Professor Paul Whiteley is not the first political pundit from the University of Essex to get it wrong with Colchester election predictions.
One of his predecessors said Labour would win Colchester in the 1997 general election.
They came third. I won, and, three further general elections and 15 years later, I am still the MP for Colchester.
In last Wednesday’s Gazette, Professor Whiteley, from the Department of Government, said the make-up of Colchester Council would alter as a result of Thursday’s elections.
He believed a number of seats would change. He was wrong.
He boldly predicted “the Liberal Democrats will suffer”.
Wrong again. The good people of Colchester thought differently.
They re-elected all nine Liberal Democrats, four of them with increased majorities.
The Lib Dems remain the largest party on the council, and in my Colchester parliamentary constituency (which comprises the town) the Liberal Democrats remain the leading party, with Labour rooted firmly in third place on a day when across England and Wales Labour did well.
Last year when the Liberal Democrats held all the seats we were defending, the Gazette headline said for the Lib Dems this was “Fortress Colchester”.
Thursday’s results were even more impressive.
Sir Bob Russell
Lib Dem MP for Colchester
Wimpole Road
Colchester
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