Those results in full ...

Esher & Walton. Con Hold.

Ian Taylor, Conservative, 21,882 45.7% -3.3
Mark Marsh, Liberal Democrat, 14,155 29.6% +7.1
Richard Taylor, Labour, 9,309 19.4% -4.2
Bernard Collignon, UK Independence Party, 1,582 3.3% -1.6
Chinners Chinnery, Monster Raving Loony Party, 608 1.3% +1.3
Richard Cutler, Socialist Labour Party, 342% 0.7 +0.7

Majority 7,727 16.1%
Turnout 47,878 62.2% (+0.3 on 2001)

Swing: 5.2% from Con to LD

This is not really a surprise, this is very safe Tory territory.

Although nobody thought to point out that the UKIP candidate appears to be French; 'Collignon, big moron' as the Amelie subtitles would have it.

To sum up the election for me, I think that on the evidence of the swings we saw last night, the Liberal Democrats may indeed be on the verge of making a serious challenge. We have to wonder, however, how many of these Liberal voters were disaffected Labour voters, and how many of them will drift back to Labour next time round. Tony Blair was sent a message - now it has been sent, whither the Liberal Democrats? We need, I think, to see some serious policy wonking during the next parliament, and certainly a leadership challenge; Charles Kennedy is not now, and never was, the man to lead the country. He's done a good job, but I can't believe him as Prime Minister. Someone else needs a crack of the whip, and personally, my money would be on Menzies Campbell.

I am not at all disappointed with the national result, and I think that's pretty good.

Coincidentally, my old constituency, Brighton Pavillion, stayed Labour, but the third place party was the Greens, with which I am most impressed.