23.10 Yasmin is in da house. And she ain't a happy lady. Be prepared for a few fireworks. Sky News at 11.30pm for 20 mins. Don't miss it. The mayoral result will be post midnight, we're told.
10.29 Consensus seems to be that Gordon Brown has got six months to 'sort it'. One former Minister told the FT: "If you thought the answer was changing the leader, it becomes attractive for thirty seconds, until you think what it entails.
10.28 Eerily calm here. Newspaper front pages all lead on Brown's woes rather than Tory triumphs. Daily Mirror is the only paper not to put the elections on its front page. Wonder why that would be then! What a complete joke of a paper it has become.
9.58 About to arrive at Sky, so I'm going to leave it to you all for half an hour, while I prepare for the paper review at 10.30. I will be able to approve comments quite quickly.
Hurry up London!
ReplyDeleteWhat a stupid system this 1st pref/2nd pref thing is in the first place. What's so undemocratic about just voting once for the candidate you prefer? At least that wouldn't take 24+ hours to tally up.
Oh glorious day - I can now reveal the surge in the spirits of the British people.
ReplyDeleteIn my chain of rather nice luxury stores there has been a remarkable surge in spending today. Overall, sales have been 70% up on last year with the biggest surges in London and the South East. Having spoken to the store managers, they told me that the customers just seemed 'happier'!
The narrow loss of Brent & Harrow is a blow... or it would be if it werent for the fact that presumably we'll now pick up a top-up seat from Labour! silly bloody system...
ReplyDeleteLate result = extra overtime for local authority workers.
ReplyDeleteIf they go 5 mins over midnight will they be paid a whole saturday?
Hello Iain,
ReplyDeleteIt's all so breathless, yet I wonder has anyone thought to review the Dear Leader's ramblings, such as "Stability", "10 Years of growth", "better prepared" and so on, against his current rantings as blaming current economic conditions! Doesn't make a lot of sense him blaming anything but his own failings, but he's still at it! I sometimes feel he is not from this planet.
It's been a fascinating 24 hours. I'm not too shocked by the results around the country, council votes often do become pure protest with (a perceived) lack of risk, but Boris Johnson winning so clearly has surprised me.
ReplyDeleteIt's reassuring to see results such as the one in Bexley, as it shows the Conservative masses are still there, and set to come out when Brown eventually calls the General Election.
One frustration, though, as a grassrooter, is this will probably delay the election until the end of the five-year limit. So from expecting a snap-poll in autumn 2007 to expecting a combined General/Council/Euro super-poll in June 2009, to now May 2010.
I just hope Boris doesn't blow his newfound position of high-visibility to damage the party...!
Bad news...
ReplyDeleteThe success of the Tories is because Labour has turned its back on their policies of 1983, Tony Benn said so earlier. What planet is he on? Good news though if they go back to their 1983 policies, even more seats!!!
On the 4 (sort of) announced constituency results Bexley Brent Greenwich & Havering per Dizzy & the London election website I have Boris about 100,00 ahead (with about 270,000)on 1st preference votes
ReplyDeleteE & O E
To win on 1st prefs he needs about 1,200,000!
Agree with Iain coverage & announcements etc are terrible/ shambolic
Watching Newsnight. Can't believe we've been "unable" to provide a shadow minister to debate with Ruth Kelly. I'm sure someone could have managed to turn up!
ReplyDeleteHasn't this been a fantastic day - cherry on the cake in the form of BoJo winning London - fingers crossed!!!
ReplyDeleteHas anyone heard anything from Laurence Boyce?
ReplyDeleteAugust 31, 2007 4:46 PM , Laurence Boyce said...
"Anyway, all I really want to say is that if Boris Johnson becomes Mayor of London, I shall kiss Donal Blaney's arse."
My TV aerial's gone down - anyone recommend a good internet streaming radio station for results?
