Local Election results in wards in Halton that the Greens were contesting:
Birchfield - Jane Fitzpatrick - Green - 122, Lab - 1539, Con - 1190, Lib Dems - 546 (Labour gain from Con)
Farnworth - Peter Stead - Green - 193 (120)*, Lab 1532 (391), Con - 1392 (992), Lib Dems - 563 (185) (Labour gain from Con)
Grange - Jim Craig Green - 118, Lab - 1375, Lib Dem - 764, Con - 418
Halton View - Derek Mellor - Green - 622 (528), Lab - 2121 (658), Con - 538 (213)
Hough Green - Miriam Hodgson - Green -114 (107), Labour - 2002 (630), Con - 601 (403), Lib Dem - 411 (148)
Kingsway - Linda Mellor - Green - 793 (92) Lib Dem - 907 (87), Con 480 (217)
(* Figures in brackets 2008 election results)
Overall a disappointing result and in hindsight (and I suppose its always easy to say this sort of thing after the event but...) the results of the election were inevitable given our lack of resources here compared with the other parties and other significant factors eg general and local elections held on the same day. This tends to favour the main parties but particularly the Labour Party in areas like Merseyside. With the Labour Party seen increasingly as the underdog in a very competitive and different general election than recent ones, possibly had the effect of galvanising Labour voters even more.
The disappointment felt has been hightened by our perception that we were in with a good chance in Halton View because of the result in 2008.
Our candidate in Kingsway ward did extremely well considering this special general election and its affects on votes cast. Although Labour were not standing the Lib Dems had the advantage in the fact that they were a main party, had the resources and they had been on a roll following the televised debates - well done Linda!
In the general election our candidate Jim Craig obtained more than the national average Green % of the vote for a first time general election candidate (and even more than some longstanding candidates.
For the Greens the sort of disappointing results we’ve had up and down the country have been balanced by what the Independent newspaper described as a “...shining moment” for the Green Party (and the country) as Caroline Lucas was elected as the country’s first Green MP.
The Commons now has a much needed true Green voice and a female leader of a political party.
As Caroline remarked in her post election address the Greens in parliament will be promoting the politics of hope rather than fear.
Thank you for voting Green in last weeks general and local elections.
2 comments:
I think the Greens candidate might have got more votes if other Greens like your Derek had urged your own supporters to vote for him instead of just for you ?
I must say I cennot remember any local candidate calling on their supporters to back them and not their parliamentary candidate.
Quite bizzare ?
Our GE candidate did marginally better in terms of average Green vote than other Green candidates nationally.So this doesn't bear out Phil's argument
In our leaflets etc we obviously didn't suggest that people shouldn't support our local ge candidate but that whoever they were going to vote for nationally they ought to consider voting Green in the local election.
This was obviously to get over the potential for people at a combined general/local election to be carried away and just to vote for the main party of their choice on the day on both ballot papers.
Unfortunately for us last week's election proved this to be the case. It was a unique election and there was no way a party like the Greens could have achieved any sort of reasoanable result in Labour heartlands because of the cultural voting patterns that exist, egged on by the media show.
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