Random thoughts on the local elections today -
These should be fun to watch, London will no doubt mask the electoral evisceration that
@UKLabour will face across the rest of the country - it remains to be seen if we are in Wilson '68 or Blair '06 territory (both times the party lost the subsequent general elections).
The problem for Starmer will be that as results trickle in overnight, culminating in record losses in leave voting areas like Sunderland and a SNP resurgence in Scotland, tomorrow afternoon will bring the fall of Wales, an historic achievement for the robotic leader which had been a heartland for the party pretty much since local elections became a major thing back in the 1970s.
The fact that Labour will be a distant 3rd, behind Plaid and Reform, will doubtless lead to a Cabinet reshuffle or attempts to deflect but make no mistake about it - Starmer will be crucified, will not rise and the battle will began in earnest, between various nonentities, to replace him.
His supporters may be deluded to suggest otherwise but the loss of the Senedd will be the thing that defines him, well along with the hypocrisy and sanctimonious nonsense since he was elected in the summer of '24.
The real question will be whether the Green Party is ready to become a major force on the left, as Reform will be on the right leading to an overhaul of the old two party system as we continue towards 2029.
A preview of things to come will commence in the next 36 hours, let's see what the Labour internal battles bring........