UKIP - The End of the Rainbow

steveL · May 05, 2017, 07: AM

Headland and Harbour
The full result is as follows:
Chris Broadbent - Conservatives - 210 votes
Tom Cassidy - (UKIP) - 532 votes
Mike McLaughlin - Labour Party - 555 votes
Lucy Patterson - Independent - 69 votes

The current make-up of Hartlepool Council is now Labour (19), UKIP (6), Independent (3), Local Conservatives (3) and Putting Hartlepool First (2).
The turnout for the by-election was 24.4%

It would appear that, with a quarter of the votes counted in the local elections, UKIP have lost every seat that they had previously held after their vote collapsed. In Boston and Skegness, the seat where Paul Nuttall is standing and the strongest BREXIT constituency, UKIP councillors were wiped out from the local council.

Most of those votes appear to have gone to the Tories and generally speaking it's been a very bad night for Labour.

Congratulations to Mike McLaughlin on his Headland and Harbour win. We'll see what an extra few points on the IQ scale do but of course - we'll be watching

not4me · May 05, 2017, 07: AM

The word used on the news is 'collapsed' for the UKIPPERS but it's worse than that. Unlike the other parties, for UKIP there is no way back because they only ever had two issues to talk about.

steveL · May 05, 2017, 07: AM

As word of the UKIP collapse spreads, the question of where all of those BREXIT votes will go in the General Election becomes crucial.

So if you're a strong BREXITEER, who do you vote for: Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn?

Interesting times.

not4me · May 05, 2017, 07: AM

Quote from: steveL on May 05, 2017, 07: AM
As word of the UKIP collapse spreads, the question of where all of those BREXIT votes will go in the General Election becomes crucial.

So if you're a strong BREXITEER, who do you vote for: Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn?

Interesting times.

People want a leader; Jeremy wants a philosophical discussion on every issue. He should stick to making jam.

Inspector Knacker · May 05, 2017, 09: AM

Watching the Labour Party people this morning on the news channels they're talking up not losing seats as heavily as predicted in Wales and holding on to some solid Labour seats. Sorry to rain on the parade, but at this stage the official opposition should be winning seats not making the best out of hanging on. Delusional.

steveL · May 05, 2017, 11: AM

11am and UKIP have so far lost every single seat with their former voters switching en masse to the Tories. That shift in votes isn't benefiting Labour at all.

fred c · May 05, 2017, 11: AM

Quote from: steveL on May 05, 2017, 11: AM
11am and UKIP have so far lost every single seat with their former voters switching en masse to the Tories. That shift in votes isn't benefiting Labour at all.

That fact gives us all a clue on who to vote for on June 8th.

AndyHagon · May 05, 2017, 01: PM

It does, Fred, if you wanted to Leave. There's still 14,029 who voted Remain in Hartlepool, and you can add a few more worried Leavers to that count now. So, if you don't want a Hard Brexit and you want at least some opposition to May's uncompromising stance then the Lib Dems are the only vote in town.

Lucy Lass-Tick · May 05, 2017, 01: PM

Quote from: AndyHagon on May 05, 2017, 01: PM
It does, Fred, if you wanted to Leave. There's still 14,029 who voted Remain in Hartlepool, and you can add a few more worried Leavers to that count now. So, if you don't want a Hard Brexit and you want at least some opposition to May's uncompromising stance then the Lib Dems are the only vote in town.

Would have thought that rather than feel worried, most Leave voters would feel totally vindicated by recent events.

steveL · May 05, 2017, 02: PM

Quote from: AndyHagon on May 05, 2017, 01: PM
It does, Fred, if you wanted to Leave. There's still 14,029 who voted Remain in Hartlepool, and you can add a few more worried Leavers to that count now. So, if you don't want a Hard Brexit and you want at least some opposition to May's uncompromising stance then the Lib Dems are the only vote in town.

Perception is everything.

If the Lib-Dems keep banging on about this it will continue to come across as sour grapes. They would be better off dropping it, let the negotiations unveil the real BREXIT problems to the public and in the meantime concentrate on domestic matters.

steveL · May 05, 2017, 02: PM

So far 14:00

UKIP have held only 1 council seat. Paul Nuttall seems to be ready to throw the towel in and ready to hand the BREXIT baton to the Tories.

AndyHagon · May 05, 2017, 02: PM

We know that the EU heavyweights have to send out a message to all the other EU nations that leaving the EU will not be a stroll in the park - we knew this would happen and yes we've seen evidence of it lately. However, letting the negotiations unfold, and then realising the Conservatives are making a mess of them (if they do), and then realising there's no opposition to do anything about it, can't be the way forward. We are in danger of handing May a blank cheque. I do take your point SteveL about it all coming across as sour grapes, and I hope it doesn't - I for one have accepted the decision to leave, but truly do want the best deal. Immediately ruling out any other deal, other than a Hard Brexit, does not seem wise to me, since that might not, in reality, be the best deal.

steveL · May 05, 2017, 02: PM

But realistically, that isn't going to happen; there are just too many people involved for this process to happen without leaks and immense interest from the press. Let the public learn for themselves and they will remember where the Lib-Dems stood when the whole process started. Wouldn't be the first time the Lib-Dems swam against the current and were proved right in the end. (Iraq)

Preaching at them now will be counter-productive.

I should say I'm not a Lib-Dem supporter, especially on Europe. You're all too much like Trekkies for my taste.

mk1 · May 05, 2017, 03: PM

Quote from: AndyHagon on May 05, 2017, 02: PM
We know that the EU heavyweights have to send out a message to all the other EU nations that leaving the EU will not be a stroll in the park - we knew this would happen and yes we've seen evidence of it lately. However, letting the negotiations unfold, and then realising the Conservatives are making a mess of them (if they do), and then realising there's no opposition to do anything about it, can't be the way forward. We are in danger of handing May a blank cheque. I do take your point SteveL about it all coming across as sour grapes, and I hope it doesn't - I for one have accepted the decision to leave, but truly do want the best deal. Immediately ruling out any other deal, other than a Hard Brexit, does not seem wise to me, since that might not, in reality, be the best deal.

There are a number of one-issue obsessives here are not open to reasoned debate. They are right. You are wrong so either do everything they want or you will be told to 'feck off back to Russia/The EU' where, you will be told 'you belong'.
I assume we share the same satisfaction over the the demise of UKIP!

Inspector Knacker · May 05, 2017, 03: PM

Quote from: AndyHagon on May 05, 2017, 02: PM
We know that the EU heavyweights have to send out a message to all the other EU nations that leaving the EU will not be a stroll in the park - we knew this would happen and yes we've seen evidence of it lately. However, letting the negotiations unfold, and then realising the Conservatives are making a mess of them (if they do), and then realising there's no opposition to do anything about it, can't be the way forward. We are in danger of handing May a blank cheque. I do take your point SteveL about it all coming across as sour grapes, and I hope it doesn't - I for one have accepted the decision to leave, but truly do want the best deal. Immediately ruling out any other deal, other than a Hard Brexit, does not seem wise to me, since that might not, in reality, be the best deal.

You obviously don't accept it. Are you a Nick Clegg tribute act?