Our local newspaper, The Chronicle, interviewed Gateshead Council Labour Leader Martin Gannon at the Whickham North by-election count last night. Nothing unusual in that. Perhaps he needed to be distracted from the table where the Labour vote was being counted. Labour weren't doing well. Indeed, their vote was melting away.
Martin said to the Chronicle:
"It is obviously disappointing not to win. I would make the point that 20 years ago that was a Labour seat and I still think it is a seat Labour should win."
The figure of 20 years however is just plain wrong. The last time Labour won in Whickham North was 1991. That's 33 years ago Martin, not the 20 years you claimed. In 1992, (that's 32 years ago Martin in case you can't find your calculator), the Lib Dems won the ward for the first time when Chris Ord took the seat from Labour.
Perhaps Martin, you should ask yourself why Whickham North has never returned to Labour. An answer to that, sometime in the next 20 years, would be interesting!
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