ReplyDeleteHey Iain, as sensible conservatives as I presume you are and I certainly am, would you shine any light on yesterday's rather disgraceful Guy Fawkes' live chat? I believe in conservative values such as low taxes, small government intervention and greater market freedom, but certainly not what Mr. Fawkes tolerates such as homophobia, misoginism, racism and other kind of nasty views expressed freely in the chat (including some seriously gross language). Great results yesterday, arent they?
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one to feel a 45% turnout is bitterly disappointing?
ReplyDeleteTwo candidates with wide general recognition, beyond the usual political circles; plenty of people wanting to give Labour a kicking; a bit of pure class warfare; directly attributable causes-and-effects; and a result which was/is genuinely in the balance, right to the end. It's hard to think how anything could have made it more (ahem) exciting for the average voter.
Yet more than half the capital couldn't be bothered. Shameful.
The left side of McBean's jaw seems to be much enlarged today. What's that all about?
ReplyDeleteMr Neil Kinnock, the results in Wales have been pretty bad haven't they?
ReplyDelete"Not at all, I think they've been marvelous."
"But Labour has lost control of its only council in north Wales"
"Yes, I know"
"But Labour have lost Flintshire, Wrexham, and Denbighshire?"
"Yes,.Lovely Lovely Lovely"
"I don't really understand your joy Mr Kinnock"
"Look Boyo, at the next party conference I won't be the only living Labour Leader who never won an election. And even better, I won't be the biggest loser in the room.. Lovely lovely lovely.
Here have an election 2009 pen.. we got hundreds of them made last week but we'll never need them now.
I'm puckering, Laurence. Are you?
ReplyDeleteThe end of the labour nightmare is in sight. Boris Johnsons win will confirm this.
ReplyDeleteI have been waiting for this day for 10 years. We can all have hope again, but what a mess the Tories are going to have to clean up after a further 2 years, as labour will have a scorched earth policy
Yasmin heard Sky invite her to stir up friction on the subject of the Mayoral race. But she thought they said "on the subject of race". No wonder she jumped at the chance.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Daily Mirror
ReplyDeleteOn my way home from work in Edinburgh, I was handed a copy of the evening freesheet edition of the Daily Record, the Mirror's Scottish cousin, courtesy of the street distributors.
Not a mention of the elections, either London or in England and Wales.
Hah! You know its bad when McPravda doesn't mention it!
Local government workers: I worked in Scottish local government last year for 6 months, until the lack of opportunity drove me out! Some of my team were involved in the counting and, because of the well-known voting issues in Scotland, they worked longer and later than anticipated. I had the impression that this work was not exactly welcome and that, like in the military, you were "dicked" for it.
Yasim, live with it Londoners picked Boris and don't agree with you. Silly old bint.
ReplyDeleteYasmin is falling into the same trap as Steve Richards - you can't be "upset" as she puts it, with the electorate - as a commentator, you have to try to understand what has happened. It's just childish to complain that the voters are 'wrong'. Vox populi, vox dei, and all that. You were far more considered than her on the review.
ReplyDeleteIain, Enjoying your piece on Sky. Yasmin's an irritating woman! You do well to bite your tongue when she spouts all that garbage.
ReplyDeleteOMG . . Yasmin saying that Bozza isn't "one of us" . . !!! What EXACTLY does she mean by that??? Not to put too finer point on it . . .(cough cough) I'm not a public school bod, and I think the guy's a genius!
ReplyDeleteGet over yourself love!
As much as Brian Paddick is a decent bloke, I think the fact that he's got around 10% shows that the decision of all the networks to give him the same exposure as us and Labour was misguided to say the least.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it always used to be the case that coverage was in some sort of proportion to average support over a period of time, but somehow the LibDems have engineered things as if they are equal to Labour and Conservatives - and good luck to them I suppose. But on this basis, we may as well give the same amount of exposure to the BNP, Left List and everyone else!
New glasses Iain? You look ridiculously healthy after all that weight loss.
