Election Results

There is a term in election circles called a 'safe seat'. This is a where the second placed party at the previous election has most no chance of winning the seat and third place party has completely no chance.

Well in the past two years this theory has been blown completely apart.

2003 Brent East

In 2003 there was a bye election in Brent East - normal theory is for mid-term bye election is that the second placed opposition party does well - real life Liberal Democrats storm too an amazing victory from third place.

The Conservative party said this is not natural conservative territory and not high on our target list, well if it is not natural territory or high a target list for the second party where to they think it was for the third placed Liberal Democrats !!

The Labour said you always get these fluke bye election results mid-term. The follow year saw three bye elections that would answer the question, was it a fluke ? .

2004 Leicester South

It was not a fluke - third to first happened again in Leicester South.

To underline this point Birmingham Hodge-Hill and Hartlepool saw Liberal Democrat candidates come from a distant third to a very close second, both in so called Labour 'safe seats'.

What of the official oppposition - the Conservative party ? Well in Birmingham they fell back to third and in Hartlepool they slipped to fourth. Proving, if proof is required, that the real oppostion to the Labour government is the Liberal Democrat party.

2005 Southampton Itchen

This year saw a general election in May, so what happened here in Southampton Itchen.

Since the 2001 general election the Labour group have lost control of the city council and it is the Liberal Democrats who are now the largest group. The 2005 general election saw the Liberal DEmocrat support in the city increase further. The result was about a 50% increase in the Liberal Democrat vote.

In both 2001 and 2005 the only major party to increase its share of the vote were the Liberal Democrats, clearly the only major party that an increasing number of people see as a real alternative to the present government are the Liberal Democrats.

The main problem is people don't always vote for the party they really want. They vote for one of the parties they think is most likely to win, too often they go for the least worst option.

At this present time the only major party with something new to offer is the Liberal Democrats. So be postive, vote for it and together we can built a better future.