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Post by kvasir on May 4, 2024 21:03:54 GMT
After Labour gained three seats from the Tories and one from the Greens in middle class suburbia and lost 3 seats to the Greens and one to the SDP in their inner city heartland I thought I should quote something that I said last year as its now even more true: Something I think it is worth reflecting on is that whilst the party political composition of Leeds City Council has remained remarkably stable, the wards that the councillors are representing has changed dramatically. Between 2012 and 2016 Labour had 63 seats continuously. Today they have 61. But in that time, Labour lost the following: - Their one seat in Morley South to the Morley Borough Independents
- Three seats in Garforth and Swillington to the Garforth and Swillington Independent Party
- Two seats in Rothwell to the Liberal Democrats
- Three seats in Pudsey to the Conservatives
- Two seats in Middleton Park to the Social Democratic Party
- A seat in Hunslet & Riverside to the Green Party
- A seat in Ardsley & Robin Hood to the Conservatives
Many of these seats are historically strong Labour seats. Meanwhile, the Labour Party have gained the following: - Three seats in Weetwood from the Liberal Democrats
- Three seats in Horsforth from the Conservatives
- Two seats in Calverley & Farsley from the Conservatives
- Two seats in Farnley & Wortley from the Green Party
- Two seats in Guiseley & Rawdon from the Conservatives
These seats are more middle class, and suburban. With some like Horsforth having historically been very unreceptive to Labour.
This shift in the base of the Party should not be overlooked. For the longest time the Greens have had three seats in Leeds. All three were in Farnley & Wortley, basically the Blackburns and whichever Green was lucky enough to work with them, normally for a single term. Now, the Greens still have three seats in the city. One is their historic Farnley & Wortley, David Blackburn still going strong. A very inner city Hunslet & Riverside with working class areas and young professionals living in expensive apartments, and also now Wetherby, a relatively expensive Leeds 'suburb' or commuter town. Three different wards for three councillors, each very different. Not sure how common that is. Meanwhile the number of Local Parties for Local People councillors has increased from 5 to 9, representing a continuing fragmentation of the city.
All this to say, sometimes the headline numbers can be misleading.
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Leeds
May 4, 2024 21:10:31 GMT
Post by andrewp on May 4, 2024 21:10:31 GMT
Predictions from me then... Adel - Lab gain from Con Alwoodley - Lab gain from Con Do you really think the Tories are in a position to lose Adel and Alwoodley? The national polling isn’t that different to this time last year and the Tories held on comfortably then. I could just about imagine Alwoodley considering its history and what looks like an active Labour campaign there, but not Adel. They didn’t lose them.! I’m surprised the Tories managed to more or less reverse last years 1000 vote Green majority in Wetherby. Did last year wake them up a bit there?
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Leeds
May 4, 2024 21:45:45 GMT
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Post by bluelabour on May 4, 2024 21:45:45 GMT
Do you really think the Tories are in a position to lose Adel and Alwoodley? The national polling isn’t that different to this time last year and the Tories held on comfortably then. I could just about imagine Alwoodley considering its history and what looks like an active Labour campaign there, but not Adel. They didn’t lose them.! I’m surprised the Tories managed to more or less reverse last years 1000 vote Green majority in Wetherby. Did last year wake them up a bit there? I’m surprised too as Boston Spa was full of Green posters when I was last there, but as we know not always the best indicator. I’m surprised Labour weren’t closer in Alwoodley considering the campaign they had there.
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Post by blocktext on May 4, 2024 23:33:26 GMT
They didn’t lose them.! I’m surprised the Tories managed to more or less reverse last years 1000 vote Green majority in Wetherby. Did last year wake them up a bit there? I’m surprised too as Boston Spa was full of Green posters when I was last there, but as we know not always the best indicator. I’m surprised Labour weren’t closer in Alwoodley considering the campaign they had there. The Conservative Candidate is long standing and the Green candidate previously unknown. Last year the Green Candidate had been working the ward for some time and the Conservative Councillor whilst incumbant was not fully established.
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Leeds
May 5, 2024 7:38:19 GMT
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Post by Ron Swanson on May 5, 2024 7:38:19 GMT
Mixed set of results for Labour, I think it is fair to say.
A mix of likely and unlikely losses, most of the gains were fairly predictable - decent majorities though, but equally I though they’d have got closer in Alwoodley in particular.
Tories can be fairly happy despite going backwards, some of their majorities in the seats they defended successfully were very good.
Sort of feels like the city is in a political stalemate really, little chance of significant change in one direction or the other. Any non-Labour administration would take years to have the numbers for, and would prove difficult to hold together.
The SDP group are most definitely not Tories, and there’s been some arguments between MBI and Tories at a very local level.
Also I understand an ex MBI Cllr had to be escorted from the count on Friday by security. Not sure what the crack was with that.
