Our County Council election results have now been compiled. Many thanks to Stephen Morris who did so.
Overall we got 5,468 votes (3.53%) including both those County Council
electoral divisions where we made an effort and those where we were merely paper
candidates. Our best result was for Stephen Goldspink, in Cambridgeshire, second
with 29.32%.
In Doncaster we got 4.615 first preference votes (7.5%) and came third. We also saved our deposit (unlike the Conservatives and Lib Dems). In difficult
circumstances we have confirmed that we are the second party there. We are now
preparing for the next election there.
Well done to all those who stood and across England and also all those who helped.
As the following item shows, although we have been successful in getting
people aware of our Cause, we have not yet had nearly as much success in getting ourselves
identitfied with its solution.
Click here >>> http://networkedblogs.com/KUMl6.
This
report, from Labour's IPPR, is despite UKIP rejecting even Paul Nuttall's modest
move towards an English Parliament and also despite UKIP's recent Party Election
Broadcasts, during English Local Elections, not even deigning to mention either
England or the English Nation once. On the contrary they asserted that UKIP is 'Proud to be British' and has signed up to vote NO to Scottish Independence.
More work to do! Per Ardua ad Astra!
Well done to all ED candidates! 29.32% from Stephen is stunning given the difficult circumstances.
ReplyDeleteEven taking the lower average figure of 3.53% (which includes paper candidates remember - candidates who stand, but do not campaign at all), if replicated at a general election with candidates contesting each seat it would add up to approx 750,000 votes across England.
That shows the potential groundswell of support for the EDs.
Good results in the county council election in Cambridgeshire and the contest for the Mayor in Doncaster.
ReplyDeleteAgainst that has to be set the wipe out in the Kent county council elections and the disaster in Essex.
I can't help thinking that it would have done more for the standing of the Party, in terms of raising the Party's profile, to have come last in the South Shields parliamentary by-election, than last in the Ongar and Rural council election.
The Party is being let down by whoever is responsible for its strategy, putting resources into parts of the country where it doesn't stand a chance and which are largely irrelevant in building the Party's strategic base. Election material must be targeted at the section of the electorate that the party has to win to its cause, namely, the northern working class.
The English Democrats have to give a VISION OF HOPE to folk across the north and the midlands who saw their livelihoods disappear under Thatcher and who have been treated appallingly by the comfortable south, the political establishment and the City of London
I tend to agree with this, we have to make a better, clearer case in terms of policies other than a parliament for England (which is not, no matter how much we would like it, a key issue for many people). You've made a decent attempt, Robin, at finding the best in the council elections, but the truth is that we are fading. The whole ex-BNP business created a problem that just shouldn't have happened (and so much for their supposed 'expertise' that would help the EDP to gain votes), and I suspect that membership is falling. And what was all that 'Anna Cleves' business about? And why do we seem to have 'puppet parties' ? It's all rather depressing.
DeleteThe Party has been badly served by both its Strategy Unit and its Policies Unit.
DeleteMore than half its candidates were in Kent, where the results were dismal.
There are pockets of traditional white working class in Kent such as the Medway towns, but together they are not large enough to deliver the critical geographical mass of support that the Party needs to become an established feature of the political landscape.
Meanwhile, the Party did not contest either South Shields or North Tyneside, which would have raised its standing in the northern consciousness. In South Shields the Party could well have done better than the Liberal Democrats who came in seventh.
On policies, the EDs don't seem to have any, apart from an English Parliament and attacking the Barnett Formula (both remote from the ordinary man and woman in the street). The issue of the Barnett Formula degenerates into unpleasant anti-Scottish rhetoric, which is strange given the chairman's Scottish roots and having served in the Coldstream Guards.
However regrettable it may be, elections are not won by flag waving and national symbols or St George, but on bread and butter issues. As Bill Clinton said, "Its the economy, stupid". The chairman's blog has to set out how the EDs will deal with the national debt, which while it increased under Gordon Brown is rocketing under Osborne and Cameron.
For instance how would the EDs go about repatriating to the north and midlands those jobs in manufacturing, ship building and steel lost over the last thirty years to globalization?
And what would the Party do to protect the NHS from the sharks which are circling, since Cameron dismantled its last safeguards? Changes introduced on April 1st were designed so as to bring about the complete break up of health provision in England and make it vulnerable to international big money.
Anonymous's prediction of 750,000 votes is predicated on there being an ED candidate in every parliamentary constituency in England.
DeleteThat is not a way of proceeding which will bring ultimate success, but a recipe for throwing members' hard earned money and the Party's resources into a bottomless pit. Perhaps it could afford to do as Anonymous proposes if, like other parties, it was awash with money, but it is not
The Party's needs to be cleverer than that, and above all focused, targeted and strategic.
Oswald it is very clear from the above post that the 750,000 figure shows "the potential groundswell of support for the EDs".
