Justin - it was not I who started talking about Highgate but since you started the subject how do you know that you topped the postal vote in the bye election? Were you at the postal vote opening? And if you were are you not now breaking the law by reporting information you recieved at a count?

I think that only applies re: reporting postal votes before votes from the poilling stations have been counted (or indeed before the votes have been cast at those polling stations), for the obvious reason that such information could influence the the behaviour of those yet to vote. I could be wrong but i’m sure there is nothing wrong with doing so after the results are known, anymore than there would be in saying for example the Conservatives polled more votes at polling station x than polling station y, information you could only receive by being at the count.

In Haringey in the mid 1980’s the Labour council changed the method of compiling the electoral register so that door-to-door canvassing was used. It was not carried out very well. This put a lot of people on the register who should not have been entitled to vote, e.g. foreign nationals and children; but did not take off many who had left the area. Meanwhile the population change in some wards as the property market was booming meant up to 30% changes in some wards. The Council Tax in the early 1990’s contributed to a reduction in the register, as did the property slump.
The reasons Labour wanted to boost the registered electorate were firstly the belief that their supporters were under represented and secondly that by increasing the size of the electorate they could return Haringey to three seats again, which would generally have given Labour two safe seats - Tottenham and Wood Green, and left one marginal Hornsey

Just to let you guys know that, as part of our strategy for improving our vote share here, we’re setting up the Conservative African Forum (led by locals).

Lammy did himself no favours by not voting to reduce the abortion limit from 24 weeks. It’s going down like a lead balloon in the black-led and Catholic churches.

“In Haringey in the mid 1980’s the Labour council changed the method of compiling the electoral register so that door-to-door canvassing was used. It was not carried out very well. This put a lot of people on the register who should not have been entitled to vote, e.g. foreign nationals and children; but did not take off many who had left the area”

I didn’t know that the techniques of the Chicago Democrat Party were legal in this country.

Perhaps Lammy thought that to vote any other way would have been against his conscience, Justin.

Those same churches probably hate civil partnerships and the other gay equality laws - would you have wanted a candidate, irrespective of party, to vote against them to please reactionary religionists?

It possible to be pro-gay and pro-life!

Justion Hinchcliffe to me represents everything that is wrong with the modern Conservative party. I appreciate that in order to attract votes in a place like Tottenham these days one has to attrract black voteers but if you are going to get into this pathtic box ticking game, talk about ‘BME’ etc you are not better than the Labour types we have thankfully just booted out of city hall. I think you made the right choice in 1997 Justin and you should have stuck with it.

Black (and )Minority Ethnic apparently. I agree it is an awful term and having heard true blue talk of the ‘BME community’ as if they are one community of interest it is bordering on racist itself.. the only attributes the various groups who constitute ‘BME’ have is that they are not white.
I have seen Justins blog where he boasts of the Conservatives fielding more ‘BME’ and ‘gay’ candidates than any other party.. does he really think this is what people are crying oot for?

“I have seen Justins blog where he boasts of the Conservatives fielding more ‘BME’ and ‘gay’ candidates than any other party.. does he really think this is what people are crying out for?”

I’ve never met an Asian person yet who describes themselves as Black.

Justin shouldn’t use such devisive leftist terminology - how about the description ‘non-white’ instead? Incidentally does Justin state how many Conservative candidates are from the most despised minority around - the white working class?