London fascinates me

[WinkyWinkola]

So much red on the map there.

Why?

[GhostInTheBackOfYourHead]

Because Lononders (by birth or choice) are obviously far more sensible and decent than any group of people.

Obviously.

[Chil1234]

Inner-city areas.... housing issues, migrant communities, low incomes, job insecurity, high crime rate..... usually produce supporters for parties like Labour. Check out the map more generally and you'll find the same applies to Birmingham and Manchester.

[vesela]

Can't believe Labour have won more seats in Lambeth council .

[b4real]

Most foreigners vote Labour that's why.

[longfingernailspaintedblue]

I think the high ethnic minority population is maybe the most significant factor. They are much more loyal to Labour than any other identifiable demographic bloc.

[UnquietDad]

Most of the big Labour-held seats are clustered around urban conurbations. Where's the surprise? There are more in London because it's bigger.

[Coolfonz]

Foreigners cannot vote in national elections.

Maybe it's because we are more progressive and less reactionary than the provinces. London is about change and modernity, I find the provinces odd. Why vote for Darling Buds of May it doesn't exist any more.

Big cities tend to be more switched on, understand modernity, aren't afraid of the future...

Labour are still war criminals though, but then so are the guns-to-saddam party as well.

[GhostInTheBackOfYourHead]

b4real- are you for real?

[MarthaFarquhar]

higher IQs

[MmeTrueBlueberry]

There are many 'ethnic minorities' who are British and Commonwealth citizens and able to vote.

Labour's support is traditionally in urban areas.

[jeananddolly]

What Ghost, Coolfonz and Martha said. We only have Boris cos we let the burbs vote.

[tethersend]

Commonwealth citizens can vote in general elections.

And what GhostInTheBackOfYourHead said.

[tethersend]

x-post, MmeBlueberry.

[LadyRabbit]

b4real
I'm not sure what you're inferring by that.

London has some decent Labour MPs which might be part of it. I think also London has always had a strong Labour influence since the days of the GLC and subsequently Ken Livingstone who was actually a brilliant mayor. (I was surprised given how left wing he is, but he really did make a difference.) Plus, one really has to rely on public transport and that has improved greatly since 1997. As a long term resident, I really appreciate public services - they come under enormous strain but somehow manage to deliver, much as everyone moans. That's not to say they don't need more work and resources!! (Which Tory governments of the past have famously ignored.)

And perhaps this sounds obvious, but when one lives in a place where there is a high density of population, you really do become aware that socialism is the only effective model for people of different social status to rub along together in close proximity as happily as possible. I also think a lot of us have never forgotten Dame Shirley Porter and her shameless disposal of public housing for profit in one of the most over populated places in Europe, and we dread going back to that.

[Coolfonz]

Ethnic minorities are British, same as you. And loads of them don't vote Labour.

Dodgy arguments all round.

[tethersend]

Dodgy and very telling arguments...

[foureleven]

I wondered about this too.. I also wondered why so much of the lower half of the country blue, and the north red?

[longfingernailspaintedblue]

As someone from an ethnic minority, I am perfectly aware that ethnic minorities do not blindly vote Labour.

Nevertheless, all the polling evidence is very clear that firstly ethnic minorities do vote for Labour more than other parties, and that ethnic minority Labour voters are more loyal to Labour than white working class Labour voters.

Incidentally, as a demographic bloc, ethnic minorities also have far lower turnout than the population as a whole.

[mumblechum]

The red bits are also clustered around other areas of inner city/deprivation, eg Liverpool, Sunderland, bits of South Wales etc. Interesting that Scotland has no or virtually no blue.

[GhostInTheBackOfYourHead]

Actually Scotland has nae blue

[longfingernailspaintedblue]

The 1 Tory MP in Scotland, David Mundell, hung on.

I think the Tory brand in Scotland is just too tainted. Annabel Goldie is a very effective leader but in my opinion, Thatcher's single biggest mistake was to sacrifice the Tory party's one-nation instincts.

Cameron is an old-school one-nation Tory but the Scots are understandably sceptical. The economic pain which is on the way will sadly do nothing to persuade them.

At this point, an independent right-of-centre party in Scotland allied to but not dictated to by the Conservatives would probably be best.

[jeananddolly]

Poor people vote labour. Hold the front page. Why do they just not believe that people like David Cameron, Zac Goldsmith and George Osborne may not have their best interests at heart. It's a mystery indeed.

In other news Labour regain control of Islington Council in a landslide.

[Coolfonz]

Ethnic minorities are often poor. Yet again right wing people have to racialise issues that are in fact class issues. very very telling, as someone above said.

[longfingernailspaintedblue]

It's far more complicated than poverty alone.

The Tories made gains into some serious Labour heartland territory, including some quite poor areas, in the north of England.

[SomeGuy]

The Labour party pledged, years ago, to
'build the Tories out of London'. Hence all the council estates with their very high Labour votes.