Last night was the most exhausting night I have experienced for many a long year.
After working so hard in the weeks running up to this election Wednesfield North representatives turned up at the count last night at Aldersley Leisure Centre full of high hopes and despite being tired crackling with anticipation at the thoughts of seeing a Labour Prime Minister.
But I was shattered to walk into the sports hall to see a giant Screen stating that the BBC exit pol was predicting a further Conservative Government. That was draining and as the night wore on your own exuberance and high expectations plummeted like meteor from Outer Space!
Now let me say now that here in Wednesfield North we did our bit! We more than did our bit! Wolverhampton North East went onto return Emma Reynolds. Wolverhampton South West won their seat back off the Conservative Paul Uppal. What a great victory in the scheme of things that was. Plus we have seen Pat Mc Fadden Labour triumph in Wolverhampton South East. So Labour here in our city has nothing to reproach themselves on.
But of course the ‘big game’ was winning a Labour Government and that objective turned into a nightmare. So what about the future? Well lets look no further than the City Council count later this morning. No predictions Wednesfield! Lets see how the results turn out.
But this is not the end of The Labour movement, this is a setback, nothing more than that. We have been here suffering the bitter taste of disappointment before. But later today and after a sleep. I will be doing what I always do, that is fighting for my neighbourhood, my friends and colleagues, and trying to make Wolverhampton and the United Kingdom a better place!
Believe me we here in Wednesfield North we fought a great battle in these past weeks. We have delivered some 25,000 leaflets, walked hundreds of miles and spoke with street after street of residents. I want Councillor Rita Potter to win her seat again, and I want us to be proud of what we have achieved locally. Lets go to the City Council count and win a Labour victory in our great City of Wolverhampton!