As I write, Labour’s result in the Euros in Haringey are coming in andit is their worst ever. Their vote has dropped even further than lasttime – and now their vote share across the whole borough (Tottenhamand Hornsey & Wood Green combined) is only 28.5%. I can’t find anyelection of any type since Haringey was created where Labour got sucha low share of the vote – truly an historic low!

The Liberal Democrats, on the other hand, have finished only justbehind on 23.5% – up nearly 5% on the last Euros and our best everEuro result in Haringey. All good signs for the big contest next yearfor control of Haringey Council.

The real shock of the night in Haringey, however, was the fall of theConservatives – their vote dipped, taking them to four place in theborough – behind even the Greens! Again, that’s an historic result -the first time the Conservatives have finished fourth across Haringey. Given the stink which Labour is in, the scandals, the amount of columninches that Cameron gets – that’s quite a result!

Of course, I declare a parochial interest in the result in the Hornsey & Wood Green half of the borough – for obvious reasons – and so wasvery pleased with the box count results which put the Lib Dems stillway ahead this side of the borough according to our tally – usuallyextremely accurate.

Watching across the country, however, the sight of Nick Griffinleering at a camera, and stating quite unashamedly that you could tellby looking at people whether they qualified to join this racist,right-wing party, was a sight I hoped we would never see. The hideousbile of the far right taking a place in Europe – the very territorywhere history is scarred by fascist politics – was the nasty lesson ofthe night. We need to look very carefully at how we counter this smallbut insidious inroad into mainstream politics.

The Euros are never easily translatable into General Election results.It is clear that Labour have had one of the most dreadful nights intheir history. It is equally clear that there is no great love for theTories out there either. The beneficiaries have been the smallerparties – in particular UKIP etc – but that these parties do not pickup the vote under the first past the post system of the GeneralElection.

By the time you read this – who knows what will have happened. WillGordon have survived another night of the long knives as the LabourParliamentary Party and the plotters try and find the courage to killhim off? It is only their disarray that failed first time round. Buthe will fight on as long as there is any chance of surviving.

But what about our poor country in the meantime? Whilst politiciansfret and worry about this swing or that seat – peoples’ lives arestill being wrecked as jobs are lost and homes repossessed andbusinesses closed. Let’s hope now that as soon as his humanlypossible, the expenses scandal is cleaned up and a general election iscalled so that the people of this country can have their say.

(c) Lynne Featherstone, 2009