by Eamon Rooke
What happened to Labour?
Early this morning, it was announced that George Galloway won the Bradford West by-election. Its not unusual for by-elections to produce random victories for independents, small parties, or underdogs. It is unusual for those victories to be won by a swing of more than 36%.
Bradford West happens to also be one of the single safest Labour seats one could imagine. It’s a checklist of all the attributes Labour planners could hope for: Northern, post-industrial, vulnerable to spikes in unemployment, and, crucially, populated with a large ethnic minority community.
