If this election is all about MPs expenses, then it's hard to read the results in the south-west of England.
Down in the former LibDem stronghold, the Tories have dealt the party with the cleanest record on expenses a significant shocker by stealing two major county councils.
Should the LibDems be downhearted? Or even surprised? What do you do to gain a place in the game, they must be asking.
It must be a blow to see that despite the political disarray and the high hopes of Mr Clegg that he might be getting a foot in the door, Devon has delivered a slap in the face, handing over control to the Conservatives, with a massive drop of 19 councillors.
It's the same story in Somerset, another Tory gain from the LibDems, with Mr Clegg's party dropping nine seats.
So what does this tell us about what the British public wants? It certainly doesn't show a significant vote of confidence for the LibDems.
Meanwhile in Hampshire, home of the famous duck island incident, the LibDems didn't manage to take a single seat off the Conservatives.
1 comment:
As Next Left's correspondent for Oxfordshire, I thought I'd point out that the pattern of poor Lib Dem performance continues here too. The Conservatives have gained seats, but at the expense of the Lib Dems (down 5) and the Greens (down 3). Labour has actually gained a seat overall (up to a total of 8). I don't like to boast (well, I do really) but there must be something we're doing right in Oxford East CLP. Oxford bucked the trend last year, when Labour made net gains in the city council elections and took the council back over from the Lib Dems.
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