Warwick Labour predicts loss in by–election
Today, Thursday 22nd May, voters went to the polls in Crewe and Nantwich for the by-election in which 10 candidates took part in the contest, which follows the death of long-serving Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody last month.
Almost 72,000 people were registered to vote, with turnout expected to be above 60% even with the dreary weather conditions that have plagued the days voting. Polling stations opened at 7am and closed at 10pm, with the result expected at about 2.30am tomorrow morning.
On Insight this week, RaW News invited Warwick Labour’s Ben Nolan and Tom Wales from Warwick Conservatives to debate the events surrounding the by-election and to gage their thoughts and hopes for the results. In a controversial statement Nolan stated that a Labour win would be “unrealistic” and he essentially conceded defeat to the Conservatives – albeit a slim one – and Wales was confident of success in the next general election. Much debate was to be had with regards to the tactics used by both parties during the campaigning, and there was some speculation as to the causal roots for a potential Tory win.
Listen to the full debate here to find out more:
Was Warwick Labour being realistic or defeatist?
If the Conservatives do indeed win the by-election what will this mean for the future of the Labour Party in government?
Have your say by leaving any comments you may have in the section below.
Hannah Smith
News Editor
23 May 2008 01:21
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[Skip to the latest comment]Anon
Gordon Brown DIDN’T go to a selective school: he went to Kirkcaldy West Primary School, followed by Kirkcaldy High School.
The question on Old Etonians is simply whether someone who has been handed privilege on a plate all their life can possibly understand the barriers that exist to the average Briton. They can’t.
28 May 2008, 14:40
Thomas Wales
Erm… when Gordon Brown was at Kirkcaldy High School it was a Grammar School, and one of the best schools in Scotland. Now it is one of the worst Comprehensives in Scotland – http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/714021/will-gordon-shed-a-tear-for-his-oldgrammar-school.thtml & http://www.scribd.com/doc/185506/Gordon-Brown-An-Intellectual-In-Power-Lloyd-J-Prospect-Magazine-Issue-136-July-2007
And on the question of Etonians, there are only 15 Etonian MPs in Parliament, and out of the 14 that the left-wing paints as in Cameron’s “inner circle” most of them are complete unknowns who hold little real power of influence. For Christ’s sake six of them are Lords with junior shadowing roles! http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2006/aug/12/uk.conservatives
The only real people from Eton in the party with a real influence are David Cameron, Boris Johnson, Oliver Letwin and Hugo Swire. The rest are nobodies. Hardly a ‘old boy’s club’, especially with Stalwarts on the front bench with real influence like David Davis and William Hague who went to Bec Grammar School (and Warwick!) and Wath Comprehensive School (and Oxford) respectively.
Labour are really clutching at straws to try and attack one of the most effective Shadow Cabinets ever formed.
28 May 2008, 21:54
Sue
I went to an interesting talk several years ago and learned that Gordon Brown was part of an experiment. When he went to Kirkcaldy grammar school it was with another group of children (I think it was about 20) who were selected to go there a year early because they were very bright. The talk was by one of the other pupils who was selected with Gordon Brown, an author whose name I can’t remember but she wrote murder mystery books. She mentioned several others who had been part of this experiment and it was surprising just how many had turned out to be very successful. The experiment was to see if putting lots of very bright children together and at the same time stretching them academically would make them higher achievers. I think it was a one-off experiment but I’m not sure why.
28 May 2008, 22:58
Thomas Wales
“putting lots of very bright children together and at the same time stretching them academically would make them higher achievers”
- Great point Sue, that’s exactly what Grammar Schools do! That’s exactly why they work.
Gordon Brown was indeed a very bright pupil, a perfect candidate for such a scheme and for Grammar School in general, and got to University by the age of 16 because of this scheme. However, no matter how bright he was and is it doesn’t help that he has been behind some of the worst policy in the modern day. His dogmatism and attempts of popularism (the changes in tax bands were an attempt to get the middle classes on his side) have simply lead to one of the highest tax burdens, public debt, personal debt and government size in Europe.
30 May 2008, 14:04
“in Europe” – I am glad to see a tory refer to Britain as being part of Europe :)
31 May 2008, 03:26
Anon
It is interesting to note that Warwick Conservatives think that Grammar schools work and yet the national party seem to disagree. In January, David Cameron announced
“I want to say absolutely clearly, the Conservative party that I am leading does not want to go back to the 11-plus, does not want to go back to the grammar school system.”
Just another soundbite telling us what compassionate Conservatism isn’t rather than telling us what it is?
31 May 2008, 15:08
Perhaps Thomas meant “free selective school” when he said Grammar School and Cameron was referring to the Tripartite System or a compulsory 11-plus.
31 May 2008, 15:51
”...whether someone who has been handed privilege on a plate all their life can possibly understand the barriers that exist to the average Briton. They can’t.” – I think this view of the issue is too simplistic. Where were Tony Benn and Clement Attlee educated?
31 May 2008, 23:18
Samantha Cameron
Go Dave!
01 Jun 2008, 13:35
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