Election Analysis

No great change was expected in the Saltwell and Bensham area and that's exactly what happened.

Of course with solid Labour majorities across most of Gateshead the issue of "demolition" was not going to get pulses racing. Most people are relieved that the original council map showing 1,200 homes for demolition now seems to have reduced to just one street. That one street was already half owned by the council and seems to be targetted because a council director got jeered at while jogging some 6 years ago.

On a wider perspective MPs like Nick Brown in Newcastle East has become increasingly vunerable to the Lib-Dems. Demolition has done nothing to help the Labour vote there and everything to help the Lib-Dems gain his seat.

Lancashire, home of many a pathfinder project, is also home to a number of marginal seats. Sitting Labour MPs there saw the Conservatives creep back into the north. Demolishing homes of Labour voters is about as useful as drilling a hole in your head.

Locally demolition hasn't made the radar for the Lib-Dems. This is really because in Newcastle it has been a tremendously successful policy for them. They take money from a Labour Government, demolish chunks of solid Labour housing estates, replace them with homes that only walthier middle class people can afford and then add more Lib-Dem councillors. Although Gateshead has a solid Labour majority today the Lib-Dems must be quietly confident that successful demolition programmes in Gateshead will provide a platform to win more Gateshead seats in future.

There is a saying in politics that turkeys dont vote for Christmas. Whoever coined the phrase obviously didn't see how enthusiastically the Labour Party in Newcastle supported mass demolition a few years ago and how quickly Gateshead Labour Party has joined in.