I think a lot of Labour supporters were voting for their second preference. Perfect tactical voting, and great to see.Sandydragon wrote:And there’s no way to blame ReformUK or UKIP for this one. Quite clearly this is a huge protest vote.Which Tyler wrote:That's a huge swing, and as ever, voting is down for a byelection versus general; but it's worth noting that the leftish vote (Lab + LD + Green) still saw a frank increase in numbers compared to the the GE19 (by about 20%), despite overall votes dropping.
Of course it's a protest vote, and will almost certainly return to blue at a GE with a new leader - but it's still one hell of an indication of the dissatisfaction in the country.
Not that it’s a great result either for Labour but one thinks there’s a lot of tactical voting going on here. Perhaps at hint at maybe an agreement between Labour and the Liberals in English and Welsh seats might not be such a terrible idea? The next election could be surprising close if the fixed term parliaments are revoked and Johnson continues like this.
Labour should definitely make an agreement with the Libdems and Greens next time. But they won't. I just hope the public vote tactically anyway - although this did NOT happen in 2019, despite the easily accessible info on the best tactical vote.