Wednesday, 30th April 2008

What counts as a good result?

James Forsyth 8:58am

Over at the Red Box, Sam Coates has a very handy guide to what the parties are claiming would constitute success for them in Thursday's elections.

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David

April 30th, 2008 9:55am Report this comment

John Humphrys obviously reads Coffee House, as in today's interview with Gordon Brown, he asked a question and let Brown ramble on with nary a interuption. Odd that.....

Oscar Miller

April 30th, 2008 10:06am Report this comment

David - This wasn't really an interview - more an act of hypnotism. First Brown made the listener feel very very sleepy intoning figures in a very soporific voice. Then - once you were in a deep trance like sleep he intoned - 'I am making the right decisions for the long term. I am making the right decisions for the long I am making the right decisions for the long term.'

It was pure propaganda from start to finish.

Johnny Fiston-Hewes

April 30th, 2008 10:23am Report this comment

Riddell offers a better guide to expectations here http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/peter_riddell/article3828390.ece?openComment=true

In terms of seats the key points are:

Tories will be buoyant if they win more than 200 seats; quietly pleased if they gain 100 to 200; but would be very disappointed if they gained fewer than 100.

Labour will be able to claim that the worst is over if it breaks even; relieved if it loses fewer than 100 seats; but expect panic headlines if it loses more than 200 seats.

The Lib Dems hope to gain from Labour in northern industrial seats but expect to lose to the Tories in the South. Overall, the Lib Dems are nervous because they are defending gains made in 2004.

What was interesting to me was 'Labour won shares of 42, 46 and 43 per cent in the three years before its 1997 victory'. To put himself on track, Cameron might have to get close to this (and yes I have read Danny Finklestein warning about interpreting results this morning!)

David Lindsay

April 30th, 2008 3:40pm Report this comment

If the Tories make gains in the North (as everyone expects that they will), then, as last year, that will be anything but a triumph for David Cameron.

It will prove that there are votes to be had here, but only by people well-known in their localities to be about as unlike David Cameron as it is possible to be, and to dislike David Cameron about as much as it is possible to do.

What do people in Notting Hill imagine that Tory Councillors in the North are like? Ed Vaizey?

No, they are not.

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