DeleteNobody suggested that the EDs are in a position today to stand a candidate in every seat so please don't spin things to suit your own purposes. Nowhere does the above post "propose" standing a candidate in every seat.
750,000 is a meaningless figure picked out of the air which is predicated on contesting every seat and which tells us nothing about any "potential groundswell of support for the EDs". I suggest that folk look again at what anonymous wrote and what I wrote.
DeleteTable 1: Standing up for England
ReplyDeleteQuestion : “Which, if any, of the following parties do you think best stands up for the interests of England?”
This survey revealed that UKIP scores 21% as against EDs 1% (a fall from 2% since last year)
The EDs need to find a way of making it clear to the English folk that UKIP is every bit as anti-English as the Tories, the Liberals and Labour.
That's nonsense, UKIP just don't have strong feelings about dividing lines between English, Scots, Irish or Welsh. There are more important issues.
DeleteYou say that Ukip does not have strong feelings about dividing lines between the English and the rest, and that there are more important issues. There are no "more important issues" for English nationalists than English identity. But Ukip is anti-English.
DeleteOn what do you base your repetition that UKIP are '' anti-English ''?
DeleteDo you really think a small party like ED with no slogan or clear
policy placard can ever get off the ground before we run out of time? At least UKIP have as theur banner leaving the EU. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, UKIP have almost broken in to the mainstream.
Richard Wyn-Jones, Professor of Politics at Cardiff University and co-author of the report said:
ReplyDelete“To understand the rise of UKIP as SIMPLY a MANIFESTATION OF ANTI-EUROPEAN SENTIMENT or even some kind of anti-political spasm is to the ignore the very significant, and much broader transformation in attitudes currently underway in England. It is a transformation that is bringing ENGLAND and ENGLISHNESS TO THE FORE as a political community and POLITICAL IDENTITY. It is a transformation that the current political class seem scarcely to have noticed let alone formed a coherent response too. Ukip IS SURFING A WAVE OF EXISTENTIAL ANGST ABOUT ENGLAND'S PLACE IN THE WORLD."
Overall the results are terrible, the poor results in Essex (Robin Tilbrook's area) and Kent (Steve Uncles' area) are of particular note because they imply a problem with the leadership of the party. Perhaps people like Stephen Goldspink in Cambridgeshire, who consistently achieves excellent results, need to take control of election strategy from RT & SU. I agree with the earlier commenter that the EngDems must target the northern working class, although not exclusively. Congratulations to UKIP though, they are genuinely anti-EU and have given the political elite a shake.
ReplyDelete"Steady the Buffs!" UKIP are enjoying a moment in the sun but only a few years ago it seemed improbable that they would even survive.
ReplyDeleteOur results are merrly reflective of the circumstances of these elections and the only lesson is that we did well where the patriotic vote wasn't split and we had done a reasonable campaigning effort.
Neither Steve Uncles nor I delivered any leaflets in this election and were up against UKIP/BNP so our results exemplify this conclusion.
Personally I have no particular wish to be a councillor etc. My interest is in doing all I can to campaign for England's future. Electioneering is a tool to this end.
I am heartened to see the progress that England's Cause is making.
I'm sorry Robin, but you don't get it when it comes to strategy; you should stand aside for someone who does get it, perhaps Stephen Goldspink as Nick Capp suggests. Being up against Ukip and BNP is no excuse for the results you and Mr Uncles got.
DeleteElectioneering is indeed a tool, but you did it in the wrong places, or rather didn't do it. England's cause was not advanced by what happened on May 2nd and you should consider your position.
The party needs urgently to call an EGM in order to plan a way forward.
UKIP is a paper tiger and should be a pushover for English Nationalism, as should the fading BNP.
Contrary to what you say, the patriotic vote wasn't split. Ukip and the BNP are anti-English parties. The only English nationalist party of any standing is the English Democrats.
DeleteIf you want to help England's future you had better come and stay in my spare room Robin for a couple of weeks . I live in Wembley, sometimes called the capital of India. THIS is the future of the whole island if us
Deletenationalists don't stop splitting hairs. Britain cannot integrate the millions of non-Whites INTO our society, but they will certainly absorb US over time. ED is like a senile little dog chasing its tail all the time, it is better to amalgamate with UKIP and give us our first chance of real success since the NF days of the 1970s.
Steady the Buffs indeed!
ReplyDeletePerhaps those above who claim to have all the answers might like to stand themselves in an election instead of jeering at those who do from the comfort of their keyboards.
Yes the results are disappointing, yes there is much work to do, yes the BNP influx has not helped, but we do not want to throw the baby out with the dishwater.
Anonymous does not understand the meaning of the verb 'to jeer'. There is no jeering intended. It is appreciated that conducting an election campaign is hard work, but that effort has to be strategically directed or the Party's monetary and human resources will be exhausted in short order. That would be a tragedy for the English. It is vitally important for the English Democrats to succeed.
