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Original poster

Is anyone in Oxford West/Abingdon? What the hell happened?

56 replies

TheHeathenOfSuburbia · 07/05/2010 08:32

How did Evan Harris lose his seat on such a massive swing? What happened?!

I went to bed last night thinking Lib Dems were going to lose a few seats, but a 13% swing? WTF? Did he punch a granny in the face or something?

OP posts:
jenny60 · 09/05/2010 21:21

What seemed to have happened is that Harris was seen as a cert. The Tories did not expect to win here: Nicola Blackwood, who won, admitted this. There WAS a religious campaign against Harris: leaflets were dropped about his 'secularism' all over the area. But he was a popular MP by all accounts. A lot of Labour people in the area decided to vote Labour to make a point because it WAS seen as such a safe seat. If they'd had any idea what might have happened, they would have voted tactically as they have for many years. On the other hand, there was a swing to Labour in East Oxford and the local elections saw 100% Labour and LibDem wins.

Trafficcone · 09/05/2010 21:24

Nicola is lovely and Evan Harris is a twunt. His thoughts on homeopathy make me want to stick pins in his eyes.

Theochris · 09/05/2010 21:29

After reading he piece I linked to above, I had a look at Cristina Odone piece and a charming piece written by a Rev on the Telegraph site on the subject of Evan Harris. The articles are terrible, can't believe a national paper allows them to be written but it is some of the comments that are truly scary. Comparisons with Mengele and Shipman, truly vile stuff. Makes me really terrified.

Pls don't call him Dr Death, he supports the a woman's right to choose. He supports decriminalising assisted suicide (frankly though it already has been as the cases that have come up have either been dismissed or have light sentencing). He supported the lawful use of animal testing. As far as I'm aware he has not commited murder.

Sometimes I should just step away from the internet though. I really hope you are right abut the followers of these blogs that they represent neither right wing or cathotic views in general.

jenny60 · 09/05/2010 21:29

What are his views in homeopathy? Please tell me he recognises it for the nonsense it is. Why is Nicola 'lovely'?

policywonk · 09/05/2010 21:30

I hate the 'Dr Death' stuff. Not only is it reffing Shipman, which is senselessly hyperbolic and distasteful, but it also carries undertones of US-style rabble-raising against people with pro-choice views. And we know how that ends - and the people committing murder aren't the ones with the pro-choice views.

policywonk · 09/05/2010 21:31

x-post with Theochris.

policywonk · 09/05/2010 21:33

jenny, Harris was one of the people who joined in with that 10-23 protest recently, in which loads of people took 'overdoses' of homeopathic remedies to see what would happen The aim being to get Boots to remove homeopathic remedies from its shelves I think, or at least to prevent the manufacturers from making any claims of efficacy.

jenny60 · 09/05/2010 21:43

I don't frankly care about homeopathy, people taking it etc... I have, many times in desperation, and it never worked but that's not the point. It may work for some people but there is NO credible scienific evidence hat it works and it's being funded by the NHS FFS. I know a lot of people don't like him as a person, but the Telegraph stuff is just dreadful. He's artciculate, understands the NHS, supports a woman's right to choose and supports PR. I'm a Labour member but I voted for him.

Avocadoes · 09/05/2010 21:44

I feel very sorry for Evan Harris. He was one of the hardest working MPs in parliament. He might not have been a great constituency MP but he worked exeptionally hard at amending legislation and scrutinising the government through committee work etc.

He does however lack some basic people skills. it's almost like he does not understand how to relate to people on a personal level. He is driven but a flawed communicator. I wonder if that was something that put some of his constituents off.

policywonk · 09/05/2010 21:47

Yes, he was on the Home Affairs cttee I think? Put a lot of work into scrutinising ID cards leglislation and things like that.

I think you're right that he's a flawed communicator though - he obviously manages to antagonise a lot of people (whilst also having lots of fervent admirers).

Original poster
TheHeathenOfSuburbia · 09/05/2010 22:02

I bet it was bloody Oxford East that did it.

LDs thought Oxford West was safe; Oxford East has been drifting from Lab to Lib Dem for last 3 elections, looked like it would tip this time. Bet they focussed campaign energy on Ox East... which stayed Labour.

