By The By

At Rotherham, strong showings for Respect and for UKIP would send messages to both parties about national sovereignty, about traditional family values (including marriage as only ever the union of one man and one woman), and about the central and local government action necessary in order to safeguard them both.

A message to Labour not to offend Muslims, which would not always please some of us, but which would be very useful in the fight for marriage. And a message to both main parties not to offend what would once have been called the white working class. Not identical, but similar, messages would be sent if there were relatively high votes for the English Democrats and for TUSC. By their own standards, the English Democrats have hitherto done well in South Yorkshire.

At Croydon North, strong showings for Respect in the person of Lee Jasper, for UKIP in the person of Winston McKenzie, and at least relatively for Stephen Hammond of the Christian People's Alliance, would send messages to Labour not to offend the African and Afro-Caribbean communities by failing to stand up for public services, for community institutions, for Commonwealth ties, and for traditional family values; again, that would have huge implications for the debate on marriage. Such a result for UKIP would also send such a message to the Conservatives.

The CPA, by the way, seems to attract the list votes for the Greater London Assembly of the Latin Mass crowd, and especially of those with paleocon views about capitalist no less than Marxist materialism. You would be amazed quite where some of those turned up.