Doncaster disaster

So in spite of the fact that 7 (yes, that's right, 7) children have died in the past 5 years whilst under the supervision or direct care of social services, and the fact that the Audit Commission which inspected the Council announced in April that it was deeply dysfunctional with Councillors (majority Labour) putting their own interests above those of their community, Labour which had been in a position of no overall control, gained a majority on May 6th! Democracy strikes again.

Today, in an effort to save the people of Doncaster from themselves, the government has imposed a new Chief Executive as well as several Commissioners. They have in effect, taken it over, lock stock and barrel.

Let's see who has been MP for Doncaster for the past 5 years or more - why it's Ed Milliband, Labour Leadership contender and oddly, although I may be mistaken, silent throughout the entire slow disaster that has unfolded in his city over the same period. 

What are we to make of all this ?  I admit to being baffled by the hold which Labour has over areas where they have manifestly failed to deliver anything worth voting for.   And yet, people vote both in the Council and General elections for Labour candidates again and again.  In Haringey (you may recall Baby Peter tragedy), same result, Labour increases their hold on the Council.  

There is a belief widely peddled in the print media, that the LibDems fight dirty in their local election battles but I suspect that they are merely novices in the dark arts, as nothing else comes close to explaining these results.