Categories
National politics

Another glorious victory for the people’s party

The BBC should just come clean and headline this article “Another glorious victory for the people’s party”. The article is only short but fails the first test of journalism. It fails to record the salient facts. Labour only won this by-election contest for a totally dead safe council seat by the skin of its teeth. 64 votes were all that separated the Labour party from a humiliating defeat. You would not have guessed it from the BBC report here.

The facts are the Labour candidate polled 1,032 against 968 for the Conservatives, 581 for the LibDems and 166 for the Green Party. When people take the trouble to vote the BBC, paid for by the Licence Fee Poll Tax, might at least record the result. It is a shame so many people are wasting their votes on the Greens and the LibDems. The only way to get rid of Labour in Haringey, in London or in the country is to vote Conservative.

13 replies on “Another glorious victory for the people’s party”

“The only way to get rid of Labour in Haringey, in London or in the country is to vote Conservative”.
Maybe so, but for many people that would mean voting negatively. By that I mean voting AGAINST something rather than voting FOR something. And that is really a pity.

People who vote Green and Lib Dem are, I suspect, voting FOR something they believe in because neither Party has a hope of winning. But at least they are voting FOR something in a positive frame of mind hoping that by so doing they may have an influence on how things turn out further ‘down the line’.

At the next election I MAY do as you suggest and vote Conservative but not because I am drawn to the new image of the Party under David Cameron. In fact I think David Cameron is probably the most Europhile leader of the Conservative Party we have had for some time.

IF I vote Conservative it will be because I think Labour is such a bad choice, the whole Cabinet needs to be replaced because they are such a bunch of spinners and liars, and I would be voting AGAINST them.

But it wouldn’t make me feel good about voting Conservative.

Like

Phil

A rather churlish response to a rather impressive perfomace by ex-Northfield resident Joe Goldberg. I think the BBC piece is merely stating that it is a surprise victory considering the local political climate.

Could Peter clarify if he still a member of UKIP. His rambling contribution might more sense if he let us know.

Like

The bbc will keep their left bias until the election in 2010.
Both political parties need to address this in a more vigerous manner. The LibDems will get away with it since 70% of their efforts are against the Conservatives, and hope to be king makers in a hung parliament.
Cameron needs to be seen to be active in his attack on bbc bias.

Like

Good article Phil and it is excellent to see the BBC held to account.

The BBC has always been more inclined to Labour as they are in line with the core beliefs of the majority of its employees. You only have to look at the supine, fawning, interviews with the great leader by Andrew Marr. He gives the useless Brown a totally free ride.

Like

Of course, this is nothing compared to the treatment of Shriti Vadera, who when asked whether she saw green shoots in the economy said – extremely cautiously – that it was too early to say, but she did see shoots, though she didn’t know where they were heading. The vilification she sufferred for THAT was a far more disgraceful piece of journalism which explains why politicians are so dull and cautious – if they actually answer a question, they get shot down regardless of what they say.

Like

Bob,

Nice to hear from you.

I would never be churlish about the fine achievements of current and ex Northfield residents.

I was merely pointing out that the BBC isn’t providing much of a service if it sullenly refuses to publish the numbers just because they look bad for the governing party.

Congratulations to Joe from me.

Like

Cassandrina,

The BBC will keep its left bias after the next general election. It certainly had a state or statist bias since its foundation. Throughout the postwar period this has increasingly become a left bias. Any BBC in whatever rump form will remain left biassed.

Like

John,

You may be right that Vadera was skewered. She was naive to let a journalist lead her like that.

She has been responsible for many of the worst features of Gordon Brown’s economic stewardship which has culminated in out country being totally unprepared for the credit crunch. For instance, she was the “mastermind” behind the Tube PFI.

You might find my sympathy a little tempered.

She really should have been be able to remember Lamont using the dreaded “green shoots” phrase – she almost got a job with Major’s government after all.

Like

David Cameron only has to break wind and he gets the headlines so I really don’t think you can whinge too much. One day last spring the tories had 5 of the top six stories on the BBC politics pages.

Like

Personally I think this story is indicative of the BBC’s anti-Labour bias as it fails to mention the police being called to a polling station after conservative activists were seen bullying voters.

Or maybe it’s just a quick story about a relatively minor event (nationally speaking) so like any news organisation, the BBC took a broad brush approach and said who won rather than giving the results breakdown.

Like

Leave a comment