The salient details from Bromley:

CON 11629
LD 10988
UKIP 2347
LAB 1925

Others 2181

Bob Neill having a pop now - first time I've ever heard sour grapes in a victory speech...

Good result for us overall.

...but not Bromley!

According to this report, the Independents are likely to retain Blaenau Gwent - a result that would make me reasonably happy. What would make me happier of course is if something were to happen in Bromley and Chislehurst - a contest about which Sky are currently predicting nothing.

Sky are not usually shy about calling results ahead of time based on sources at the count - so either this means that the result is too close to call at this stage or that they don't particularly like the result.

I think we can rule out a Bob Neill blowout...

Update: Labour has conceded both Blaenau elections. Apparently they have "a lot of listening to do." Just B&C to go, then...

For those Lib Dem Bloggers who are in the Sheffield area, we are running an event on the evening of Saturday 8th July called Not The World Cup Final, where there will be an opportunity to watch the penultimate game of the World Cup (the 3rd/4th place playoff) and chat with some local Lib Dems. (For those non-Lib Dem readers of this blog, you may make your jokes about the Lib Dems' interest in third place in the comments...)

Food, drink and half-time entertainment will be laid on, as well as (of course) some light political discussion. You don't expect us to talk about football all evening, do you?

The event is at the Princess Royal on Slinn Street in Crookes, and starts at 7.30 PM. All are welcome. Details on Flock Together here.

Also, fellow Sheffield blogger Joe Otten is organising a Sheffield Liberal Drinks meeting on July 18th - details here. Again all are welcome.

For those that believe that being near to the top of the ballot improves your chances on polling day, behold: -

Candidates for Bromley and Chislehurst By-Election:

1. Ben Abbotts (Liberal Democrat)
2. Anne Belsey (Money Reform Party)
3. John Cartwright (Monster Raving Loony Party)
4. Nigel Farage (UK Independence Party)
5. Ann Garrett (Green)
6. Nick Hadziannis (Independent)
7. John Hemming-Clarke (Independent)
8. Bob Neill (Conservative)
9. Rachel Reeves (Labour)
10. Steven Uncles (English Democrats)
11. Paul Winnett (National Front)

Notice the following, if you will: -

• We are at the very top of the ballot. (I wonder if this came up at Ben's selection meeting? *wink*)
• The UKIP candidate is higher than the Tory candidate.
• There is clear blue water (*ahem*) between us, UKIP, and the Conservatives (plenty of padding there from joke candidates like the Greens)
• By the time you get to the Labour candidate, you've probably got bored and gone home
  

Not that I believe in this sort of voodoo, of course, but I'm taking it as a sign that we'll give the Tories a jolly good scare today...

Guido apparently has a friendly bet going with our own John Hemming MP on the outcome of the Bromley by-election.

Hemming apparently has a "three-figure" sum on a Ben Abbotts victory at startlingly short odds of 3/1. (That ought to drive down the odds on Betfair!)

Incidentally, Labour have drifted out to 200/1. It looks like Labour have given up and their voters are switching to us - it looks pretty clear that we're going to finish at worst a good second. I'm looking forward to the result...

Maybe Alastair Campbell should have seen this comment coming on his World Cup blog?

"Alastair, if Iran find themselves behind at half time, do you think they'll be able to launch a counter-attack in the following 45 minutes?"

BBC News reports.

I have to agree with Tony Ferguson here on the topic of World Cup flag-waving.

While the "PC brigade" are usually non-existant straw men used by people who want some convenient cover behind which to be racist or intolerant, there seems to have been a higher than normal amount of jobsworthiness concerning this World Cup and the St. George's Cross.

While there is an obvious correlation between the displaying of the English flag and a certain racist/xenophobic mindset (to generalise even more crassly: white van men) - that doesn't make the flag, or the Union Flag for that matter, a racist symbol. Indeed, I'm of the view that any suggestion that it is is to allow certain proto-racist "nationalists" to misappropriate what is, after all, a symbol that we all own.

Oh, and another thing - I found William Hague's German joke funny and I don't feel the slightest animosity to the Germans as a nation. So there, Denis MacShane.

Enjoy your World Cup everyone - I'm off to Manchester to watch it on the big screen!

Nothing dismays me more than waking up to the sound of John Humphreys being allowed to talk complete rubbish and get away with it, which is exactly what happened this morning when he interviewed some poor anti-war protester who was obviously completely incapable of defending herself:

(Transcribed from memory, so may be misquoted)

Humphreys: "Surely only governments should be the only ones who decide whether they're allowed to declare war?"

The current war on Iraq was never declared; neither was the first Gulf War, neither was the war on Serbia or the Falklands War for that matter. This is part of the problem.

And again:

"Surely soldiers shouldn't be allowed to decide whether the orders they are given are legal?"

Even wronger - soldiers have a statutory duty to scrutinise the legality of their orders, otherwise they risk being prosecuted for war crimes. Following orders is no defence.

Whether Humphreys took pity on this woman and decided to start with a couple of hopelessly wide deliveries I have no idea - sadly though she managed to avoid making contact with either of them...

Update: It was Linda King, mother of a light infantryman serving in Iraq.