Comments on: Kingston and Surbiton

By: wolf

wolf — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:15:31 +0000

Norwich School can claim a half-share in Ed Balls.

By: Jason Harcourt

Jason Harcourt — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:13:18 +0000

Indeed – the nearest my old school has is the current MP for Aldridge-Brownhills. Even that was when it was Isleworth Grammar, by the time I attended the school had merged with the local Secondary Modern.

By: John D

John D — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:03:43 +0000

I suppose congratulations are in order for Mr Davey, having succeeded Mr Huhne at DECC. I suspect Cabinet meetings may be somewhat calmer now.

So Nottingham High School have yet another old boy who’s made it to the Cabinet …someone from each of the three main parties as well. There aren’t too many schools who can boast that.

By: Pete Whitehead

Pete Whitehead — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 02:16:33 +0000

If the Conservatives start winning in Hook and Tolworth and Chessington, Tim Jones woujld have a field day

By: Pete Whitehead

Pete Whitehead — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 01:17:38 +0000

Apologies for the appaliing typos. I’ve been ouit drinking in Ware (while we’re on the3 subject of chavvy p[laces)

By: Pete Whitehead

Pete Whitehead — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 01:16:06 +0000

I think Joe is quite right that the Tories have the best potential to (re)gain support south of the A3 in what he describes as the chavier areas. These areas did used to be strong for Labour – indeed Labour even managed to get a councillro elected in Tolworth in 1968. But whereas Chessington North was for long not only the strongest LD ward in the borough but one of their strongest in London, this area has swung heavily to the Tories in 2006 and 2010. On the other hand Surbiton Hill and nice areas like bERRLANDS appear to have recnded the ppooesite waty. The result odf tje surbiton HIll by-electyion suggests a worrying lack of tactical unwind, which is crucial to the Tories recovering this seat

By: Barnaby Marder

Barnaby Marder — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:18:05 +0000

In fact the best areas of North Kingston – really Coombe & Kingston Vale – are mooted to go in with Wimbledon in what would be a very safe Tory seat indeed (probably the Tories would have scraped home even in 1997 & 2001). Tudor & Canbury which are proposed to join this seat are more competitive though their arrival would help the Tories somewhat as AKMD suggests.

By: Joe James B

Joe James B — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:07:02 +0000

Yes, this seat will stay Lib Dem, even if they’re struggling to get into double figures in the polls,
unless a lot of work is done.

It could be changed with a fresh approach though.
The demographics of course have changed, but I suspect not quite as much as people seem to think.
It seems to be the legacy of shell shock on the part of the Tories (1997 and 2001) aswell
plus heavy tactical voting from Labour (who would normally be present in Tolworth).

By: akmd

akmd — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:56:45 +0000

I’d say Surbiton is a decent area or at least it was 5 years ago when I was last there. It has an attractive art deco railway station with fast services into London, a decent high street and pleasant older housing stock. It never looked particularly run down to me. There is some social housing but certainly no vast estates or tower blocks.

As Joe says, the more drab areas are further south in Tolworth, Hook and Chessington with the latter being the location of the famous World of Adventures theme park. The really nice bits of Kingston are in the north of the borough bordering Richmond Park which are currently in that seat but some of it will move here under the current proposals for the next election. This will help the Tories’ chances of gaining the seat and there will surely be some tactical unwind (not least in former Labour strongholds such as Norbiton) but I think the Lib Dems will still hang on by a few thousand.

By: Joe James B

Joe James B — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:53:03 +0000

There was a terrible result in Chessington North in 1990 – I can’t quite remember whether the ward was gained by the Alliance in 1986 or just held by the Conservatives,
probably the former,
but even so, an enormous swing to the LDs in 1990 when they were on just 6 or 7% in the opinion polls was an indicator of things going against the Tories here.

It was a 2 seater ward then.

Now, the Tories do have one seat in Chessington North and Hook, and they need to build on that.