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Leeds
May 5, 2024 11:14:41 GMT
Post by richardh on May 5, 2024 11:14:41 GMT
I am sure the really-effective ward-themed Facebook sites linked to succesful Conservatives in Leeds helped their candidates. Dan Cohen's site helped Neil Buckley retain Alwoodley, Barry Anderson's Facebook site helped Caroline Anderson to retain Adel and Wharfedale, and Dawn Seary (Pudsey) was helped by the Facebook site run by Simon Seary. The sites give the impression (probably correctly) that any ward problems, however trivial, are attended to quickly - and they each have over five thousand members.
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Post by lancastrian on May 5, 2024 16:56:09 GMT
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Leeds
May 6, 2024 14:32:01 GMT
Post by gibbon on May 6, 2024 14:32:01 GMT
The facebook sites are tightly controlled and any dissenting posts seem to be quickly removed. In addition there is one site which covers Alwoodley which will allow favourable comments about Dan Cohen but removes critical comments as that site then claims to be 'non-political'. The fallout over the Green Party victory in Gipton and Harehills may rumble for some time in view of the published remarks about Gaza by the winning candidate. It will be interesting to see what happens there.
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batman
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Leeds
May 6, 2024 16:23:25 GMT
Post by batman on May 6, 2024 16:23:25 GMT
I gather that the newly-elected Green in Gipton & Harehills has been suspended by the Green Party.
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Leeds
May 6, 2024 16:50:07 GMT
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Post by kvasir on May 6, 2024 16:50:07 GMT
I gather that the newly-elected Green in Gipton & Harehills has been suspended by the Green Party. Source?
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Leeds
May 6, 2024 17:28:38 GMT
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Post by Ron Swanson on May 6, 2024 17:28:38 GMT
I gather that the newly-elected Green in Gipton & Harehills has been suspended by the Green Party. Hopefully so.
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batman
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May 6, 2024 17:33:24 GMT
Post by batman on May 6, 2024 17:33:24 GMT
I gather that the newly-elected Green in Gipton & Harehills has been suspended by the Green Party. Source? a national newspaper via my wife. The Daily Mail I think but not sure. (She thankfully does not buy the paper.)
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The Bishop
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May 6, 2024 19:42:32 GMT
Post by The Bishop on May 6, 2024 19:42:32 GMT
Is this the one who gloated about "a blow against white supremacy" on the day of the October 7th massacre?
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Leeds
May 6, 2024 22:03:35 GMT
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Post by markgoodair on May 6, 2024 22:03:35 GMT
a national newspaper via my wife. The Daily Mail I think but not sure. (She thankfully does not buy the paper.) Considering that the Daily Mail can in no way be described as a newspaper rather a mindless inane propaganda rag deliberately aimed at the hard of thinking I wouldn't be much faith in what your wife has told you.
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batman
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May 7, 2024 8:00:46 GMT
Post by batman on May 7, 2024 8:00:46 GMT
Is this the one who gloated about "a blow against white supremacy" on the day of the October 7th massacre? yes, that's correct
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batman
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May 7, 2024 8:02:17 GMT
Post by batman on May 7, 2024 8:02:17 GMT
a national newspaper via my wife. The Daily Mail I think but not sure. (She thankfully does not buy the paper.) Considering that the Daily Mail can in no way be described as a newspaper rather a mindless inane propaganda rag deliberately aimed at the hard of thinking I wouldn't be much faith in what your wife has told you. even though I do accept your strictures against the Daily Mail in general, it would be surprising if they carried a story saying that the Green Party had suspended a newly-elected councillor which turned out to be completely unfounded, it's not normally the sort of story a traditionally tabloid newspaper would run if completely untrue
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Leeds
May 7, 2024 12:05:48 GMT
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Post by Forfarshire Conservative on May 7, 2024 12:05:48 GMT
Green Party statement.
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Post by kvasir on May 7, 2024 13:54:36 GMT
Weak. Not really an apology in my view. And the fact he remains in the party during this investigation is a stain on the local Green Party and the national Party.
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Merseymike
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May 7, 2024 14:03:23 GMT
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Post by Merseymike on May 7, 2024 14:03:23 GMT
Weak. Not really an apology in my view. And the fact he remains in the party during this investigation is a stain on the local Green Party and the national Party. I don't agree. Labour has been a disappointment - still pro-Israel...I don't think is an 'apology'.
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Post by Forfarshire Conservative on May 7, 2024 14:44:32 GMT
Weak. Not really an apology in my view. And the fact he remains in the party during this investigation is a stain on the local Green Party and the national Party. I don't agree. Labour has been a disappointment - still pro-Israel...I don't think is an 'apology'. Mothin Ali played an important part in driving a rabbi into hiding, including calling the rabbi " a creep, a low life, and an animal". There's no place for that sort of behaviour in our politics.
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