It was not all bad. Labour did very well nationally winning 823 Council seats, it won Birmingham and saw off the nats in Glasgow. Labour picks up 2 extra seats in the London Assembly (but not enough to block the Mayors budget). Most importantly Labour has began to win in parts of the South East of England. It needs to win outside its traditional heartlands to stand any chance of victory in 2015.
In City and East (Newham, Tower Hamlets, Barking & Dagenham and the City of London) our Labour Assembly member John Biggs was re-elected with over a 100,000 votes winning nearly 63% of turnout.
I wonder about this famous quotation by Enoch Powell (about Conservative politician Joseph Chamberlain) "All political lives, unless they are cut off in midstream at a happy juncture, end in failure, because that is the nature of politics and of human affairs". Is this true?
I suppose that if you are obsessed with politics you will go on and on until in the end you lose. I'm been trying to think of any prominent post war British politician whose career did not end badly? Think back on Brown, Blair, Major, Thatcher, Callaghan, Wilson, Heath etc
Ken himself I note has said he will not stand again for election but not that he is retiring. I can't imagine him ever giving up politics as long as he has breath in his body so watch this space and see what happens.
Anyway, roll on European elections 2014.
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