadingNorth]

Devon's results are in; the Lib-Dems have lost 19 of their 33 seats, 18 of them gone to the Tories who now take control with 41. Labour had 4, and still have 4; I don't know if any of them were up for re-election this year.