Election 2008
According to early indications, there was a big turnout for the local elections in England, Wales and for the London Mayor/Assembly. The sunny weather probably helped to boost numbers, but the large number of surprising results suggests that genuine politics was a major factor.
Labour has taken an absolute battering, the Liberal Democrats have held their ground well, and the Conservatives have made some very significant gains – in councillors and councils controlled. As well as local issues, Labour's biggest crime has been its farcical handling of the 10p tax rate cut. This policy has had such a catastrophic effect on the party because its hit their core supporters the hardest. It's all very well seeking to gain ground in the South East, but holding on to the industrial North must surely be a priority?
Sheffield has just announced its results, and they, too were surprising. Everyone expected the Liberal Democrats to take control of the council: they only needed a couple of seats. In the end, they won six, earning them a comfortable majority. The Greens also gained a seat, further bolstering the Lib Dem's support. Labour lost out on five seats, taking them to 36, whilst the Conservatives lost their only councillor (as did the independent runner):
Lib Dem: 45 (+6) Labour: 36 (-5) Green: 3 (+1) Con: 0 (-1) Ind: 0 (-1)
The London Mayoral result will be announced later today, and unbelievably there's a strong sense at the moment that Boris Johnson may have clinched victory... which is alarming, because he's clearly not the right man for the job.
