A reduced majority for Labour in Salford, home of Hazel Blears. Barracking from the BNP aside, this is a curious result but strangely enough it may mean that Labour are still rather more safe than they appear. Even the Sun is not wholly endorsing Camerfox, instead opting for the "wait and see but we want an election" line that they trot out before most elections. The Tories didn't figure in this election - why not?! - but the BNP were the main threat here.
So time to look at the cards - a quick Past, Present, Future without card descriptions because I've got a bus to catch in 20 minutes.
Past - Knight of Pentacles
A concrete and deft use of money - no, not on Hazel Blears' expense account, but the actual politics of this by-election was less about national issues and more about local discussions and issues that made Labour's position, although damaged, still tenable. Labour are doing enough locally for that to be enough to hold them the seat.
Present - IV Swords, reversed
No rest for the wicked - there is unquiet rest here, Labour know they could no longer rely on the safe holding of Salford even before this scandal broke, so they are actually not a bit surprised and relieved by the result - but know they need to be more pro-active to hold on in the future.
Future - II Wands
Again, putting policies into practice, but stopping short of the silver bullet to completely eradicate the challenge from the BNP. It's nice to be reading positively for something, but this represents the commitment Labour do show on the ground to their constituents even though at higher levels commitments might be somewhat different.
