The failure of the Lib Dems-perhaps even doing worse than in 2015-may be one of the few crumbs of comfort at the end of this!

All I would say is that I hope, if the Tories can’t win a majority, they somehow fall well short – the worst thing for them would be to be a minority government.

On the exit poll they’d probably be propped up by the two Unionist parties and limp back into power

September election with Boris swaggering his way to PM. (?)

Bye Clegg.

Yep, former DPM gone. This could well revert to a Lab/Con marginal before long

I went into election night in a Lib Dem seat expecting an increased majority of around 5,000 – instead he’s out.

It isn’t a little annoying that it happened this time around, but wouldn’t have happened without​ all the work from 2013-15. Oliver’s Army was here to stay.

Plopwellian Tory,

Don’t know if you are familiar with the seat but it is affluent and heavily owner occupied so should be able to support a significant Conservative vote.

The Lib Dems first took the seat (and the wards within it) with the aid of tactical votes from Labour (see 1980’s/90’s results). Clegg held on in 2015 by reversing the trick and getting tactical votes from the Conservatives! A neat ploy -,but one which obviously could not be pulled off a second time with both the larger parties at circa 40% + nationally.

I would love to see the ward breakdown here. Total guess but I would think Labour won Crookes and Ecclesall quite easily, and lost the other three.

Mrnameless – were you at the count? My impression was that the LDs did very poorly in Stannington. Don’t remember seeing anything from Ecclesall but I’d be surprised if you won it ‘easily’.

I wasn’t, but had sources there on both sides who were sending me messages.

That’s interesting though, I had a hunch that the problem for Clegg would be the more C2DE Lib Dem vote in Stannington, Totley and Lodge Moor going Tory.

Loxley was 2/3 Leave and I suspect that cost the Lib Dems quite dear.

Yes, matches with my experience. It was the areas you mention, rather than the likes of Ecclesall, that was the big problem for Clegg.

Labour vote up 2000 though, had to come from somewhere – and I don’t think it can just have been from Crookes and Fulwood students, since they had turnout over 75% in 2015.

True – but you were probably up in the Brexity bits too.

Really sorry to see Clegg lose. He’s grown into a real statesman, unrecognieable from 2010.

Yes, Tories’ natural vote here seems rather suppressed still due to tactical voting in 2015 / 2017.

At its roots this constituency is basically a 30/30/30 split with 10% others and floating voters. Tactical voting has manipulated that over the years, but I suspect we’ll now see that unwind a bit.

Without a single focal point for campaigns, the Lib Dems may struggle a little more at a council level. Certainly now voters have a taste for voting Labour and having it succeed, it puts Crookes ever more out of reach and, in years where the council is doing better, might put Ecclesall and Stannington into play.

That the Tories could get a 10% boost here with no national effort whatsoever might be a signal for CCHQ to throw some money at it in future, and for the local party to start trying to rebuild their base in Dore and Totley.

In my experience, Tory unwind was due to three factors: Brexit, Farron, not taking Labour threat seriously

Clegg’s loss is a real blow to Parliament, made worse by the guy who is replacing him. Coppard I feel could have been a good MP. O’Mara … not so much.

In light of the result here I’m hoping to revive a writing project I started last year, covering the story of Sheffield Hallam from 2010 to the Labour gain on Thursday.

I’d be particularly interested in speaking to those involved with the 2010, 2015 and 2017 General Election campaigns, especially if you were part of the Liberal Democrat, UKIP or Green campaigns. I have quite a few Labour and Tory contacts.

Email me on [email protected] if you can help out.

I was sorry to see Clegg lose. He’s shown a lot of conviction as a vocal remain supporter in the past year. Students in Crookes and Fulwood being the obvious factor for Labour. Can’t fully judge garden signs, but I was surprised driving through Millhouses (part of Ecclesall ward) to see how many Labour signs there were pre-election. High level of owner occupied households and middle class (though not on Dore/Whirlow level), area of Lib Dem strength since the 90s. I think Hallam CLP held a large-ish rally near the main shopping arcade a week or so before the polls.

Oliver Coppard deserves a lot of credit for paving the way for this. Even when the polls were getting for Labour, I expected Clegg hold with an increased majority. Conservative tactical voting for him has pretty much gone.

…getting *better for Labour

Neil – I noticed the same thing in Leeds North West, even in 2015. Lots of Labour signs outside very nice houses. These kinds of seats might be well-off but they’re just not favourable for the Tories anymore. Too educated, too international, too liberal.

sign posts have been a rarity in this election the only place I noticed any really was tons of lib dem posters in Harbrough which meant nothing in the end

Remember the days of Lib Dems targeting Harborough and Bosworth? Long gone. They lost second place in Bosworth this time. If it hadn’t been for the coalition devastation, they probably would have taken Bosworth at some point.

They still have the Oadby & Wigston council, of course.

The left of centre parties seem much better at them. I saw four Conservative stakeboards or posters up in Hallam, to many dozens for Labour and quite a few for the Lib Dems. They got 14,000 votes.

Natalie Bennett seems to have had more posters up than she actually had voters.

The farmers still put up boards for the Tories. The journey from stansted i noticed a few grant shapps posters. Tom Pulsgrove had a few in east northants

If stakeboards were votes, there’s be a hung parliament with LDs as largest party, Labour in a close second, and Greens just ahead of Tories.

Turnout wouldn’t be high either

Why didn’t Clegg stop Osborne robbing the young to bribe the old ?

‘ Student loan debt in the UK has risen to more than £100bn for the first time, underlining the rising costs young people face in order to get a university education.

Outstanding debt on loans jumped by 16.6% to £100.5bn at the end of March, up from £86.2bn a year earlier, according to the Student Loans Company. England accounted for £89.3bn of the total.

The rise in student debt has been driven partly by rules introduced in 2012, allowing universities in England to charge up to £9,000 a year in tuition fees. In the year ending 31 March 2012, student debt was less than half the current level, at £45.9bn.

Burnside predicted that over the longer term, student loan debt was likely to double to £200bn in six years. ‘

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/jun/15/uk-student-loan-debt-soars-to-more-than-100bn