Having spent most of the week in Oldham and Saddleworth, not to mention numerous hours there before the New Year, it was obvious that the by-election was going to be a hard fought contest. I must outline that, as I posted earlier this week, the result would show one thing - that recent polls showing Liberal Democrat support in single figures would be rubbished. I am pleased with the share of the vote we Lib Dems got in this by-election. 31.9% is slightly raised from the General Election result of last May and clearly it shows that the Lib Dem vote is holding up despite us having to take all the tough decisions that Labour have been ducking.
You cannot say that from the result, Lib Dem share of the vote was only maintained by having squeezed the Tories into an abysmal third place. The comparative increase in Labour's share of the vote to that of the Tory's reduction highlights this.
It was great to be campaigning with other Lib Dems from all around the country, sharing ideas and stories. As well as having had the pleasure to campaign, on many occasions, with Elwyn Watkins who was a brilliant candidate.
Not to mention the other hugely positive result to come out of last night: the BNP not retaining their deposit!
The full result for the by-election can be found here.
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