I CAN'T work out what's happening nationally, so I've spent the morning going through the North-East seats in this extraordinary inconclusive and patchwork election:

Bishop Auckland

Not as large a swing away from Labour as elsewhere in the North-East, although the Tories came in second. This was primarily because the feuding within the local Lib Dem party over the selection of its candidate led to the electorate being presented with two Lib-related candidates which split the Lib Dem vote. BNP lost its deposit.

Blaydon

Pre-vote polls suggested the Lib Dems were on course to win this seat, but as their vote fell away, Labours Dave Anderson actually increased his majority from 5,335 to 9,117.

Darlington

I caught the tailend of the Darlington count and was somewhat surprised to see that all three main candidates were leaving with smiles on their faces. Labour's Jenny Chapman won, and even though Alan Milburn's majority was greatly reduced, she did more than squeak home. Edward Legard for the Conservatives produced a very respectable nine per cent swing in his favour, and said he was pleased that the margin of his defeat was large enough 3,388 to prevent him from re-running his campaign and asking himself "what if" as he would have done with a defeat by a couple of hundred. And Mike Barker increased the Lib Dem share from 18 per cent to 23 per cent a useful base ahead of next year's council elections. BNP lost its deposit.

City of Durham

An extraordinary result. Two weeks ago, someone close to the Labour campaign told me that there was a mixed reception on the doorstep: "It ranged from we voted Labour last time and we are not voting Labour this time to we voted Labour last time and we will never vote Labour again." Labour felt to me to be defeated. That's why Nick Clegg turned up on Palace Green at 4pm on the eve of polling for a grilling in front of students. And it was a grilling apparently the most hostile of his campaign indicating, with hindsight, the changing mood of the seat. In the end, there was only a 0.37 per cent swing from Labour to Lib Dems and Roberta Blackman Woods' majority fell from 3,274 to 3,067. I wonder what the relationship between her and her Lib Dem opponent Carol Woods is like this morning.

The North Durhams

Weirdly conflicting swings in the neighbouring safe Labour seats. In North, there was a 9 per cent swing from Lab to Con, in North West there was an 8 per cent swing from Lab to Lib Dem. BNP and Ukip lost their deposits in both seats.

Gateshead

Only a four per cent swing from Lab to Lib Dem. What a patchwork election!

Harrogate

A remarkable result, unseen by me. Phil Willis, the sitting Lib Dem MP who had a 10,429 maj, stepped down and the Cons won by 1,039 with a 12.5 per cent swing. So what did happen to Cleggmania?

Hartlepool

As Lib Dems finished second in 2005, this was an outside chance for them as Cleggmania gripped the nation. Amazingly, then, the Lib Dem vote plummeted 13 per cent and the Conservatives made it into second. Perhaps it was the celebrity of their candidate, former local radio presenter and well known speaker Alan Wright.

Sunderland seats

Wearside is still Labour and goes into the new parliament with three female MPs a real change given the nature of the sixty-something men they replace. The first two seats to be declared Houghton and Sunderland South, Washington and Sunderland West were enormous swings from Labour, but where it really counted Sunderland Central there was just a 4.8 per cent swing to the Conservatives. This result, around midnight, showed that the Tories werent going to march into Downing Street and that they might struggle to make gains in the region.

The Middlesbroughs

Sir Stuart Bell, despite the personal attacks against his performance, still weighed in in Middlesbrough, although the BNP did put in one of their better performances: nearly 6 per cent. I wonder whether the "Vote Satan" banner that I saw flying from an A66 bridge at Cannon Park won anyone any votes?

Boro South and East Cleveland formerly held by the late Ashok Kumar returned Labour's Tom Blenkinsop with a reduced 1,677 majority. The Lab vote here seems to have firmed up in the last days of the campaign, and the Corus effect was not as poisonous as elsewhere, perhaps because young Blenkinsop is a steel union official who has fought the mothballing whereas other Tees Valley Labour MPs were fatally damaged by their Governments perceived inaction.

The Newcastles

Still three Labour MPs, which is a shock because in North the Lib Dems were remarkably confident of victory, a feeling bolstered by a 50 per cent postal vote. Yet in the end, there was only a 4.5 per cent swing from Lab to Lib Dem and a 3,414 Lab majority. In East, Nick Brown has been fighting his seat as a marginal for three years and when I spoke to him during the campaign he was aware of the possibility of defeat. Again, a smaller swing to the Lib Dems, 4.6 per cent, left him safe. In Central, there was a minute swing, 0.6 per cent, away from Labour and the new MP Chi Onwurah is tipped to be one of the rising stars of the new North-East intake.

Redcar

The most shocking result of the night, particularly given the Lib Dems poor performance elsewhere. Ian Swales, a quietly confident local councillor who has been contesting the seat since 2005, turned Vera Baird's 12,166 majority into a 5,214 majority a whopping 22 per cent swing, seemingly all on the back of Corus. Ms Baird, the Solicitor-General, despite her own energies has paid the price for her Government's perceived inaction which compared badly to Mr Swales detailed alternative plan for the plant. His weird horsebox-battlebus might also have won him a few votes. Redcar has been Labour since 1964.

Richmond

William Hague slightly increased his share of the vote leaving him with a mountainous 23,336 maj.

Sedgefield

A big swing away from Labour 11.6 per cent but it still left Phil Wilson with a safe 8,696 majority. Part of the swing can be explained by the Blair effect: in 2005, Tony Blair increased his majority as a plethora of candidates most notably Reg Keys stood against him, splitting the anti-Labour vote 14 ways. Mr Wilson will no doubt be heartened that the BNP only saved its majority by 0.16 per cent.

South Shields

Confident hold for David Miliband. If he isnt Foreign Secretary in the next government, will he end up leader of the Opposition. His performance in front of Durham students on the eve of polling day was the most detailed and impressive that I saw throughout the campaign.

Stockton North

Darlington councillor Ian Galletley notched up a good 8.35 per cent swing to the Conservatives but Alex Cunningham ended with a sound 6,676 majority. The big story was that Frank Cook, the Labour MP since 1983 standing on a fit of pique as an Independent after being deselected, won fewer votes than the BNP and both lost their deposit.

Stockton South

After a recount, the 26-year-old Conservative candidate James Wharton, who was born and grew up in Eaglescliffe, was declared the winner by 332 votes. He has been assiduously working the constituency for three years, financed apparently by Ashcroft money, to the detriment of Dari Taylor one of the original "Blair Babes" from 1997. Boundary changes and the rise of Ingleby Barwick have worked in his favour, but the state of Teesside industry was probably the clincher. Hundreds of managerial staff from Corus and the ailing chemical industry make their homes in the seat.

Thirsk and Malton

Seat delayed by the death of the Ukip candidate, but pity also Anne McIntosh who should win the seat for the Tories. She might have been a minister in a Cameron government, but Mr Cameron couldnt take the British people for granted and leave a berth open for her until polling day at the end of the month.

Tynemouth

Labour seemed to me more confident of saving this traditional marginal than of securing Stockton South, and so it proved. Perhaps it was Gordon Browns eight-minute walkabout last Saturday that did it! A 70 per cent turnout the largest Ive noticed in the region saw a minuscule 0.38 per cent swing to the Conservatives meaning that Alan Campbell actually increased his majority from 4,143 to 5,739. How can you possibly call an election like this? It is truly patchwork.

York Outer

A new seat with a strange notional set of statistics but the Tories won.