By-Election Results/My Analysis of the Dunfermline by-election

The local by-election results from 24 October 2013 featuring Green candidates are as follows:

Norfolk County Council, North Walsham East: LD 1044 (40.9%), UKIP 565 (22.1%), Labour 442 (17.3%), Conservative 359 (14.1%), Green 80 (3.1%), Ind 61 (2.4%).

West Sussex County Council, Warnham and Rusper: Conservative 868 (58.3%), UKIP 335 (22.5%), Green 119 (8.0%), LD 103 (6.9%), Lab 65 (4.4%). Turnout in this by-election was a dismal 20%.

 Wigan Borough Council, Winstanley: Lab 746 (42.1%), UKIP 421 (23.7%), Community Action 326 (18.4%), Conservative 180 (10.1%), Green 55 (3.1%), Ind 27 (1.5%), LD 19 (1.1%).

 Wirral Borough Council, Upton: Lab 1954 (65.4%), Conservative 762 (25.5%), Green 143 (4.8%), LD 130 (4.3%).

 Dunfermline local by-election (1st preference votes): Lab 2552 (39.7%), SNP 2057 (32.0%), LD 1009 (15.7%),Conservative 450 (7.0%), Green 183 (2.8%), UKIP 183 (2.8%).

 Finally, the Holyrood Dunfermline by-election: Cara Hilton (Lab): 10275 (42.5%), Shirley-Anne Somerville (SNP) 7402 (30.6%), Susan Leslie (Lib Dem) 2852 (11.8%), James Reekie (Con) 2009 (8.3%), Peter Adams (UKIP) 908 (3.8%), Zara Kitson (Green) 593 (2.5%), John Black (Ind) 161 (0.7%).

 It is interesting to know that before 2007, Dunfermline was safe Labour territory. So it can be said that due to the fall in both the SNP and the Lib Dem vote here, resulting in a Labour gain, Dunfermline has reverted to type, so to speak. 

 It was disappointing that we Greens lost our deposit here, but we at least made an improvement on the last Scottish Parliament by-election result by getting halfway to the threshold. Interestingly, the Scottish Greens at Scottish Parliament elections only contest regional ballots-not constituency ballots.

 UKIP also failed to retain their deposit here, although they appear to have stalled any signifcant Conservative advance in Dunfermline-the Conservative vote only increased by 1.2%.

As for the independent, John Black-I wonder why he got only 161 votes; his campaign did not seem that bad when I looked at it. Lack of media attention may be a factor here.

Thank your for reading!

Alan.



 

 

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