Diss By-Election: LibDems still making no progress

I'm sure it won't make the news, but the result from the Diss by-election was:

John Cowan (Labour Party) 63 votes (3.4%)
Eloise Ellis (Conservative) 1041 votes (55.6%)
Trevor Wenman (Liberal Democrat Party) 768 votes (41%)

This is significant in many ways. Firstly Diss is a bellweather seat, which the Tories gained one seat in a by-election 2 years ago and then again at the 07 council elections with exactly the same swing. And yet last night, after a year in power at South Norfolk the LibDems made no advance against the Tory tide.

Again the LibDems were proclaiming a tight result and it's so close here ... hardly ... the Tory majority of 14% was the same as it had been a year ago; nothing changed.

The LibDems again threw the kitchen sink at this election and to no avail; with the exception of North Norfolk, the LibDems are against the wall both locally in Norwich and Norfolk and also nationally.

For those who call upon Rennard, Clegg and the LibDems to change their campaign techniques they should look at Diss as well as Henley.

And secondly is the Labour result; Diss is as urban as South Norfolk gets (which is why it should have been better for the LibDems) and they could only muster 63 votes? Oh dear.