Elections in Britain

Although this General Election was a much closer contest than the previous two Labour landslides in 1997 and 2001, Labour did win the elections with a 60+ majority. Labour lost 47 seats and the Conservatives gained most of the Labour losses, by gaining 36 more seats and securing their position as the main opposition party, after all the hullabaloo of Liberal Democrats being the "Real Alternative" and increasing their tally substantially because of the "anti-Iraq war" factor. Lib-Dems gained a meagre 11 seats and still remain very much a "protest party" with very little to offer. Although the Iraq war did play a part in Lib-Dems gaining most of their 11 seats, and the far-left Respect Coalition gaining a solitary seat in Bethnal Green & Bow, its effect in the General Elections was exaggerated. Polls conducted by Populus and YouGov show that only 3% of the British electorate said that Iraq War was the single issue which would determine which party they would vote for. Issues such as the introduction of student top-fees by Labour played a major part in getting the youth or student vote, which proved crucial in Cambridge and Cardiff, which have a substantial number of students. Issues such as crime, immigration and taxes, where the Conservatives are the strongest of all the three major parties, played a massive part in the Tories gaining 36 seats, and their outstanding show in London and South East, where they won back 8 seats from Labour (Putney and Hammersmith & Fulham being the two major scalps), emphatically prove that. If the anti-war effect was so huge, the Lib-Dems would gain from the anti-Blair factor and not Conservatives and Mr Howard, who strongly supported the military intervention.

Nevertheless, Mr Blair deserves congratulations for an outstanding victory, a far cry from a party which was in the opposition for 18 years from 1979-1997 because of the economic mess that socialist Old Labour left Britain with during the 70s. There are calls, however, from the Left of Labour for him to step down, but it is the electorate which determines who stays or not - and their verdict is another term of New Labour with a reduced majority, and a revitalised Conservative Opposition. This election was historic from the other end of the spectrum as well - with one Catherine Taylor-Dawson getting the lowest share of vote in the history of British General Elections -receiving only ONE vote in Cardiff North. Believer her or not...she vehemently denied voting for herself as well! May be some old woman crossing the wrong box.....