General Discussion
3 Conservative councillors elected to TDC
https://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/article/21486/Election-Results-Map
"It's not the number of candidates we have, it's the number of winning candidates we have."
A rare bright spot on a dark day.
Dawlish Central and North East
Friday, 08 May 2015
Ted Hockin CONS – 1687 elected
Bob Kennedy LAB – 827
Mary Lowther IND – 687
Lisa Mayne CONS – 1406 elected
John Petherick IND – 940
Linda Petherick IND – 870
Graham Price CONS – 1645 elected
Gary Taylor LIB DEM – 1295
Cameron Turner GREEN – 858
Martin Wrigley LIB DEM – 1274
a) 2000 more votes were cast than there were four years ago.
b) Warren Farm has been clearly an irrelevance when voters decided who they wanted to represent them.
c) Isn't it interesting that the female candidates got significantly fewer votes than their male allies?
Weren't the last local elections a year after the General Election - there's always a bigger turnout for a General Election.
Maybe Warren Farm earned the LIb Dems more than they would otherwise have had.
What next for LibDems though - was this a punishment or have they lost ground for good?
I think the local elections being held on the same day as the general election may have increased the number of votes cast for the local election candidates.
Also, I suspect the new build houses in the ward may have also increased the numbers entitled to vote.
I suspect the Warren Farm issue did indeed help the Lib Dems - although I can't prove that of course anymore than someone who believes that the Warren Farm issue was an irrelevance in terms of how people voted in Dawlish Central and North East ward.
The electorate is 449 higher than it was in 2011.
The Tories wouldn't have won if people were that bothered about Warren Farm.
Well, who knows why the Lib Dems got the votes they did. I cannot help but think that Warren Farm was indeed an issue though that did get them votes.
Perversely I know people who care a great deal about Warren Farm's future (in that they wish it to remain with the Weeks family) but were so hacked off with the Lib Dems nationally that they told me they could not place their vote for the Lib Dems but would vote for others representing other parties instead. Don't know of course if that's what they did or not.
and to look at what I've just said above in a slightly different way.
Given that the Lib Dems nationally were/are so electorally unpopular why did the two Lib Dem candidates standing in Dawlish Central and North East ward get all those votes cast for them?
I don't know why, no-one knows why.
But I suspect I know why.
Not enough people cared enough to vote out the Tories.
My maths are sketchy, but I think that in 2011 the LibDem candidate with the most votes was voted for by 20% of those who voted, whilst Gary Taylor this year was voted for by 27% of voters.
Shocking Hocking (Tory) sits at 37% compared to 40% last time for the Tory with the most votes.
John Petherick (Independent) sits at 19% compared to 38% in 2011.
I'm sad to see that Mary Lowther didn't get a seat. She is hard working and would have made a good councillor.
Hope all the tory voters will be happy when our NHS is privatised, and all our remaining family silver is sold. Shame on you.
The public's perception of a party leader has a massive influence on deciding which way they vote, you would have to be very naïve to think otherwise. I'm damn sure if David M had led Labour into this election then the result would not have been such a catastrophe for the party.
The public's perception of the leaders is based on how they are portryaed in the media too, Cameron was hardly lambasted compared to the others. I wonder why?
And before I get lambasted burnside, you do have a point, Milliband, Clegg and Bennett all showed naivety and a lack of awareness. And maybe t it woul've been different under the other brother.
You've forgotten this then? Anti-Labour press would have done the same to anyone who wasn't dancing to their tune. During the Blair years there was a backlash against 'personality politics' but in reality that's what most of the electorate relate to.
Well said Duckileaks, Mary Lowther was one of the most hard working Councillors in the last Administration and is a sad loss for the town. She was a truly independent Councillor, not afraid to speak out when needed and worked tirelessly for the people of Dawlish.
Would just like to say a big thanks to all the candidates shame none of you could be bothered to canvass around Shutterton. As for Ted Hockin being re-elected, that has to be the biggest joke of the day. Perhaps someone could list exactly what he has ever done for Dawlish.
If the general election results prove anything its that we need to change the system to proportional representation.
Well put Fred Bassett. Hopefully the election result will be the start of real political change, not the end a false democratic process that people only get a chance to engage in once every five years.
'One nation' what a joke. The first past the post system is the modern day version of Charles I's divine right to rule. It does not and should not have anything to do with democracy as it disempowers us and makes voting nothing more than an exercise in spin.