The share of the vote is encouraging, hitting the 40% needed, if repeated in a General Election, to secure an outright majority. We still have a long way to go if we are to rebuild trust and become the next government: but this is a great start.
Labour's losses were worse than expected with their share of the vote collapsing to 26%. The Prime Minister's reshuffle on Friday has rearranged the pack, but will create its own problems. Gordon Brown was not consulted. John Prescott has lost his job but not his perks. Several senior Ministers (Jack Straw, Geoff Hoon) have been demoted, while Margaret Beckett is promoted despite presiding over a farm payments shambles at DEFRA.
The LibDems, for all their fine talk, flat-lined. They gained only 3 seats overall. Other minority parties did much better, with the Greens gaining 24 councillors and even both the dreadful Galloway's Respect Party and dreaded BNP gaining more seats than the LibDems.
David Cameron is clearly appealing to LibDem voters. In those seats which were straight Conservative-LibDem contests, the Conservatives made net gains of 39 councillors.
Here in Shropshire the Conservatives did well, gaining two seats to take overall control of Shrewsbury & Atcham with 43% of the vote, while Labour fell back to 27% and the LibDems to 23%. All-in-all a good start for Mr Cameron.
