Dunfermline and West Fife by-election, 9 February

[minionofmidas]

That's right, people might think "hey, he can't even win in his home county"... uninformed people that is.

[minionofmidas]

Something like 500 people turned up for a memorial service for Squire in Dunfermline Abbey: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4678890.stm

I hope more people than that turn up to vote.

[minionofmidas]

An Islamic SNP councillor continuing the SNP's Orange tradition of disliking Fenian schools!

[minionofmidas]

The Lib Dems are supposed to be in freefall. What in the blue-hell has happened here ?

Divisions within Labour (partly over the candidate, and also some other stuff; I'm not sure what Mr First Minister was playing at the other week) combined with an extremely local campaign from the LibDems (who have a large local elections base in Dunfermline itself) and some bad luck (the sudden job losses as soon as the campaign got under way).
Remember that even back in the [late] '50's and '60's the LibDems were more than capable of winning by-elections due to localist campaigns (and it happend in seats far safer than this one ever so; the old Birmingham Ladywood and also Orpington are probably the best examples). Frankly there's not much that can be drawn out of the actual result nationally; if the campaign had been about national issues, the LibDems would have lost.
Interestingly the LibDem and Labour vote %'s were eeriely similer to the Leicester South by-election a few years ago...

All of that, plus of course the fact that "Lib Dems in free fall and about to collapse" was always a lie told by spinsters and believed by idiots.

I suppose Ming's coronation is assured now?

[minionofmidas]

You know what one of your favorite MPs called this?
Of course he's referring precisely to the surrounding "free fall" news.

Btw, I guess a lot of this result can probably be explained as a sympathy vote for Charlie Kennedy ... rally to support a Scotsman done in by Sassenachs!

[minionofmidas]

Early indications are that Rennie is either dishonest or a moronic hack: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4704066.stm

Forth bridge tolls do not have "national significance".

Remember that national, in Scotland, means Scotland-wide. A Forth Bridge toll does sound nationally significant to me then. (I don't know how true the story is, mind, and I do not care)

[minionofmidas]

Remember that national, in Scotland, means Scotland-wide. A Forth Bridge toll does sound nationally significant to me then. (I don't know how true the story is, mind, and I do not care)

Maybe, but he was speaking in Slough

He's still a Scot. The idea that "national" is confusing to non-Scots probably takes getting used to.

[minionofmidas]

How much did Labour spend? With all these campaign visits and such - and with the local impression reported here pre-election that Labour had "campaigned too much",  I wouldn't be surprised to here they outspent the LibDems. (Just as, even as OG Simpson poured hundreds of thousands into staying out of jail, the prosecutor easily outspent the defense.)
I wonder how low turnout would be if the spending limit was the same for by-elections as for Westminster, by the way.

[minionofmidas]

Yes ... I wonder if a lot of people are even aware that there's an election, though.

[minionofmidas]

Yes ... I wonder if a lot of people are even aware that there's an election, though.

Well people do sometimes vote in local by-elections
Seriously though, I'd be suprised if anyone in Durfermline et al wasn't aware that Squire had died and that when an M.P dies, there's a by-election.
At the very least the local media should make it clear that there's one on... same for local by-elections actually.

The local media?
Well, this was in Scotland, so they do actually exist in a meaningful way, I'll grant you that.

[minionofmidas]

The local media?
Well, this was in Scotland, so they do actually exist in a meaningful way, I'll grant you that.

Actually, even in the rest of the country most people take the local rag

The local media?
Well, this was in Scotland, so they do actually exist in a meaningful way, I'll grant you that.