(no subject)

[abigailbrady]

Well, I got the winner right. That's all that counts though. :) My other prediction that I didn't put here, but did make, was that the reason the Greens and UKIP weren't running is because they didn't want to come 5th or 6th, seems to have been borne out.

Comments

[makropulos.livejournal.com]

Brilliant result. And the egregious Paticia Hewitt was talking about how dominant Lab had been in the campaign...how splendid to see her making a fool of herself (again...)

A present day Yes Minister...well, it would be much like the old one except most of the officials would be crony and toadying political appointees. In other words, it wouldn't be half as much fun. I've always loved this programme (there are three series, plus a 90 minute special which is particularly good), and then of course there's Yes Prime Minister. So it's great to read about someone else who's discovered it. There are some really great lines in there. And we won't go into what the scriptwriters did for a day job.

[abigailb.livejournal.com]

I was thinking it would feature fine and upstanding civil servants being manipulated by evil Mandelson figures. Sixsmith/Moore type stuff.

I'm sick of hearing the claim that Lib Dems never retain seats won in by-elections that I've decided to start a table to find out (and compare against all other parties I can get my hands on).

[abigailb.livejournal.com]

Right, apparently, since the 1992 election, the Lib Dems have taken Newbury, Christchurch, Eastleigh, Littleborough and Saddleworth, Romsey in by elections (this seems less than I remember). Of these they retained all but Christchurch and Littleborough and Saddleworth. So 3 out of 5.

[makropulos.livejournal.com]

I like your potential Yes Minister 2004 scenario. Could work well (if Brown hasn't made all said loyal civil servants redundant).

It would be very interesting to see your LibDem table. I'm sure the "LibDems win byelections but not General elections" is just something put about as a spoiling tactic by the other parties. But it would be fascinating to see the facts.

Incidentally, excuse my replying out of the blue to your LJ - I'm a friend of barakta's and found your post on her friends page.

[abigailb.livejournal.com]

I bet they are counting by-elections won by the Whigs or something ;)

My table so far is at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Morwen/by

Hi. Pleased to meet you ;) Are you a sheffield person as well?

[makropulos.livejournal.com]

Hey - nice start to your table. Rather encouraging results so far, I'd say. And 1993 is far enough back to spot any trend, though I do remember the jubilation I felt in the early 1980s when I was slightly involved in the campaign for a Liberal (as it then was) councillor in Tubridge Wells - of all places, but it was where I was living at the time. He got in and turned out to be an excellent councillor, especially when faced with a tricky NIMBY situation the moment he was elected.

Nice to meet you too. Yup - I'm a Sheffield person, and love living here. I teach at the university that has just given Natalya her degree, but in a different department.

[barakta]

You are softfruit mk II and I claim my GBP5.

Yay to LibDemness tho, shows having a big campaign office makes all the difference.

Natalya

[abigailb.livejournal.com]

What gave me away? :)

[barakta]

Only the scary amount of political and local government content on your wikipedia page. The weekend of Leicester I was with softfruit who explains politics in a suitably cynical manner for me to understand.

I also got a load of info about local Sheffield from makropulos who has only been in Sheffield for a year or so. I've lived here on and off since '99. I have however voted in all but one year that I was eligible so I did do some reading, but not enough.

So what got you into local government geekery?

Natalya

[abigailb.livejournal.com]

I'm still not entirely sure, except that it was a large
space that hadn't had much work done in about it and was relatively easy to research. And a large part of it was a troll on wikipedia who insisted that Brixton is in Surrey.

The scary thing is that I now own a copy of the Local Government Act 1972. Is it too late, do you think, or can I be saved?

[barakta]

The scary thing is that I now own a copy of the Local Government Act 1972. Is it too late, do you think, or can I be saved?

You are probably past saving at this point.... Having copies of any governmental legislation for personal use is deeply disturbing...

On the other hand it is no different to Student Politics and TheUnionConstitution(tm) which is inevitably a piece of shite that needs ripping up and rewriting from scratch with decent English as well as sensible content.

Natalya

[abigailb.livejournal.com]

Do I want to be, that is the question?

I think possibly listing lefty articles would be less dangerous to your reputation than the open listing of the many pictures of tube stations you have taken. You might be taken for a terrorist, or worse, a trainspotter.

[pick-in-the-ice.livejournal.com]

I very much like your interests. May I friend you?