DeleteThe party has to have an urgent review of its long term plans for gaining future success and what its senior personnel need to do in order to attain that success.
New Labour and Peter Davies robbed the English Democrats of their hard won Mayoralty. A loyal incumbent candidate would have won with some margin.
DeleteThe machinery of the party (Labour) went into overdrive and threw every resource possible, both financial and physical and strategic into the campaign to win the English Democrat won seat.
It is worth remembering that WE shook the foundations of the earth and changed the tribal voting of one of the most die hard labour bastions in the whole country.
That vote has not gone away. England is worth the fight. It is always hardest at the beginning of any rebellion against the establishment.
Remember we fight the media too.
No surrender!
Labour and Peter Davies did not "rob" the English Democrats of victory in Doncaster. That is a weak way of looking at what happened. David Allen had a huge mountain to climb. Peter Davies was the incumbent mayor and popular with a great many people, while the might of Labour's party machine was thrown in behind the Labour candidate.
DeleteDavid Allen's vote was inevitably squeezed. In the circumstances, the English Democrats performed well and David Allen got a good result.
In four years time, Peter Davies will be off the scene and Labour could well be two years into a term of office and unpopular.
Unless Ukip is allowed to become entrenched in the north of England, the English Democrats should win back Doncaster in four years from now.
If anti-English Ukip does become established in the north, as it has in the south, that will be because of a failure of leadership at the top of the English Democrats.
Peter Davies' vote plus that of the ED candidate would have beaten Labour - it was the splitting of the vote that let Labour in.
DeleteOswald, you are full of your own self importance it isn't funny. We all know what to jeer means so no need to be condascending. And you are the classic example of someone who does it.
ReplyDeleteI have more respect for Mr Tilbrook than to jeer, but the Party is more than one man, and the English folk (and the English Democrats) are at a crossroads.
DeleteThe EDs desperately need to look at where they are as a party and to plan the right strategy, so as to avoid repeating past mistakes and taking wrong roads.
That could mean a change of leadership, if the current leadership is unable to change tack.
The English Democrats have a narrow window during which to get themselves fit to contest the General Election in two years time. Rather than kicking into the heavily defended goal which is the south of the country, crowded with Ukip defenders, they must play into the open goalmouth which is the north.
ReplyDeleteAs Professor Ian McNay has pointed out, "[i]n 10 northern counties, from Northumbria and Cumbria to as far south as Leicestershire, Staffordshire and Shropshire, Ukip's net result was 3 (in the local government elections of May 2nd) and many cases that eliminated a very small council membership.
Ukip's appeal may be limited in ways not yet analysed."
Next year's EU elections can be seen as a way of building the English Democrats as a party, but the efforts have to be directed at unseating the BNP in the North West region (Nick Griffin) and in Yorkshire and Humber (Andrew Brons), with the aim of taking those seats in 2019.
All politics is local and that is what the Liberals realised 40 years ago with its 'community politics' and which the BNP copied. Winning power for the EDs cannot be achieved overnight, it will be a long hard slog. Both the Liberal Democrats and Ukip first established strongholds in the West Country. The English Democrats must do the same in the north.
A way of raising public awareness would be for the Party to conduct a campaign for Union flags to be replaced by English flags on public authority buildings which deal with 'English Only' matters, except when they are obliged by DCMS rules to fly the Union flag on UK wide occasions, e.g., on the Queen's birthday
This is the EDs problem in a nutshell.
DeleteA campaign to replace flags? How does that help a single voter? It is pointless and ridiculous idea. People are struggling to put food on their tables, they are concerned about a rapidly changing country, house prices, petrol prices, etc., and the best Oswald offers is replace Union flags with English flags.
Campaigns cost money. What a waste of limited party resources that would be!
Focus on giving voters what they want rather than focusing on trivial issues like that and the EDs might get somewhere.
Anonymous. A campaign to replace Union flags with England flags would not cost a great deal of money, (the cost of a stamp, a phone call, an email, a visit to the town hall) but it would make folk think about Englishness and the English Democrats.
DeleteYou are right about campaigning on the concerns you raise, and particularly Osborne's mishandling of the economy with the national debt rising at £120 billion a year, but the two campaigns are not incompatible
Letters to the newspapers and phone-ins to local radio stations would be a good way to conduct the England Flag Campaign and it would involve people who are not ED members but who love England.
DeleteAnonymous. Unlike you, I think that, for nationalists to put pressure on our public representatives to display England's national flag instead of the internationalist UK and EU flags is a duty and NOT a "trivial matter".
DeleteThe England flag is the most obvious symbol of our Englishness; don't you forget it.
The problem is Oswald your suggestion is part of a trend that is alienating the EDs from voters. We might as well start campaigning to make morris dancing compulsory in schools.
