General Discussion

I told you so...

As predicted Reform split the Conservative vote, turnout was 2% lower than 2021 showing that Dawlish is largely apathetic.

It was always in the bag. Dawlish is a safe Liberal Democrat seat despite the rise of Reform.

Thanks to all the Reform voters and all the non-voters, oh and the 1923 who voted for Rosie. I predicted we'd get around 1900, the same as in 2021.

So now it's three-jobs-Dawson, God help Dawlish.

@burnside I think you'll find she has 4 jobs actually.

Great effort from reform only 500odd short of votes from a low turnout with the lib dem % down. Rosies comments after hearing ahe has won was :" i was  blown away" yes becauae ahe probably wad not too sure if she has won. Still fair play, she managed to drag hereself to stand outside the manor to remind voters who she was.

There's nothing commendable from any party or the electorate when the turnout is a mere 36%. It was worse elsewhere in Teignbridge.

Voting should be made mandatory and the option 'None of the Above' added, which should be counted in the official statistics.

Apathy is so widespread that nobody seems to care that the First Past the Post system used in England allows the likes of Dawson to win an election when she only really represents under a sixth of the electorate.

Dawson said ‘It’s an absolute honour to be trusted by the public’

She fails to comprehend that she is not trusted by the public, only less than the sixth who could be bothered to vote for her. And who knows how many did so tactically or without any real zeal or conviction. Who knows how many of the 1923 actually trust her? Clearly they've not seen her in action as Chair of the District Council.

And who trusts she can do four jobs at once? Town, District, now County Councillor roles as well as running a charity, though it's really all the volunteers who do all the work.

It's ironic that she makes such a comment while being a member of a party who claims to want proportional representation.

How come Scotland has the Single Transferable vote system while England and Wales have this First Past the Post crap?

The Conservative Mayor of Newton Abbot had 600 odd votes, so the Tories split the Reform vote. Add the two parties together and Dawson would've lost. Dawson wasn't blown away, she just has to appear grateful.

She got 3 more votes than Wrigley did 4 years ago. That tells you the Liberal democrats just have to mobilize a certain number of supporters to vote to win an election.

Maybe it'd be different in 4 years time but by then there won't be a County or a District Council.

Rosie Dawson the last County Councillor for Dawlish, a phase of local politics ending on a massive low.

@1263 You're wrong. The Lib Dem % of the vote in Dawlish was up on 2021 by almost 2%. They only gained 3 more votes compared to 2021. But as turn-out was lower this year their vote share went up.