Chew On That One, Mikey.

[Jackdaw33]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38258976

Slightly different to Richmond. Autres temps, autres moeurs.

[Gromit]

Togo,
It was an emphatic win for the Tories which was expected because they had a very large majority. But they lost as many votes as Labour, so the celebrations should be a little muted.

[Berniecuddles2]

mr corbyn is doing a wonderful job for labour ...long may he reign....lol

[Togo]

//Labour lost a similar number of votes, but they started with less//

Lol that's alright then. (^_*)

[ichkeria]

Labour were second in this seat last time with 17%.
Yesterday that dropped to 10% - by far the biggest drop of any of the parties.
At Richmond there was the excuse that there was already a strong Lib Dem presence and tactical voting could have affected them. In this election they started out in a fight for second and finished 4th.
I've already said all this before, but unless we realise the scale of the challenge facing Labour this downward trend is going to continue. If UKIP don't take Labour ores the Lib Dems will . All over the country. That will only mean more Tory MPs more Lib Dem ones and Tory govt as far as the eye can see.
No wonder the Tories are Corbyn's biggest supporters

[ludwig]

// This by-election isn't really good for anyone. //

It's pretty good for the Tories. They won it.

[ludwig]

// This by-election isn't really good for anyone. //

It's pretty good for the Tories. They won it.

[ladybirder]

Jim, loved your link, very apt.

Jackdaw great title;-)

[Togo]

//Jim, loved your link, very apt.//

Dodgeball Ladybird. :))

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peUyLXrgYZ0

[mikey4444]

Still not a peep out of our UKIP groupies I see !

[ichkeria]

Nuttall has a fight on his hands too.
I wonder if there were a lot of Sleaford voterds watching his interview with Andrew Marr, when Mr Marr, rather inconveniently for him (but that's the leftiie BBC for you :-) ) played him back a tape from a hustings few years ago where he was calling for the end of the NHS. Of course, UKIP would have their new target electorate believe they are the its staunchest defenders :-)

[vulcan42]

mikey, for an avid labour groupie(your word) you seem to have an unhealthy obsession with UKIP and their supporters.

[mikey4444]

lol Ichkeria ........that is probably one of the reasons for the radio silence from UKIP supporters on here !

[mikey4444]

Vulcan....lol !

Not half as "unhealthy" as the UKIP supporters themselves.

[naomi24]

Mikey, I don’t know what you want what you call the UKIP Groupies to say. If you expected UKIP to win this seat I’m guessing you’re the only one who did. More to the point, you say //there is every evidence that Labour is going through relatively bad patch....//, but that sort of denial seems to be endemic not only within the Labour party itself, but throughout its core voters. You’re all disconnected from the electorate. I listen to Corbyn and the truly awful Diane Abbott prattling on as though they really believe that they have something valuable to offer, in their arrogance never understanding that very few want what they’re offering. If you, and they, continue to fail to acknowledge that Labour has a very real problem the party has no hope whatsoever of recovery. It will simply become more of a laughing stock than it already is and it will sink even deeper into the mire until it finds itself entrenched forever in the abyss that is political oblivion.

[Togo]

//Ukip said it would focus resources on trying to unseat the five Labour MPs who voted against Brexit in Monday’s historic vote despite the fact their constituents had backed Leave.//

Nothing to worry about regarding UKIP now, the Referendum is over so,.. they must be a busted flush.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4016818/We-coming-Ukip-pledges-target-seven-refusenik-MPs-defied-constituents-vote-against-triggering-Brexit.html?ITO=1490

[mikey4444]

Togo.....UKIP will have to wait until May 2020, before it can carry out its threat to the 7 Labour MPs.

At the rate of UKIP's current progress, that will mean that it will almost certainly be another Leader, and not Nuttall, that oversees their campaign.

That is, of course, if UKIP still exists as a going concern in 2020.

[Zacs-Master]

Likewise Labour Mikey (that is if you see Labour as a 'going concern' at the moment).

[mikey4444]

Zacs....I have already admitted, many times, that Labour is going through a bad patch. But they are still Her Majesties Loyal Opposition, and I can't see that changing at any time in the future. They will bounce back, as they did in 1997. of that there can be no doubt.

But in comparison to UKIP, they are a wild success ! People keep telling me that Farage and UKIP are the best thing since sliced bread, but they have been a wash-out at the ballot box.

Some people on here would gladly see Farage sent up to the HOLs. But when he has tried to get into the HOC, on the many, many occasions that he has, the great British public give him the big heave-o.

I will make a prediction here.....UKIP will never become Her Majesties Loyal Opposition.

[Zacs-Master]

I think it's a bit more than 'a bad patch' Mikey. They have zero chance of winning an election with their current leader and losing to UKIP is, despite what anyone says about turn out, is another nail in the coffin.

I truly believe it's time for another party to emerge but in such prosperous times, how do they appeal to the man in the street?

I don't want to even debate UKIP as an opposition as that is entering fantasy land and is a waste of time.

Whilst ever there is no credible opposition, the Cons will run amok to some extent.

[Togo]

//Togo.....UKIP will have to wait until May 2020, before it can carry out its threat to the 7 Labour MPs. //

What? You mean that they cannot agitate and canvas, encouraging the electorate to force their disloyal MPs to abdicate or resign before the General election? Which may of course be before 2020.