And apparently if you do the maths:
Oxford combined vote: LD-41,087 Con-33,633 Lab-27,937.
MPs: LD-0 Con-1 Lab-1
(Us Lib Dems love to torture ourselves with sums like that )

All things considered, the population of OxWAb probably isn't that much more scientist-heavy than average I guess. Particularly as in the last maybe six or seven years, the people working in the science companies haven't been able to afford to live in Abingdon, much less Oxford, and have moved out to Didcot/Grove type places. Ah. Another possible explanation there too, I guess.

With charming leaflets like this and this doing the rounds...

Ever since I left Abingdon four years ago, it's been my dream to move back one day. Not sure I feel the same way about it any more!

OP posts:
UnquietDad · 09/05/2010 22:06

What happened in Oxford East? That was meant to go Lib Dem...

Any OxWAb campaigners believe what the Grauniad is implying, i.e. that a diversion of campaign funds into "winnable" Oxford East away from "safe" OxWAb adversely affected Dr Harris?...

Original poster
TheHeathenOfSuburbia · 09/05/2010 22:07

avocadoes - "He does however lack some basic people skills."

Hi! Welcome to the world of science!

Seriously though, if we only elect people with great people skills, you end up with smarmy gits like Blair and Cameron running the joint. Perhaps that's unavoidable to an extent. It's a bit unfortunate though.

OP posts:
vesela · 09/05/2010 22:09

Blergh (leaflets).

Original poster
TheHeathenOfSuburbia · 09/05/2010 22:10

X-posts with UQD, didn't know the Guardian had said that, was just going on my local knowledge and, er, what I would have done if I'd been campaigning in that area

Oxford East - tactical voting? Expecting a swing to the Tories, everyone rallied behind the sitting MP?
It has been a pattern in this 'patternless election', that sitting MPs seem to have generally done better, no?

OP posts:
Theochris · 09/05/2010 22:16

See I'm not a lib dem supporter particularly, but I did like his approach to many things (libel, evidence based etc). Having read some of the pages (mostly Telegraph) I mentioned earlier though I'm almost inclined to join the lib dems for their approach that religion should be a private matter. Some of the internet vocals who don't like him make me like him more (as well as making me feel thoroughly disenfranchised).

tacticalfloosy · 09/05/2010 22:16

It was DH's fault.

[rational]

Well, he voted something else. So now we have Nicola Blackwood. Who I'm sure is fine. But we don't have Evan Harris. And that feels like a major loss to me this week.

jenny60 · 09/05/2010 22:32

I will miss him. He is the kind of LD who makes it possible for me to vote for them. He's spoken a lot of sense about possible pacts too.

abr1de · 10/05/2010 08:08

'Any OxWAb campaigners believe what the Grauniad is implying'

No. I know from my own friend who canvassed for the Tories just how hard they worked in ABingdon. Night after night they were there. They took it very, very seriously. Even though they thought she wouldn't scrape through they still kept going. They were very well organised, all receiving text messages on the way home from work, telling them where to go. They knew exactly which parts of the town were the ones which would effect a swing and they concentrated on them.

Their signs were mysteriously knocked over several times but they just kept replacing them.

There was no great mystery: just plugging away. And the mood on the streets was receptive. My friend told me there was only one occasion when anyone was viciously opposed to them and that was an elderly libdem couple. Even the BNP voter was civil. when they knocked on his door.

jenny60 · 10/05/2010 09:18

You're right to a degree, but it's also clearly the case that neither the Lib Dems nor Labour put much effort or money into the seat. Why would they? It was seen as relatively safe and a tradition has grown up in the area over the years about tactical voting. Harris has long been portrayed as a lunatic secularist, Dr Death etc... but he still won on previous votes. This time, the money and effort went into the next door seat. And, there was a smear campaign and it was disgusting. So yes, hard graft, but also a lot of money that the other parties just don't have, a lot of support from wealthy areas and a helpful smear campaign.

Avocadoes · 10/05/2010 09:33

How many votes did he loose by?

policywonk · 10/05/2010 09:48

Around 200, I think. Vv close.

jenny60 · 10/05/2010 09:50

176

Original poster
TheHeathenOfSuburbia · 10/05/2010 09:51

176 IIRC, avocadoes...

The tories' signs were knocked over, abr1de? Guess you're right, the Lib Dems clearly aren't as organised as the conservatives, because our tories came round and removed our signs with a white van.

OP posts:
Avocadoes · 10/05/2010 10:36

This election has featured some constituencies with really tiny majorities. I mean 176 is small but in Northern Ireland one seat was won by 4 votes and in Hampstead Glenda Jackson hung on by 46. Hendon was also tiny IIRC.