THE result in Wyre Forest was the unique exception in a highly predictable General Election.

Analysis of the result shows that voters were prepared to abandon traditional party loyalties and deliver a protest vote.

Both Labour and the Tories took massive knocks. David Lock lost 15,986 votes on his 1997 total of 26,4478. Mark Simpson for the Conservatives lost 10,547 votes on Anthony Coombs' 1997 performance.

The effect of the Liberals and Liberal Democrats not fielding candidates was difficult to judge. Clearly, many Labour and Conservative supporters stayed at home.

This represents one of the most remarkable swings in British political history. Turnout in Wyre Forest declined for the second successive election to 68 per cent, although this was still 10 per cent higher than the national average.

Where did Richard Taylor's votes come from? Some 26,533 may well have come from 1997 Labour and Conservative voters with 1,954 votes from those who had voted Liberal Democrat in 1997 - but this argument is undermined when we see the number who stayed at home.

Getting elected was probably the easy task for Richard Taylor. When the new parliament reconvenes he faces an uphill struggle against the party whip system, even to be heard.

The whips are the guardians of the business of the House of Commons controlling the allocation of offices and desks; select committee placements and the opportunity to speak in debates; and the submission of ministerial questions to the Speaker's Office.

It will be a case of "hitting the ground running" for Dr Taylor and he will be well advised to put himself under the whip of one of the smaller parties if he is to survive in an environment where the Government has a monolithic majority.

Wyre Forest politics has been historically very volatile - in the 1880s a policeman was stoned to death in an election day riot.

Thankfully things have calmed down since then.

In 1979 Wyre Forest voters elected a Conservative MP, Esmond Bulmer, and on the very same day elected a Liberal council.

In 1997 David Lock was elected for Labour with a massive swing of 16 per cent.

The next General Election in Wyre Forest will probably prove equally as interesting and unpredictable.

Hopefully turnout and participation will increase.

Richard Taylor needs to be congratulated on such a stunning result.

David Lock has been a hardworking constituency MP, prepared to make decisions and take responsibility, and was certainly a high-flyer in Tony Blair's Labour Government, with cabinet prospects.

He will certainly re-emerge soon in a by-election or perhaps in some judicial capacity.

By DAVID CRAIK

Politics lecturer at Kidderminster College