Breaking the Mould - An alternative 2015 UK general election

Prologue:

It was strange really. This by-election hadn't been particularly high-profile in the national media; most of the focus had instead been on the Carswell drama in Clacton. It was clear quite early on in the day, however, that the result would at the very least be 'interesting'. Various reports were reaching me that our core voters simply weren't turning out, while high numbers of long-time absentees were.

Yet on Twitter and the rest it was all about Clacton and how Carswell was going to walk it. Quite understandable when you think of how Southern-centric social media is, I suppose.

Then, at around 9PM, a particularly grim text came up.

"Best we can hope for is a recount. Hopwood Hall and West Heywood in particular are buggering it up for us, and they aren't being offset by somewhat better showings in the Middleton wards."

By midnight, the BBC had caught on, with the reporter at the count saying on Andrew Neil's by-election special programme that UKIP were looking cheerful.

I needed a drink.

~ From Wayward in Heywood: A Diary of the By-Election That Turned Everything Upside Down
 
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