Thank you Mark.I recollect a comment by veteran Labour Councillor Peter Price quoted in the local press -'they are your trees' or words to that effect.You are spot on as regards 'heritage'.
I have the impression that Sheffield bucks national electoral trends, for example in the 2019 general election (wall still painted almost entirely red, if a bit faded) and these local elections ("disappointing" only because Labour nationally made significant gains, not because anyone expected anything much different here), but I have no idea whether this is true or just that I like the idea of our exceptionalism. One for Dan Timms to dig into, perhaps? Any analysis might need to take into account the possibility that the "two cities" (NE vs. SW) might behave differently.
You wrote "When Terry Fox stood down as Labour party leader in the wake of disappointing local elections results"
but his resignation was announced before the results were. To what extent are the outcomes of elections known by councillors before we get to hear? Shouldn't everyone hear it from the counting officers at the same time?
Recently your excellent data journalist has identified multiple differences in Sheffields’s social and economic geography. Is tree rage really the principal factor in disappointment with Labour performance beyond Salter Lane?
You seem to be suggesting that if Sheffield Councillors don't elect a Labour councillor as their new Leader it is "going against the will of the people." The Percentage of people voting pro Labour at the last election was 39.6%. The Percentage of people voting anti Labour was 61.4%. The Percentage of people voting for the three non Labour parties represented on the Council was 56.4%. The total Percentage of people voting for the Lib Dems and Greens was 45.6%. None of these figures show that electing a Labour councillor as Leader is the will of the people. Interpreting the 'will of the people' would surely lead in the direction of one of the Lib Dems and one of the Greens providing the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council.
A very astute comment regarding the likelyhood of a truly seismic sea change in Sheffield local politics,however I would be wary of laying all the blame for Labours ills on the tree episode.
Ron Clayton is right: it is not all about the trees. Labour has a blind eye for other matters such as heritage, particularly heritage.
Compared with the total number of trees within the city (over four million?), the street trees are a small percentage. In practical terms ecology was not the main issue. It was aesthetics, trampled rough-shod by lack of consultation. I think class comes into this -- ie the posh west versus the Labour councillors represented by Brian Lodge (Birley), Terry Fox ( Manor Castle), Jayne Dunn (Southey), etc.
Its somewhat ambiguous to me how much the Sheffield public would have known about this affair because of the commercial emasculation of local media.
Thank you Mark.I recollect a comment by veteran Labour Councillor Peter Price quoted in the local press -'they are your trees' or words to that effect.You are spot on as regards 'heritage'.
I have the impression that Sheffield bucks national electoral trends, for example in the 2019 general election (wall still painted almost entirely red, if a bit faded) and these local elections ("disappointing" only because Labour nationally made significant gains, not because anyone expected anything much different here), but I have no idea whether this is true or just that I like the idea of our exceptionalism. One for Dan Timms to dig into, perhaps? Any analysis might need to take into account the possibility that the "two cities" (NE vs. SW) might behave differently.
You wrote "When Terry Fox stood down as Labour party leader in the wake of disappointing local elections results"
but his resignation was announced before the results were. To what extent are the outcomes of elections known by councillors before we get to hear? Shouldn't everyone hear it from the counting officers at the same time?
Recently your excellent data journalist has identified multiple differences in Sheffields’s social and economic geography. Is tree rage really the principal factor in disappointment with Labour performance beyond Salter Lane?
You seem to be suggesting that if Sheffield Councillors don't elect a Labour councillor as their new Leader it is "going against the will of the people." The Percentage of people voting pro Labour at the last election was 39.6%. The Percentage of people voting anti Labour was 61.4%. The Percentage of people voting for the three non Labour parties represented on the Council was 56.4%. The total Percentage of people voting for the Lib Dems and Greens was 45.6%. None of these figures show that electing a Labour councillor as Leader is the will of the people. Interpreting the 'will of the people' would surely lead in the direction of one of the Lib Dems and one of the Greens providing the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council.
A very astute comment regarding the likelyhood of a truly seismic sea change in Sheffield local politics,however I would be wary of laying all the blame for Labours ills on the tree episode.
Ron Clayton is right: it is not all about the trees. Labour has a blind eye for other matters such as heritage, particularly heritage.
Compared with the total number of trees within the city (over four million?), the street trees are a small percentage. In practical terms ecology was not the main issue. It was aesthetics, trampled rough-shod by lack of consultation. I think class comes into this -- ie the posh west versus the Labour councillors represented by Brian Lodge (Birley), Terry Fox ( Manor Castle), Jayne Dunn (Southey), etc.