I am not utterly convinced. I was getting that gut feeling as some of the results were coming through. There again, Putney, for example, was settling down after the intervention by James Goldsmith in 1997 basically took Tory votes from Mellor.
I was very upset to see Stephen Twigg lose; I had not liked him back in the NUS day and my delight at seeing Portillo crumble was tempered by the news it was Twiggy. Everyone knew he stood no chance of winning; he'd taken the job at the Fabian Society on condition he didn't stand for a winnable seat. But, actually, he did impress me greatly as a Minister, and I've grown rather fond of him, even if I did turn down the invite to his birthday party (not the one where he fell over drunk and had to go to Casualty...). So I was gutted to see him lose, but, rationally, Enfield Southgate is not a natural Labour seat.
It was very sad to see Oona King lose, especially to that oily arrogant tosser Galloway and his disgraceful victory speech. It was disturbing to hear Tony Banks's views about how he believed Galloway had gone there to capitalise on a distaste in the Moslem community for a mixed-race woman - she's Jewish as well as black. I think that's a statement that's worth scrutinising.
Of course, I feel that I was one of the early people to spot Oona King. Very many years ago I was delegated the job by my then ward of going through the pile of CVs submitted for nomination to our then Euro constituency. I scrutinised them all and recommended Oona King. My choice was scoffed at; the ward nominated Rosie Winterton. Anita Pollock was eventually selected. Which was the most inspired choice?
I see Lorna Fitzsimons lost Rochdale. For someone who was so mouthy before 97 and in the initial few months, she seemed to go quiet for 7 ½ years. That may have meant that she was working assidously in Rochdale, I don't know.
But it's strange to see so many of my generation lose their seats (Lorna was on NUS Exec when I was a hack).
I wonder if Butler and Kavanagh (or some younger successors) will do their Nuffield psephological analysis. I have read most for the last century, although I didn't bother even looking out for it in 2001. 2001 was a non-event psephologically. This one is an absolute treasure for psephologists. Totally fascinating.
Update: I notice that Chris Leslie has lost Shipley. Thisis interesting for two reasons - when he won in '97, Rachel, who was at school with him, was on the phone to her father so I was busy signalling that he had won; she thought I was winding her up, but I managed sufficiently well at charades and sign language to persuade her it was true, so she then had to set about convincing her father.
It also means that Shipley joins Altrincham and Sale West, and Sutton Coldfield as the only non-London, Metropolitan Conservative seats. And the only other significant City where they have a seat is...Milton Keynes. It's a pretty damning indictment of the Conservatives that they managed to take just four seats in the big conurbations and cities - none on Merseyside, none in South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol, Nottingham, Leicester, and just one each on the very outskirts of Manchester, Bradford and Birmingham. London is different, whether you like it or not.
