Conservatives win Hartlepool by-election

The Conservatives take the Hartlepool seat from Labour for the first time since it was created in 1974.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57020285

I see Kieth is delivering on his electability pitch.

wow.

Regretting my decision not to bet on the T***s winning

Probably would have got a good return from a monkey on the seat changing hands

It's not a huge surprise.  The Cons and the Brexit Party split the vote last time out.  I had high hopes Starmer could make Labour more electable but I haven't seen anything like a positive vision set out by them in the last year.  

It's odd because the Tories, in my view, have generally done a pretty awful job over the last 10 years or so (credit due on the vaccine roll out though which has undoubtedly been a success).  But they keep being successful and have messages that resonate across England and even with some Unionists in Scotland.    

Quoted from Town Monkey

It's not a huge surprise.  The Cons and the Brexit Party split the vote last time out.  

UKIP collapsed in between 2015 and 2017, yet Labour took 52.5% increasing vote share by about 17%. It’s hard to put into words what an utter failure Starmer is presiding over, and it’s all of his (and the party’s right) own making.

We'll have to agree to disagree there.  I think the Corbyn era put a lot of people off the Labour party who would have traditionally always voted for them.  They no longer felt represented by the people who were supposed to be on their side.  Labour has a very tough job to convince those people to return to the fold, and indeed attract people like me who weren't previously Labour voters.  That can only be done by setting out a credible, positive vision for the future of the country.  I'm not sure Starmer has the charisma necessary to pull that off even if he is articulate and intelligent.  Sadly the country now leans more towards characters than substance.

Sadly I don't see anyone in the Labour Party at present who could pull that job off.  Anas Sarwar is pretty impressive but he's got enough on his plate trying to fix the Scottish Labour Party for the moment.  

Quoted from ska face

UKIP collapsed in between 2015 and 2017, yet Labour took 52.5% increasing vote share by about 17%. It’s hard to put into words what an utter failure Starmer is presiding over, and it’s all of his (and the party’s right) own making.

2019 wasn't such a success though was it?  The Tories and BP had over 21,000 votes to Labour 15,500 votes with a vote share of 37.7%.  Remind me again who was in charge then?  

Whilst we agree Starmer isn't the answer, wouldn't you be better served if you want the Tories out to support this current incarnation of Labour as we're under FPTP (which is a discussion for another day).

Labour are finished in their current form simple reason being that people are put off with their identity politics, the working class are now conservative, the Torys are unchallenged now until we get a genuine right off centre populist party.

Quoted from Town Monkey

2019 wasn't such a success though was it?  The Tories and BP had over 21,000 votes to Labour 15,500 votes with a vote share of 37.7%.  Remind me again who was in charge then?  

Whilst we agree Starmer isn't the answer, wouldn't you be better served if you want the Tories out to support this current incarnation of Labour as we're under FPTP (which is a discussion for another day).

So Corbyn turned up in Hartlepool armed with Starmer’s 2nd referendum policy against the Tories and the Leader of the Brexit party - which stood to split to Labour vote - and STILL won!

As for voting for Starmer’s Labour, I’ve been told explicitly that my type aren’t wanted. My votes aren’t wanted, my subs aren’t wanted, my family aren’t wanted, my donations aren’t wanted, my hours canvassing aren’t wanted, and my general support isn’t wanted. I am persona non grata in Starmer’s Labour Party, and why? Because I spent a few years at university, I spent most of my life as a renter and I want billionaires to pay their fair share of tax.

The Labour right burned down their own house for 5 years to oust Corbyn and have now inherited the ashes. They’re fúcking welcome to them!

Con vote went up 23%. Brexit/Reform vote went down 24.6%.

Lab vote went down 9%. An independent who is a prominent local businesswoman & former journalist took 9.7%.

If you drill down into the results centre & left candidates got a slightly higher % of the vote than in 2019.

The simple lesson is if you have only 1 viable right wing option & multiple left wing (Lab, LD, Green & independent) then the obvious happens and the right wing candidate wins.

With Hartlepool you have to factor in the previous Labour MP & the nature of his resignation- sexual misconduct allegations. You have to ask whether it was a good idea to pick another white middle aged man. It was probably crying out for a female 30 something candidate.

And Keir Starmer...

He has a huge job. He has to tackle the loony left, set out a proper modern vision about what a 21st century Labour Party and try and reconnect with voters in the towns of the North East, East Midlands & West Midlands. Oh and try and make an impact in Scotland.

It might end up that he is to Corbyn what Neil Kinnock was to Michael Foot. Sorting out the mess and falling short himself but leaving the party in a better position than he inherited so the next leader can win a general election.