Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Was Thanet fixed? | |
Posted by: | Phil Andrews | |
Date/Time: | 13/05/15 22:23:00 |
Pete, there are a whole load of reasons why somebody might vote differently in a local election to a national one. Whoever the local candidate may be, many if not most voters at a general election vote for the party they would prefer to see running the country (or against the party they would prefer not to see running the country). Generally speaking smaller parties and independents do better at local elections than at national ones for this reason. Another example from my own book if I may - in 2002 I was elected as a community councillor in Isleworth ward with a substantial majority over Labour, with the Tories in third place. Three years later I stood as a candidate at the general election and received around 16% of the vote in Isleworth ward, which was quite a bit less than either Labour or the Tories. Then in 2006 I stood for council again, and won with a substantal majority again. The voters of Isleworth at the time wanted me as their councillor but not as their MP - simples. Nowt odd about it at all, although with PR I suspect the difference between the council and parliamentary votes would not have been so marked. |