DeleteThe flag issue is obviously dear to your heart, but 99.9% of the population have far more important things to worry about including me. It is indeed a trivial matter in the big scheme of things and to suggest otherwise is the mark of those who belong in the political wilderness.
Nationalists fighting nationalists is a certain recipe for total failure. We all need to stop splitting hairs and to join forces in a nationaloist alliance.
DeleteUKIP did not get a single seat in my north-western county but here it is a case of voting for the locals rather than outsiders so anybody who was not born here, as most of the UKIP people were not, did not stand a chance. However, UKIP did get 23% of the vote in my ward but were still beaten by the Conservatives followed by the Liberal Democrats, both of whom were of very local families. Perhaps if the EDs made sure that the candidates were of the same type of local families, rather than outsiders, so don't ask me to stand in this county, then they might stand a chance over UKIP. As the Welshman said, those who voted UKIP still think that they stand for the English. Perhaps it is because Paul Nuttall is a scouser scaliwag and euro-mp for the North West that he knows that this is not the case.
ReplyDeleteGood point about local people getting invoved rather than parachutists.
DeleteHas anybody picked up on the news yesterday when we learned that there is trouble in paradise, paradise being the multicultural heaven of Malaysia, always trumpeted as the success story of multiculturalism. So successful was it deemed to be that a group from our County Council, called sickeningly white by Gordon Brown, although, of course, ceasing to be so at a rate of knots, had a plan to fly out there to discuss how they should tackle governing their county when it became fully multicultural. Methinks it was just an excuse for a holiday in the sun funded by the council tax payers, after all their chief executive is paid twice as much as the prime minister.
ReplyDeleteIn the recent election, however, the ethnic Chinese - who run things there - and the indigenous muslim Malays opted for different political parties although the Malays' choice won ( I assume they are in the majority ). I haven't checked up why this polarisation occurred but it could be that the muslim Malays are becoming more radicalised. However, it just goes to show that multiculturalism never produces the same stability and cohesion as homogeneity. If you mix oil and water then in the end they separate out. I must look up how things work in Trinidad which is the way England seems to be heading.
If you think tiny Trinidad is some sort of model you are crazy. Why not try
DeleteTristan Da Cunha.
Claudia Bryan, AKA Claudia Dalgleish, once the darling of the BNP circuit and a close confidant of Nick Griffin, is now chairperson of EDs in Kent. Political suicide.
ReplyDeleteI hope that the chairman's blog will contain some analysis of the Queen's Speech setting out the coalition government's policies.
ReplyDeleteThe government's much trumpeted "curbs" on immigration is full of holes and largely a re-announcement of existing rules. The proposal to turn doctors into border agency staff has not been well received by the medical profession. There is a crisis in hospital Accident and Emergency provision with waiting times going back to way above the stipulated 4 hours. There is a crisis of childcare. The national debt is rising at the rate of £120 billion a year. All this because of the government's globalist ideology.
The EDs should be on the attack over these issues, as they should over Cameron's shilly shallying around an in/out referendum on the EU. (What he is offering is not an in/out referendum, but a referendum on renegotiation IF the Tories get back into government in two years time and only IF he cannot wriggle out of even that slippery offer - and he has a record of forgetting his "cast iron" pledges on the EU).
On the question of the EU, the English Democrats have an enormous advantage over Ukip, which is that a majority for leaving the EU could be guaranteed in England, but not in the UK as a whole.
Come on Mr Chairman, get on your soapbox and proclaim that you will take an independent England out of the UK and the EU. You can beat Ukip with this.
According to Russia Today the NHS is on the verge of collapse, are we surprised? I have just read a piece comparing the Sweden of 40 to 50 years ago with today's multicultural Sweden where the welfare state is also on the verge of collapse due to mass immigration. All Norway's oil money is going to cope with mass immigration. Compare the NHS of the 1950s with today and you might find out something similar to pre-mass immigration Sweden. We seem to be trying to cope with the third world here as well as sending aid to the third world out there. We can't do both and Europe will collapse under the strain. No Cameron and Clegg will do nothing as they are both singing from the New World Order hymn sheet which follows the UN's agenda 21 pledging to bring all the world's impoverished masses to the First World. And the EU and ultimately world UN government are all in their script as well. They are just fiddling whilst Rome burns for those behind them will not allow them to do anything else.
DeleteThe EDP does have an advantage over UKIP and indeed, all other parties in that a majority vote for leaving the EU is possible in England. Therefore a useful campaign might be to urge that if a majority of English voters vote to opt out then England should cease to be a member of EU.
ReplyDeleteWhilst not entirely plausible it would serve to highlight the anomalies surrounding Englands position in UK
By hard work to the stars. Not 'Work hard to Succeed'. If you're going to steal a motto, please translate it correctly.
ReplyDelete