In short, in matters sonic, psephological and quizzical, I am the very model of a modern Major-General.

Sunday 19 September 2010

Worcestershire now complete

West Sussex and Worcestershire are now complete and in the database. Cumbria next.

Sunday 15 August 2010

Staffordshire now complete

All the 2002-2010 results for Staffordshire are now available to view at http://www.andrewteale.me.uk/leap/. Only taken ten days, so hopefully I should accelerate through the shire districts now after the long gap.

West Sussex will be the next county to be done.

Friday 6 August 2010

Kent now complete

All Kent results from 2002-2010 are now available from my website. Go to http://www.andrewteale.me.uk/leap/.

The next county to be done will be Staffordshire.

Monday 29 March 2010

Update and stuff

News on the website: All Essex councils have now been brought up to date. Hampshire is the next project and I'm currently at the map-drawing stage. All results welcome.

Strangely there are no quiz league matches this week. The Tuesday league season is now over, and it's our week off in the Monday league. The current Monday league table:













PWDLScrPts
Astley Bridge Conservative Club1080265016
Sweet Green Trinity1080257516
Dunscar Conservative Club1070360914
Seven Stars1070358114
Top Bull1061354113
King William1050554810
King's Head104065148
Breightmet Conservative Club104064898
Sweet Green Ramblers103074926
Chicken Runners102084644
Lion of Vienna101184693


Because there's no match tonight I can watch the second semi-final of University Challenge, and the first semi-final of Only Connect in which my Bolton quiz league rival Jenny Ryan will be featuring. Should be good - tune your television to BBC4 at 2030.

Finally, my former University Challenge team-mate Nick Dawson has had his book "Being Hal Ashby", a biography of the rebel Hollywood film director, nominated for the "Best Moving Image Book" award at the And/Or Book Awards. Well done to him. The presentation is apparently on 29th April.

Saturday 2 January 2010

Hertsmere

Hertsmere local government district covers a strip of green belt land just outside the Greater London boundary. At the west end of the district is Bushey, a suburb of Watford located on the West Coast Main Line. To the north-west is the large village of Radlett which grew around a station on the Midland Main Line in the nineteenth century; confusingly the two wards covering the village take their name from the parish of Aldenham. In 2000 Aldenham East ward was ranked as the least deprived ward in England. Further up the Midland Main Line are the twin towns of Elstree and Borehamwood, famous for their film studios. At the east end of the district is the town of Potters Bar on the East Coast Main Line.

Politically, Radlett (Aldenham), Potters Bar and the rural area in between are monolithically Conservative. Elstree is also safe for the Conservatives. Borehamwood has traditionally been good territory for Labour but the Tories have made major inroads over the last few years and now only one of Borehamwood's four wards is a safe bet for Labour. Bushey is the area of Lib Dem strength in the district, but in the last few years the Conservatives have started to make significant gains here.

2002:


2003:


2004:


The Conservative gains start, with two gains from Labour in Borehamwood and Bushey Park being gained from the Lib Dems.

2006:


Very much a repeat of 2004 with further Conservative gains in Borehamwood. Bushey St James also falls but the Lib Dems successfully defend Bushey Park. C 11 LD 2 Lab 1; shares of the vote C 58% LD 21% Lab 18%.

2007:


The opposition parties fared better this year. The Lib Dems held all their seats in Bushey (including a double vacancy in Bushey St James). Labour partially stemmed their losses, as Borehamwood Brookmeadow returned split C/Lab representation in a double-vacancy election. C 10 LD 3 Lab 2; shares C 60% Lab 20% LD 14%.

2008:


With not much left to gain in Borehamwood, the Conservatives gain all the Lib Dem seats in Bushey. Only Labour's defence of Borehamwood Cowley Hill prevented a whitewash. C 12 Lab 1; shares C 65% Lab 19% LD 10%.

Broxbourne

Two Hertfordshire councils done today: Broxbourne and Hertsmere.

Broxbourne is tucked away in the south-east corner of Hertfordshire. It takes in a series of contiguous small towns on the west bank of the River Lea stretched out along the West Anglia Main Line. Cheshunt (of Tesco fame) and Hoddesdon are the largest population centres, with Broxbourne proper being a relatively small area in between the two. It forms almost all of the Broxbourne parliamentary constituency.

Broxbourne is, to be honest, a boring council electorally. It is one of the few places which has been continuously Conservative controlled since 1973; only in 1995 did they fail to win a majority of the wards, and their lowest point came in 1996 when they had 24 out of 42 seats.

2002:



The pink ward represents the Bury Green Residents. Nothing more has been heard of them since, and the Bury Green Residents councillor was re-elected in 2006 as a Conservative.

2003:



BNP gain Rosedale. This is white London overspill, the sort of area that has elected a fair number of BNP councillors. Rosedale appears to be a residential area on the western edge of Cheshunt.

2004:



Clean sweep for the Conservatives, even taking the normally Labour ward of Waltham Cross.

2006:



As you were. C 12 (+1) Lab 1 Bury Green Residents 0 (-1). Shares of the vote: C 68.9 Lab 22.2 BNP 5.1 LD 2.5 New Party 1.4.

2007:



The BNP having been seen off in Rosedale, the Conservatives take the seat back. C 12 (+1) Lab 1 BNP 0 (-1). Shares of the vote: C 64.0 Lab 19.0 BNP 13.3 LD 2.8 Bar 0.5.

2008:



Labour improve their position on the council by regaining Waltham Cross. C 11 (-1) Lab 1 (+1). Shares of the vote: C 63.3 Lab 19.4 BNP 15.3 LD 2.0.

Current composition is C 35 Lab 3.

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