Labour boat sinks at Henley's political regatta

New Labour is falling apart. Not before time, I'd say. The Henley by-election has given the Labour Party a drubbing. Put their supporters in the same room as Bananaman's lot and the ORMLP could claim to have done reasonably well by comparison. Labour nearly came below the 1,000 vote barrier, a pyschological electric fence. As it was they lost their deposit, trailing behind the Green Party and the BNP.

Gordon Brown is an MP who job shares with an MSP. He leads a government that only managed to secure 20% of the electorate's support at the last general election. Since then, things have got worse. So bad, in fact, that the ineffectual Yvette Cooper was unable to speak any sense last night on BBC Question Time. The Labour vote in Henley probably does represent current opinion in large swathes of England. No wonder they didn't put up a candidate in Haltemprice. Losing a deposit twice would look like recklessness!

The result as it happened - here.

The result in detail -

John Howell - Conservatives, 19,796 (56.95% +3.46%)
Stephen Kearney - Liberal Democrats, 9,680 (27.85% +1.84%)
Mark Stevenson - Greens, 1,321 (3.80% +0.54%)
Timothy Rait - British National Party 1,243 (3.58%)
Richard McKenzie - Labour, 1,066 (3.07% -11.68%)
Chris Adams - UK Independence Party, 843 (2.43%, -0.07%)
Bananaman Owen - Monster Raving Loony Party 242 (0.70%)
Derek Allpass - English Democrats 157 (0.45%)
Amanda Harrington - Independent (Miss Great Britain Party) 128 (0.37%)
Dick Rodgers - The Common Good 121 (0.35%)
Louise Cole - Independent (Miss Great Britain Party) 91 (0.26%)
Harry Bear - The Fur Play Party 73 (0.21%)

Although there was a small swing from LibDems to Conservatives, it was Labour's loss of nearly 12% of the vote that was the significant point. Conservatives, LibDems and Greens can see positive movement. Labour and to a small extent UKIP can see negative movement. I think this is a reasonable mirror image for the next general election.

Shock victory for LibDems in Henley?

Could the Liberal Democrats pull off another by-election shocker? I don't know but many journalists from the Daily Telegraph to the Guardian think this might be so. The votes are now being ferried to the count as I type this out. One thing I do know is that the Conservatives have a couple of things going against them. First, the people of Henley have lost a popular well-known MP who has decided to plough a different furrow. This does have some reflection on Henley and the surrounding villages, as being of lesser interest politically to the effervescent Boris. Then there is the rumbling of minor sleeze, odd bouts of disunity, unclarity over policy, which have added to the gossip that the Conservative candidate may not do so well. I hope he does well, but echoes of Bromley are sounding in my ears. Ugh!!

Tories get legalistic in Henley

Is it a case of David Cameron huffing and puffing and trying to blow down the LibDems' house in Henley? In most by-elections where the Conservatives are defending a seat, the LibDems come up with all kinds of poetic licence. Falsehoods are par for the course. This time they have suggested two things. First that Boris Johnson, now succumbed in the penthouse suite of the Greater London Assembly as Mayor of the Metropolis, has a penchant for the LibDem policies and is keen on their candidate! Far-fetched, I'd say.

Second, they claim the Conservative candidate is less than supportive about community hospitals. The Tories are angry about claims in a Lib Dem leaflet that the Tory candidate John Howell watched the campaign to save Townlands community hospital in Henley "from the sidelines," when they say he was involved in it. That's one thing. They should have said he supported it and left it there. However threatening to sue the LibDems makes the whole issue far bigger than it ought to be.

Electorate's do not like sour grapes or bad losers. The Conservatives should have just countered the claim as is usual in a by-election. This has made the LibDems out to be the campaigners rather than the Tories.

Own goal with golden boots on, I'm afraid! They'd be far better off talking up the Real Opposition, the two young women from Beauties for Britain Party. Now Boris could have meant them!

The Henley By-election line-up

Today was closing day for nominations in the Henley By-election. Boris has gone, make way for, well, one of these!

In alphabetical order -

Chris Adams - UK Independence Party
Derek Allpass - English Democrats
Louise Cole - Independent (Miss Great Britain Party)
Amanda Harrington - Independent (Miss Great Britain Party)
John Howell - Conservatives
Stephen Kearney - Liberal Democrats
Richard McKenzie - Labour
Bananaman Owen - Monster Raving Loony Party
Timothy Rait - British National Party
Dick Rodgers - The Common Good
Mark Stevenson - Green Party
Harry Bear - The Fur Play Party

The Fur Play Party? Sounds like Cilla Black's needed!

UKIP in Henley

I've just had a message about the UKIP candidate in the Henley by-election on 26th June. His name is Chris Adams and he's got a very good website for his election campaign. One issue that will or should be high up on the list is the closure of rural post offices. As ever, it's the EU behind it for most of the way. Plus you've got to make up the shortfall when the boss of the Post Office is sunning himself in far flung regions having pocketed a £3 million bonus topped wage packet.


The Real Reason for closures. Listen to Mr.Adams. “It’s outrageous that the people here have not been told the real reason why their post office is closing. There are people here who simply can’t travel miles to another branch and nor should they have to. But the fact is that this decision was made last year by the government and the EU and the consultation process was simply a smokescreen”.

“The simple truth is that post offices are closing because Tories, Labour and Lib Dems voted in Brussels to strip the Royal Mail of hundreds of thousands of pounds, and people in this constituency should remember that when they come to vote.”

I hope the BBC gets the message too, so they can tell it as it is. As I say on my blog heading - I'm a staunch opponent of political spin and deception. Seems the Royal Mail has it by the mail sack!

Henley Tories pick accountant for by-election

Henley Tories (that's Henley-on-Thames not Henley-in-Arden) have chosen John Howell, a former partner at City accountant Ernst and Young, to be their candidate at the forthcoming by-election to succeed (hopefully!) Boris Johnson. Mr Howell was chosen from a shortlist of three.

All that remains now is for a date to be set. And someone to win, of course!