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Really strong results for Remain overnight. A demonstration of the strength of Remain voters and the punishment they can inflict on parties who refuse to represent them.
Despite this, the results are being eagerly misrepresented as a punishment for parties not 'delivering' Brexit. The media bubble will likely frame that way and many politicians will hear what they want to hear.
The gap in the way the media portrays Remain party victories vs ie a Brexit party surge is quite startling.
However, couple of notes of caution. The Brexit party wasn't standing in this elections, only Ukip. Many voters on the Brexit side will have stayed at home but won't have to ie in future elections.
Second, standard FPTP bit. You can use local elections to deliver a message. In a future general election, most votes will likely return to big two to prevent the other one winning.
The reality is we are seeing a show of Remain strength. But it would be wrong to translate that into an idea of a Remain country rising up from slumber. It's more that Brexit has made politics fundamentally unmanageable for either of the main parties.
Still, it's fucking fun, and super satisfying, watching Remain parties pick up seats. So reckon I might just settle in for the day and hope it keeps on happening.
Oh, one more thing, obvious but worth mentioning. The period of the Lib Dem sin-bin is over. They are back. No more treating them like a tainted brand. They've clearly been forgiven by enough people to be treated as a viable political force.
