Fantastic result in Batley and Spen

Maybe Sir Keir can now be allowed to get on with slowly building an election-winning position based on moderate, centre-left policies emphasizing the virtues of competence and integrity.

But above all, well done Kim Leadbeater for fighting an honorable campaign after all she and her family have suffered since 2016, and more recently.

The good guy (gal) won for once!

 

Glad to see that professional rent-a-gob Galloway got sent packing. He made a big fuss about being threatened on Twitter recently, but it just must be a coincidence that Labour canvassing team were beaten up by a group of Asians- not people from the constituency apparently. I’m sure they had nothing to do with George…….

 

Sad to see Galloway getting 22% of the vote. Happy that Labour won less happy that it prolongs the slow death of Labour under Sir IKEA.

 

That's the divide between us on here, Jim. Some of us hope that it's the beginning of the slow recovery under SKS!

 

You’re a betting man. A wager on Keir winning the next election?

 

What I'd like to happen and what I'd bet on are two different things, Jim. But Baldfred will give you 5/1!

 

and that’s why it’s important to change things now. If even people who support him don’t think he will win. At least someone like Burnham (who I’m not politically aligned with) would run the tories a lot closer and would be able to match Johnson. Keir isn’t suited to the hurly burly of battling a populist he’s a technocrat and a good one.

 

Burnham's a bit of a gobshyte, to my way of thinking. But at least he's Labour, not far left. I'm not sure you can battle a populist with another populist. I'd sooner people get fed up with that and move to a saner position - a la Joe Biden.

 

It’s a theory but not one you or the bookies have any confidence in.

 

Mr Burnham is 25/1. Angela Rayner (Richard Burgon with a ginger wig) is 66/1!

 

That would change if either became leader. Burnham isn’t even an MP. As for Raynor yeah we can’t have any pesky working class people running Labour can we…

 

Keir Starmer is the son of a toolmaker and a nurse.
He’s the most working class leader Labour have had since Kinnock, before that Wilson?

No one on the left ever commented on JC being clearly middle class.

Unfortunately re class though. We have to be honest and accept that Thatchers undoing of the working class means Labour will never again be the party of the working class. When you look round Donny or Barnsley, you’ll see the working class have moved to the right in large enough numbers that it’s irreversible.

In fact the class = politics view is completely shattered. With most people I know in blue collar jobs having a fairly right wing outlook. The most fervent Labour supporters being white collar workers, caring professions etc. There’s a hardcore of proper red in tooth and claw lefties amongst the ‘working class’ but they’re a minority.

 

did i hear somewhere that dawn butler (?) is lurking in the shadows sharpening the filleting knife

 

Yes the evil nasty party were kept out which is always a good thing but if anyone is suggesting this is symbolic of a Labour revival, on a worse result than Corbyn in 2019, or under Starmers leadership the Labour Party have any vision at all then I'm afraid the analysis is incorrect. At the moment the only thing we have to go on about Labour is that they're not as corrupt and deceitful as Johnson's mob. If that's the best we can say about the Labour Party then its just not good enough.

 

I would argue it’s not a very good result. Very slight win by a popular local candidate, amid Galloway stirring up trouble and maybe getting Labour a few sympathy votes.
Starmer hangs on and nothing really changes.

 

I find the idea that Galloway did Labour any favours in this by election a bit far fetched.

 

They were having a go at Labour voters weren’t they? I’d certainly have gone out of my way to vote and **** em off.

 

For me it just shows that no party is anywhere near uniting local communities, or appealing to the masses in general.
Winning a seat you've held since 1997 by 300ish votes shouldn't be cause for celebration. What was the margin at the last local election?

 

Interesting insight. As a one time bricklayer (i'd say that was old school working class) most now have 4 door pick ups (tax break) etc are self-employed and have incomes above many white collar workers - and good on them. those who do vote labour probably do because of parental influence that is fading away with each election.
Personally I don't think Starmer is the answer. He's too "Islington Dinner party" to win a barnsley brickie's vote. I also think there isnt much to be read into this result as there were clearly a lot of factors at play. I'm glad Jo Cox's sister won and wish her well.

 

Its worth remembering:

1) at the last election - UKIP took 10% of the vote - ALL those will have voted Tory this time as they've turned into UKIP.
2) Galloway stoked up fears about the Labour candidate being a Lesbian and his usual appeal to Muslims - Palestine - to take the Asian Labour voters - all his votes would either not have voted or voted Labour previously.

Therefore its clear Labour picked up a large number of Tory voters who don't recognise their party anymore. The narrative over the last few years is how Labour have lost the working class, but its becoming more clear that the tories have lost the non-UKIP Conservative voters as well. A sensible agreement not to contest unwinnable seats between Labour and Lib/Dems at the next election could actually kick them out.