Labour holds Glenrothes with increased majority (8)

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spirifer
Posted by spirifer on Fri 7 Nov 08, 11:00 AM

Story

GORDON Brown hailed Labour's victory in today's Glenrothes by-election as a vote of confidence for the Government's response to the economic downturn.

...Labour has increased its share of the vote and increased its number of votes from the last general election.
"The fact is it's a remarkable victory for Labour. It's the best victory we've had in Scotland since the 1970s in terms of the statistics and its a very strong personal endorsement of Gordon Brown at a time of unprecedented economic difficulties facing the whole world."

More here.

Until recently, Brown has seemed jinxed as a political leader. Not any more. Even if the byelection wasn't a referendum on his management of the financial crisis, in practice he was in charge of Labour's strategy. He's the neighbouring MP, he visited the constituency twice and his wife came regularly. This morning he looks like a winner.

So perhaps things aren't looking quite so glum for Labour come the general election, after all?

Replies

7 Nov 08, 11:22 AM
Backdooruk
UK(BA), 9 yrs

spirifer wrote:
So perhaps things aren't looking quite so glum for Labour come the general election, after all?
In the end people's pockets count more to them than other considerations. People tend to see brown as a safe economic pair of hands and will be reluctant to change I suspect unless he drops that ball.
- Chris
Anyone with a brain is manipulable. Only the truly unimaginative are difficult to control.

7 Nov 08, 11:53 AM
xjames
UK(SS), 2 yrs
This is the Labour spin machine at its best. Their majority went DOWN and there was a swing from Labout to the SNP of 5%. The only reason Labour's share of the vote went up is because at the last election the LibDems and Tories got 21% of the vote between them - and this time they didn't run a campaign so as to give a clear run for the SNP.
Obligatory wanky Latin tagline: Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit

7 Nov 08, 12:02 PM
Backdooruk
UK(BA), 9 yrs

xjames wrote:
This is the Labour spin machine at its best. Their majority went DOWN and there was a swing from Labout to the SNP of 5%.
Find me a by election were the incumbent represents a party in power that is better for the incumbent and you might have a point. For now I'm going with the majority of the independent pundits, that it's a very good result for labour.
- Chris

Anyone with a brain is manipulable. Only the truly unimaginative are difficult to control.

7 Nov 08, 12:21 PM
spirifer
UK, 3 yrs

Backdooruk wrote:

xjames wrote:
This is the Labour spin machine at its best. Their majority went DOWN and there was a swing from Labout to the SNP of 5%.
Find me a by election were the incumbent represents a party in power that is better for the incumbent and you might have a point. For now I'm going with the majority of the independent pundits, that it's a very good result for labour.
- Chris

Even the Daily Mail concedes that, Chris:

Labour claims surprise Glenrothes by-election victory is 'turning point' for Brown
Gordon Brown's political fightback continued apace today as he moved to build on Labour's surprise triumph in the Glenrothes by-election.
The Prime Minister headed to Brussels to ram home his recession-fighting message after the personal satisfaction of defeating the Scottish National Party in his own backyard.
The Glenrothes victory, by a healthy majority of nearly 7,000, was seized on by Labour as a turning point in Mr Brown's premiership and proof that his handling of the financial crisis was winning over the public.
Party sources said the by-election campaign, which combined aggressive attacks on SNP cuts with appearances by Mr Brown and his wife Sarah on the stump, was a model of how Labour could win the next election.
Central to the victory was the Prime Minister's repeated message that only he had the experience and judgment to lead the country out of recession.
Labour is planning to build on its fightback with plans for tax cuts as well as spending rises in the Pre-Budget Report later this month.
Labour candidate Lindsay Roy coasted to victory with a majority of 6,737. The SNP came second, but the Tories lost their deposit.
Although the margin was down a third on the 10,000 majority at the 2005 general election, Labour increased its share of the vote.
The win ended a series of by-election defeats for Mr Brown and removed any lingering doubts about a leadership challenge.
Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy today said: "Everyone knows there is an economic storm sweeping the globe. The people yesterday put their faith in Gordon Brown. And it is a personal tribute to the work that he has been doing." Mr Murphy added that Mr Brown's decision to break with convention to campaign twice in the seat, as well as Sarah Brown's seven trips to the constituency, had been vindicated.
"Having taken the gamble to some extent to go to the by-election and campaign-it's a reward for him and the leadership he's shown,"
Mr Murphy told GMTV. "His wife Sarah, she's a remarkably talented woman and there was a real affection for her on the doorstep. We had two Browns campaigning in the constituency and we had a remarkable victory.
"This is a dreadful result for the SNP and a humiliation for David Cameron... the people were faced with a choice: David Cameron and his leadership or Gordon Brown and his."
Mr Cameron played down the significanceof the result for England, but stressed he was pleased that the SNP had been defeated.

Story.
The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation - Pierre Trudeau
A denizen of a right little, tight little island.

7 Nov 08, 2:48 PM
Doghouse_Reilly
UK(E), 3 yrs

There's more hope for a close race in 2009 that's for sure. Ideally what we want, in terms of what is best as citizens, is a fairly close parliament so we can have an effective opposition. A landslide one way or the other is not the best possible result.
It's a trap.

7 Nov 08, 3:05 PM
verte
UK(E), 5 yrs
I seriously don't know whether to feel pleased about this or not any more.

"Well-behaved women rarely make history"
http://www.backlash-uk.org.uk

7 Nov 08, 3:51 PM
wonderer
UK, 2 yrs

Not only did Labour win but 6 parties lost their deposits. Call me shallow but it was what gratifying to see the Conservatives down there in Monster Raving Looney zone with Solidarity, Scottish Senior Citizens, Scottish Socialist etc.

4 Dec 08, 5:31 PM
BadWulf
UK(TA), 3 yrs
Y!
You are shallow.

wonderer wrote:
Not only did Labour win but 6 parties lost their deposits. Call me shallow but it was what gratifying to see the Conservatives down there in Monster Raving Looney zone with Solidarity, Scottish Senior Citizens, Scottish Socialist etc.

My, what sharp teeth I have.


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