Comments on: Cambridgeshire North East

By: Joe James B

Joe James B — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:47:15 +0000

The national swing suggests not.
The opposition to the Tories in 2009 appeared pretty fragmented between Labour, UKIP and Lib Dems.

By: Andy Stidwill

Andy Stidwill — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:40:29 +0000

I wonder if there’s any chance of the LDs coming back into second place here.

By: Joe James B

Joe James B — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:59:57 +0000

This seat has been altered slightly in the new boundaries.

Nevertheless, a reasonable comparison can be made to beforehand.

I looked up the 1995 local elections here, when Labour gained control of Fenland Council (in what, by most adjusted measures, was probably their best ever year).

Labour had 39/40% in Cambridgeshire NE, with the Tories on 31-32%.
Labour won all the seats in March, but Wisbech was still split between Con 1 ward, Lab 2, LD 1.

By: Johno

Johno — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:59:19 +0000

Lorna Spenceley stood in Harlow 4 times, 1992, 1997, 2001 and 2005.

By: Barnaby JL Marder

Barnaby JL Marder — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:20:21 +0000

Ah yes she’s stood in Harlow at least twice before if I’m not mistaken.

By: Tim13

Tim13 — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:55:06 +0000

Lorna Spenceley has been selected as the Lib Dem candidate here.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:43:36 +0000

Andy – Freud lived in East Anglia before the byelection. If my memory is correct, Freud had a house in Mepal. I am not sure if this is in Cambridgeshire NE or in whichever constituency includes Ely today. He also had a house in a Suffolk village – but I cannot remember where.

(And that is my post above – Jeffrey Maynard – I must have forgotten to login so it did not show up in the correct colour.)

Incidentally, the Conservative colour back in the 1970s in Cambridgeshire was pink – not blue.

By: Joe James B

Joe James B — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:31:23 +0000

It should of course be re-stated that Ely is no longer in this seat,
despite this seat being the main successor –
(people know though).

The failure of the Tories to recapture the Isle of Ely (and the Isle of White, and Berwick-upon-Tweed) from the Liberals in the favourable circumstances of 1979 was surely a great disappointment for the Tories, despite the increases in votes.

1979
Isle of Ely
Liberal hold
CR Freud Liberal 26,397 46.69%
IT Stuttaford Conservative 23,067 40.80%
CH Saunders Labour 7,067 12.50%

Electorate: 69,954; Turnout: 80.81%;
Majority: 3,330 (5.89%)

October 1974
Isle of Ely
Liberal hold
CR Freud Liberal 22,040 41.73%
IT Stuttaford Conservative 19,355 36.65%
M Ferris Labour 11,420 21.62%

Electorate: 68,491; Turnout: 77.11%;
Majority: 2,685 ( 5.08%)

February 1974
Isle of Ely
new constituency boundaries
CR Freud Liberal 27,647 49.00%
J Stevens Conservative 19,300 34.20%
M Ferris Labour 9,478 16.80%

Electorate: 67,884; Turnout: 83.12%;
Majority: 8,347 (14.79%)

1970 (different boundaries)
Isle of Ely
Conservative hold
EAH Legge-Bourke Conservative 28,972 59.94%
RE O’Hare Labour 19,366 40.06%

Electorate: 67,264; Turnout 71.86%;
Majority: 9,606 (19.87%)

By: Jeffrey Maynard

Jeffrey Maynard — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:23:46 +0000

Barnaby, there were two seats on the Chatteris TC, The Mills ward, and they split – one Conservative and one gained by LD.

I think you are referring to the Fenlands DC, where The Mills ward was won narrowly by the Conservatives – but an interesting result because (a) The Conservative majority over the LDs was under 3%, and the “paper” Labour candidate who intervened drew 5% of the anti-Conservative vote and (b) a large part of the 11.2% drop in the Conservative vote was due to intervention by UKIP.

By: Andy Stidwill

Andy Stidwill — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:03:22 +0000

What was Freud’s connection to the constituency before he was elected?