Thursday 9th October 2014 - Dave's bumper birthday

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Evening All

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Recount H & M

Why?

[LadyCentauria]

Apparently UKIP called for it as there is only a difference of 620 votes between Labour and them

BBC and Sky both reporting that the turnout there was only around 35% but 51% in Clacton

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Apparently UKIP called for it as there is only a difference of 620 votes between Labour and them

Judging by Twitter it's a manufactured opportunity to promote UKIP. Not a proper recount but a "bundle recount". Let's not fall for the propaganda!

[PaulfromYorkshire]

General Election ‏@UKELECTIONS2015 1m1 minute ago
#HeywoodAndMiddleton

Is a full recount not just a bundle count

Labour only about 620 ahead of UKIP

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Dreadful, dreadful trolling on Twitter trying to build a story of tonight as bad for Labour. Shocking to see.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

VamBuzz ‏@VamBuzz 44s45 seconds ago
UKIP Concede Defeat In Heywood And Middleton By-Election http://ift.tt/1vSd3C4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Add me http://ift.tt/1fqSViy" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[HindleA]

Now there saying it's only a bundle count-confused you will be.

[LadyCentauria]

H & M
Lab: 11,633
Con: 3,496
UKIP: 11,016
Green: 870

Edits to add: Labour share up 1%, Conservatives massively down. Missed the LibDem number. Have put in the Greens

[TechnicalEphemera]

H & M
Lab: 11,633
Con: 3,496
UKIP: 11,016

Congratulations on getting the result faster than the G

[TechnicalEphemera]

Did the Lib Dems get any votes?

[LadyCentauria]

Yes, oh 1,457 came up as was about to say I missed it...

[HindleA]

Did the Lib Dems get any votes?

1,457 Just saved their deposit.

[adam]

Labour's share seems to have dropped by .01 of a percent. Disaster for Miliband.

Edit - either I can't read numbers or the numbers just changed. Increased by 0.8 of a percent. Disaster for Miliband.

[LadyCentauria]

Goodness me but I am glad this UKIP plonker failed to beat Liz McInnes! Just based on the nonsense he spouted in moments-ago interview on Sky News...

[LadyCentauria]

Angela Eagle just said that Labour have taken a Council seat from UKIP tonight.

[HindleA]

Angela Eagle just said that Labour have taken a Council seat from UKIP tonight.

In Crawley.

[adam]

Norman Smith BBC tweets "Labour lead reduced by 90%" - yeah, because all of the opposition ganged up on them! This, perhaps is the worrying thing. Although there's been the obvious churn, Labour's voteshare holding (and just rising) means the idea that UKIP are sucking up their voters is wishful thinking in the extreme, but there are going to be more and more people on the right (and I'd include a good deal of the Lib Dem parliamentary party at least in that) who will start saying that they can keep Labour out by working together.

Interestingly, Carswell is citing a parliamentary convention that you don't have by elections in the last six months of a parliament, so any more MPs who want to cross the floor don't have to risk a by election to keep their seat. That, along with lots of votes for UKIP tonight, might help more MPs move.

Edited for ! (literally and metaphorically)

[pk1]

Angela Eagle just said that Labour have taken a Council seat from UKIP tonight.

I'm pretty certain I've seen a stat saying that Ukip have not retained any council seat they had previously won but I cant damn we'll find it now.

[LadyCentauria]

Clacton

Con: 8,709
UKIP: 21,113
Lab: 3,957
Libdem: 483

(Neil said earlier that Farage was looking subdued at the count. I say, probably because UKIP are about to get their first elected MP and it is not him...)

(Edit to add:
Green: 688
Others: 388
Turnout: 51%)

[HindleA]

Thanks for company and info anybody still up and good night.

[LadyCentauria]

Goodnight Adrian

[LadyCentauria]

Off to bed. Night to anyone who is still around x

[Spacedone]

So as expected this by-elections was treated as if it wasn't that important given that 20,000 people who voted in 2010 decided not to bother this time and the vote of the Coalition Parties took a battering.

The media and UKIP will make hay but the fact is that nothing important was riding on the result. No government changed, not policies will be affected and they'll have to do it all again next May in the real election when the voters won't sit be so free about switching their votes or staying at home.