Vortex

Actually, I think you'll find that Mr Buxton's Popular Alliance Party isn't as popular as it was in May as their vote has dropped. Good first time effort by the BNP though.

Disappointing that the electors didn't punish the Tory Party after the behaviour of the previous councillor.

Always pleasing to see the LibDems bottom of the pile!

Britannist

The BNP candidate was the only candidate who does not live in the Stretton ward. He came third in an overwhelmingly middle class ward consisting of mostly modern housing with few working class areas.

The Popular Alliance Party votes has almost halved compared to the May 2007 result and they have fallen from third to fourth place.

Good to see the europhile Liberal 'Democrats' stuck at the bottom .

In May 2007 (the last time voters in the Stretton ward of Burton-on-Trent/East Staffordshire (ESDC) went to the polls before this week's Stretton ward By-Election took place) the result was (top performing candidate from the Labour and Conservative parties only):

Conservative 1261 (48.5%)
Labour 717 (27.5%)
Popular Alliance 621 (23.8%)

So the changes in voting patterns in yesterday's Stretton ward By-Election (compared to the May 2007 result in the same ward) were:

Conservatives - 11.6%
Labour - 7.3%
Popular Alliance - 10.8%
BNP + 18.25% (did not contest ward in May 2007)
Liberal 'Democrats' +11.4% (did not contest ward in May 2007)

So a very general analysis of the above result is that all the parties who contested the Stretton ward in May 2007 (Conservatives, Labour and Popular Alliance) lost votes to the BNP and to the Liberal 'Democrats' in yesterday's Stretton ward By-Election (with more votes going to the BNP than to the europhile Liberal 'Democrats').

The Cameron-Conservatives experienced a big drop - about a fifth of its vote. Despite spending the last two years calling himself a "liberal Conservative" David Cameron (on the basis of many local ward By-Election results including the poll yesterday at Stretton) is not stopping some of his own supporters from switching to the Liberal 'Democrats' (Lib. 'Dems'). His tactic was to engineer the very reverse (i.e. to get people who vote for the Liberal 'Democrats' to switch to the Cameron-Conservatives).

Britannist

Yes - Burton (which includes the Stretton ward where the local ward By-Election took place yesterday) has never had time for the europhile Liberal Dims. Let's hope it stays that way.

Britannist

Result of the Stretton ward By-Election of 14.2.2008 as confirmed by the ESDC (East Staffordshire District Council):

http://www.eaststaffsbc.gov.uk/docum...ction/swr1.pdf

mkpdavies

I'm still impressed with it. Must have a bit of a local following there.

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Britannist

Mr. Brian Buxton - one of the two or three leading members of the Popular Alliance - lives in the Stretton ward. If his party was going to do well anywhere Stretton was going to be one of those places.

Yes, it is a fair-sized vote for his party - but his party did less well in this week's By-Election in the Stretton ward than in last May's local elections (in the same ward). They have lost almost half their vote (since the last poll in the ward 9 months ago) - and that was in a contest in which UKIP and the Green Party did not even contest the seat. The Popular Alliance did not win any votes from Conservative supporters as a result of their annoyance at the resignation of the Conservative councillor which caused the ward By-Election (parties are often punished by the voters if they are perceived to have caused an unnecessary By-Election).

Had UKIP stood this week at Stretton I suspect the Popular Alliance (and most of the other parties who put up candidates in the Stretton ward By-Election) would have lost votes to UKIP.

I think the best step for Mr. Buxton and his Popular Alliance party is to shut it down and join UKIP or the English Democrats instead.

Staffordshire (where the Stretton ward is located in the Burton/East Staffordshire area) is strongly eurosceptic and Mr. Buxton will find that as a UKIP candidate in Stretton he would get more votes than if he carried on standing for the Popular Alliance.

Veelad

What !!! and achieve percentage votes like this

Portsmouth City Council, Copnor

David Knight, Eng Dem, 117 3.6%
Michelle Essery, UKIP, 57, 1.7%

I think not

while the Tories, BNP and Labour had drafted in almost a hundred footsolders and did upto 3 leaflet drops, and throwing alot of cash at this one on fancy printing, both Tory and BNP were frightened to death before the election at Brians popularity in the village.

We spent £36.72 on this by-election (saving the pennies) and had two dedicated old guys do one leaflet drop.

Not a bad result 13%, for a very small party, when UKIP or the EDs can produce similar results with little or no cash, then come back and tell us.

And why didnt UKIP throw thousands of pounds at the stretton election by the way, its a big eurosceptic ward ?, should be a bread and butter job in that area of the world.?

Britannist

The local newspaper for the Stretton area reports today on the ward By-Election result earlier this week (at Stretton):

Tories retain Stretton seat - Burton Mail

Britannist

If you want to compare results - please do it fairly by comparing the vote for your party in your party's strongest ward (Stretton - where one of your founders Mr. Brian Buxton lives) with a result for UKIP or the English Democrats from one of the strongest wards for either of those parties.

The results you have quoted for UKIP and the English Democrats were not in the strongest wards in the country for either of those parties. As you know, there have been recent local ward By-Elections where UKIP has got about sixteen times the percentage vote share you quote above.

The simple fact is - at Stretton this week your party (the Popular Alliance - PA) lost almost half its votes (in percentage vote terms) compared to the May 2007 in the same ward when the same candidate stood for the PA. That is a huge drop in just nine months and the fall in support for your party (PA) would have been even greater had UKIP and the Greens contested Stretton on Thursday of this week.

Your party should dissolve itself and its members join UKIP and or the English Democrats.

By the way how many members does the Popular Alliance have please, Veelad? No procrastination please: just the actual number of fully paid-up members.

Britannist

Excuses, excuses. Your vote has almost halved in almost 9 months - in what should be your strongest ward in the country. Why not admit it?

You had the advantage (unlike some of the other parties who contested Stretton on Thursday of this week) of a well known local candidate who contested the ward last time (May 2007) - and still your vote halved.

I am not criticising Mr. Buxton (your candidate) in any way who I am sure worked hard as did his helpers.

But the fact is you were beaten by a candidate representing another small party - a candidate who doesn't even live in Burton, let alone the Stretton part of the town, but who got more votes than your party (the Popular Alliance) on his first try in the Stretton ward.