Labour regains Corby but police vote turnout is low
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Krishnan here – two big news stories jostling for the top spot tonight. I’m not sure if we’ll lead on elections here or fighting between Gaza and Israel. So in no particular order:
Labour regains Corby but police vote turnout is low
The turnout in Thursday’s elections was gut-wrenchingly awful: well below 20 per cent in most places and some polling stations barely saw anyone turn up at all to elect police and crime commissioners. All the politicians are insisting there is no question mark over the legitimacy of those elected and they’re entitled to that opinion.
The government says it’s because of a lack of media interest, others say it is because of a lack of government interest. Perhaps it was because it was cold and dark and November. Or is it because nobody really thinks elected figures can change our lives very much anymore?
Labour won the Corby by-election from the Conservatives – the first such victory in 15 years on a swing of almost 13 per cent from the Tories. Political Editor Gary Gibbon and Political Correspondent Michael Crick will explain what happened. Grant Shapps and Yvette Cooper will debate why so few people engaged with the election.
Egypt PM condemns ‘blatant aggression’ by Israel
The Muslim Brotherhood’s Egyptian president sent his prime minister to Gaza earlier – when he arrived he condemned Israel’s “blatant aggression”. Given the origins of Hamas this is not a surprise. Israel initially scaled down attacks on the Gaza Strip today. But a large rocket was launched this afternoon from Gaza towards Jerusalem may prompt an escalation.
Israeli tanks have assembled along the border and the call-up of 16,000 Israeli military reservists is ongoing. At time of writing our Chief Correspondent Alex Thomson is reporting powerful explosions in and around Gaza City from where he reports live for us tonight.
Doncaster children’s services inadequate – Ofsted
Education Secretary Michael Gove has launched a stinging attack on the care system in Doncaster, and is considering what action to take. Two reports have attacked the social services department which was responsible for two brothers who beat and tortured two other young boys. Doncaster social services have already been investigated once. The latest reports say things have improved but not by enough.
Ginger mummy?
He’s known informally as “Ginger” and he’s been a guest of the British Museum for more than a hundred years. But the Gebelein Man, to give him his scientific name, has been dead for more than 5,000 years – and it’s only now that researchers have been able to discover the cause of his death. A new body-scanning technique has unearthed clues from the mummified remains. Carl Dinnen has been sifting the evidence.
Krishnan
Business news
The FTSE closed at 5,605.59 – down 72 points.
£1 buys $1.58 or 1.24 euros.
Tonight’s weather
Mild for most, with spells of rain and drizzle, extensive low cloud, mist and fog, although the southeast should stay largely dry. Colder, clearer conditions with showers following into the northwest later, perhaps giving frost and localised icy patches.
Tomorrow’s weather
England and Wales starting cloudy, with occasional rain and drizzle moving east to clear all but the southeast later, gradually replaced by bright, breezy but showery conditions from the northwest.
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There are 5 comments on this post
Government blames [b]media[/b] for low turnout? Whatever next? Government blames media for bankers’ bailout?
What a crazy waste of money. What sort of democracy is it where we don’t know what we’re voting for? How will an elected Police Commissioner apply a diminishing budget to do all the things the ‘electorate’ ask for in a way the current committees don’t or won’t?
I waited for the promised Government leaflet explaining the point of the election and was also hoping my local candidates might have presented their hopes, aspirations and credentials. Nothing came so how could I cast a reasonable, well informed vote!?
Krishnan,
On the low turn out for the police commissioner elections – what did you expect?
Which is why this citizen was unsurprised at the farcical custard pie fight between the tory and new labour clowns during your “interview.” They just don’t “get it,” never have, never will. You are wasting your time on them.
The fact is the political establishment of this country is nothing but a neocon one party state with different factions. What more illustration do you want than Milliband showing up at Corby….only to bleat about “Middle England” like a Daily Mail reader. The long term political effects are obvious – and tragic.
On the murderous Israeli assault on Gaza – why did C4 News refer to Gaza resistance as coming from “militants”? If you are going to use language that way, why not label Israeli action for what it is, fascist colonial invasion and occupation of Palestinian lands? Gaza assaults on Israel are a pin prick compared to armed-to-the-teeth Israeli massed forces. There will be no resolution of that part of the Middle East horrors until Israel stops building illegal settlements on occupied lands and withdraws behind its legal borders as required by UN resolutions. If there is one people on this planet who should know ghettos and genocide do not crush the human spirit it is surely the Jews. More to the point, the Palestinians can afford to lose a thousand battles, but win only one. And, tragically, that is what will happen sooner or later ……unless the Israelis forget the nonsense of Yeretz Israel and make an accord with the Palestinian people.
I can think of far better things to spend £100 MILLION on.
I’d also end the special privileges and statutory exemptions in relation to Income Tax & National Insurance currently enjoyed by Members of Parliament and Government Ministers.
Plus, I’d end Parliamentary Privilege in relation to the financial affairs of Members of the House of Commons and House of Lords. Abusing expenses would be immediately a matter for legal trial with the guilty being barred from holding any Public Office or any directorship.
The main problem is these two parties are just too similar. Both of them have moved to the centre and for what you could call ‘ordinary people’ there isn’t much of a choice any more.