Yesterday there was a by-election in Abingdon for two seats: Abbey Northcourt District Council and Abbey Town Council.
During the campaign, the Liberal Democrats predicted a two-horse race between themselves and the combined Reform / Conservative Party, suggesting that a vote for Labour or the Greens would help Reform or the Conservatives to win.
To people in the street, however, it looked more like a two-horse race between the Liberal Democrats and the Greens. The Lib Dems were winning on banners, while the Greens were winning on posters in people’s windows.
Yesterday was polling day, and only the Lib Dems and the Greens had tellers outside the polling station. Tellers keep track of who has voted so that, if the result looks close, parties can ring round or knock on the doors of known supporters to encourage them to get out and vote. When elections are tight, those votes can make a difference.
The result in the Abbey ward was a close two horse race between the Lib Dems and Greens. Congratulations to Carol, from the Lib Dems, who has already done a lot for the town through her work as a Girl Guide leader.
The result in the Abbey Northcourt ward was clearer. Congratulations to Caleb. The Greens again came a strong second.
Inspired by the various campaign messages about tactical voting, I’ve designed a new graph that shows the real result in Abbey.
First of all, the previous councillor Cheryl Briggs of the Greens was an excellent hard working councillor and I hope her health recovers.
Make no doubt this is a Massive result for progressive politics, well done to the LibDems, now with 100% of the town council seats. Commiserations to the Greens.
There has always been a two horse race in Abingdon between the Conservatives and the Lib Dems.
Not any more I think Janet. The Greens are resurgent but I imagine the Islamic factor, which was evident in the recent Manchester by-election, will have put a lot of people off voting for them. Green is the colour of Islam as well as the environment, and the party sadly seems to have switched from one green to the other.
I suspect you have been reading too much of the anti-Green propaganda Michael… now they are a threat to the establishment they will be demonised! To that extent it shows how far they have come.
But in the meantime well done to the LibDems, they are doing very well locally and are the choice for sensible people who hold to middle ground British values.
What a load of tosh