ReplyDeleteOh - good bye Ken. What a fantastic FANTASTIC day!
Ben: You can listen to Sky News at mms://live2.wm.skynews.servecast.net/skynews_wmlz_audio
ReplyDeleteDear Gordon,
ReplyDeleteI'm so delighted that the end of your horrible regime is on the horizon that I feel big hearted enough to tell you how to cope with your misery.
Here you are, a message in survival to you from the brilliant BSL singer, Ben Gee.
Wee Gordie, it's yours, enjoy it!
//uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KXegNmn4xJQ&feature=related
BBC are saying Boris has won
ReplyDeleteCongrats London on a great mayoral race. Brilliantly conducted. Interesting. Great city.
ReplyDeleteyay! Boris wins!
ReplyDeleteYES!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd Boris has done it!
ReplyDeleteThe only part of the Olympics I'll be watching is when he receives the Olympic flag in the closing ceremony!
YES, YES, YES, YES!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI was on the panel that chose Boris and we have been vindicated!
Go Boris, go Dave, and shut up everyone who said neither of them could do the job.
Was it just me, or did Paddick come across as being a little ungracious, after Boris was extremely nice to him? Even Ken was quite gracious!
ReplyDeleteJohnson wins! Brilliant news for Londoners.
ReplyDeleteKen Livingstone has left the building!
ReplyDeleteSanity returns - slowly.
i really do believe that people have become sickened by that kind of self-righteous preaching paraded by the likes of polly toynbee,yasmin brown and mariella frostrup.they really do believe that government is the property of the labour party as of right and all other shades of opinion are irrelevant.that was evident from the audience response to the sense spoken by richard littlejohn on question time.
ReplyDeleteDo we really need BoJo' sister on the BBC telling us the whole Tory high command have been in Millbank Tower quaffing champers and scoffing oysters - sends a really poor message!
ReplyDeleteBoris - rule number 1 - don't EVER let your sister talk to the media ever again!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh God - now we have Stanley in on the act as well - who speaks exactly like BoJo - are they cloned!
ReplyDeletewhat is yasmons obsession with class, I think boris's victory shows that ideas matter more then a persons background!
ReplyDeleteSimond - I don't know what qualifications are to vote in Britain, but surely, in London, with only 45% or so actually British people and EU people, the turnout was about right? EU citizens can vote in mayoral elections in one another's countries, so it sounds OK.
ReplyDeleteFantastic result. Good man Boris!
ReplyDeleteBrown, you're afraid
ReplyDeleteAnd petrified
Keep thinking you can never live
without us fawning at your side
But we spent so many nights
thinking how you did us wrong
We grew strong
We learned how to carry on
Go on now go walk out the door
just turn around now
'cause you're not welcome anymore
weren't you the one who tried to maim us?
But we surived!
You're banished now
To outer space
Dont wanna walk in to find you here
with that weird look upon your face
We're gonna change our stupid lock
We're gonna make you leave your key
There's no way you're hanging round
To undermine this victory
Go on now go walk out the door
just turn around now
'cause you're not welcome anymore
weren't you the one who tried to maim us?
But we surived!
Adrian Yalland said...
ReplyDeleteOh God - now we have Stanley in on the act as well - who speaks exactly like BoJo - are they cloned!
Well, technically, I suppose they are!
Anon@1am. This is more than just a father/son thing - it is as if the input from BoJO's mum was not there. The sound the same, the have the same alliteration, use the same sort of pause followed by quick speech - really interesting.
ReplyDeleteandy in newcastle @ 10.43 PM. Actually, not sending a shadow minister to Newsnight proved to be good tactics. The whole slot was given over to Kirsty haranging Ruth Kelly. Had the Tories put someone up she would have had a go at him/her too, just to make it 'balanced'.
ReplyDeleteIf I had a face like an @rse I wouldn't be a happy lady either!
ReplyDeleteAuntie Flo',
ReplyDeleteGenius.