Lib Dems make another by-election gain off Conservatives in Somerset
Three principal authority council by-elections this week and all, hooray, with Liberal Democrat candidates.
The Lib Dem run of wins in Somerset just keeps on going:
Many congratulations to new councillor Kevin Messenger and the team.
Thank you to Thomas Clarke for getting the Lib Dems on the ballot after last time’s no-show.
Thank you to Lib Dem candidate David Quayle for also getting the party on the ballot paper after a no show before.
For what all this means for the running total of council by-election results since the last May elections, see my council by-elections scorecard here.
These by-election results round-ups cover principal authority by-elections as it’s only those for which comprehensive results are available.
Understanding the opinion polls
For understanding what is happening in politics, by-elections have the advantage of being real votes in real ballot boxes. But the opinion polls have the advantage of trying to be a representative sample of voters, not just those in the places that happen to have by-elections. To understand the polls properly – and what they do and don’t really tell us – see my book, Polling UnPacked: The History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls.
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Fantastic result in Cary. Well done all of you. Would love to have helped. Was going to on Polling day but my wife broke her arm in a fall so, had things to deal with.