Bansley Central, within South Yorkshire. Image from WikipediaSo, Labour win in Barnsley Central The Pope is Catholic and bears shit in the wood, so what?
However, that Dan Jarvis, a former member of the armed service, and previously unknown outside of his party, did it with an increased majority (11,771 from 11,093 last May) on a reduced turnout (36.5% from 56.5% in May) was a either damning assessment of this government, or a ringing endorsement of Ed Miliband (whose Doncaster North constituency is the most north-easterly shown on the image above) and the Labour Party Or, just maybe, both.
The unceremonious dumping (and imprisonment) of disgraced former Barnsley Central. MP Eric Illsley could have severely damaged the Labour Party in Barnsley, but it appears that the direction that the coalition government has taken over the past 10 months has caused more ire up the M1 than an expenses fraud ever could. considering the scandal that the expenses row was, this is a big statement in itself.
The real story however, is of the Liberal Democrats, who were severely punished at the ballot box on Thursday 3rd March. Their excuse for the defeat in the Saddleworth by-election, where Labour increased not only their majority, but also their absolute vote, and still in the face of a decreased turnout, was that "anti-Labour" support was solidifying behind the Tories as the best means to keep Labour out - tactical voting, if you will. No such excuse could be used in Barnsley though, where support for both parties collapsed, dropping the Tories losing over 4,000 votes, remaining in third spot, and the Lib Dems haemorrhaging over 5,000 votes and dropping from second to 6th place, behind UKIP, who jumped to second from fifth, the BNP, whose vote halved, and an independent.
If Barnsley and Saddleworth are to be believe, and we do of course need to remember that by-elections are a special case, then AV or not, the Lib Dems could be virtually wiped out in the UK at the next election. The only way to save themselves? They need to reassert their centre-left roots. In the meantime however, as long as they're in this Tory-led coalition, I fear for them. They're sure to lose some key councils this May, my own in Sheffield, currently ruled as a Lib Dem Minority Cabinet, surely will be one of them, but I feel that all of the Metropolitan Boroughs (mostly large northern towns and cities) currently under Lib Dem overall or shared control will turn red this May.
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| General Election results in Barnsley Central |
If Barnsley and Saddleworth are to be believe, and we do of course need to remember that by-elections are a special case, then AV or not, the Lib Dems could be virtually wiped out in the UK at the next election. The only way to save themselves? They need to reassert their centre-left roots. In the meantime however, as long as they're in this Tory-led coalition, I fear for them. They're sure to lose some key councils this May, my own in Sheffield, currently ruled as a Lib Dem Minority Cabinet, surely will be one of them, but I feel that all of the Metropolitan Boroughs (mostly large northern towns and cities) currently under Lib Dem overall or shared control will turn red this May.
