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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The polling’s not all good for UKIP: See this worrying data

SystemSystem Posts: 11,693
edited October 2014 in General

politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The polling’s not all good for UKIP: See this worrying data for Farage’s party from YouGov and Ipsos-MORI

In a week that has been dominated by positive GE15 voting numbers for YouGov there’s some other data from firm for the Economist, see top panel, that might make uncomfortable reading. The way the party is perceived by a representative sample of voters.

Read the full story here


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    Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 49,362
    edited October 2014
    Three guesses as to which of the four main parties has lost vote-share (%) at every single Great Britain Westminster by-election (18 of them) this Parliament thus far?

    (actually, it's not the LibDems, Mike!)
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    RodCrosbyRodCrosby Posts: 7,737
    edited October 2014

    Three guesses as to which of the four main parties has lost vote-share (%) at every single Great Britain Westminster by-election (18 of them) this Parliament thus far?

    (actually, it's not the LibDems, Mike!)

    It'd be astonishing if it wasn't the Tories, and they probably would have tried to precipitate an early election off the back of such a shocker!
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    JohnLoonyJohnLoony Posts: 1,790

    Three guesses as to which of the four main parties has lost vote-share (%) at every single Great Britain Westminster by-election (18 of them) this Parliament thus far?

    (actually, it's not the LibDems, Mike!)

    Er... Conservative? Labour? UKIP? This is difficult. Can't I have more than three guesses?

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    RodCrosbyRodCrosby Posts: 7,737
    edited October 2014
    Problem is tactical voting becomes a bit trickier with three degrees of freedom, instead of two...

    Anyhow, isn't it time we grew up and abolished tactical voting [or adopted a system which didn't require it] ?
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    IndigoIndigo Posts: 9,966
    Maybe, but the killer statistic in that survey is the "fit to govern" question.

    CON:85% LAB:35% LD:51% UKIP:42%

    The electorate might not be that keen on Farage, but they still think UKIP is more competent to run that country that Labour. Oh dear.
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    IndigoIndigo Posts: 9,966
    Indigo said:

    Maybe, but the killer statistic in that survey is the "fit to govern" question. ..

    Or not, serves me right for posting before my morning coffee... where's the edit button!
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    audreyanneaudreyanne Posts: 1,376
    Another blinder of a thread.

    AA (Anecdote Alert): was chatting to my sister last night who voted UKIP at the Euros and without prompting she raised doubts about staying purple for the GE 'because I haven't a clue what they stand for on General Election issues.'

    As I say, it's just an anecdote. However, it could be indicative.
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    audreyanneaudreyanne Posts: 1,376

    Three guesses as to which of the four main parties has lost vote-share (%) at every single Great Britain Westminster by-election (18 of them) this Parliament thus far?

    (actually, it's not the LibDems, Mike!)

    How many governing parties have increased vote share at by elections since WWII, Sunil … ?
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    manofkent2014manofkent2014 Posts: 1,543
    edited October 2014

    Another blinder of a thread.

    AA (Anecdote Alert): was chatting to my sister last night who voted UKIP at the Euros and without prompting she raised doubts about staying purple for the GE 'because I haven't a clue what they stand for on General Election issues.'

    As I say, it's just an anecdote. However, it could be indicative.

    [YAWN] The lack originality of Tories is quite astonishing.

    Tell your sister to read this:

    http://www.ukip.org/policies_for_people

    Or type in 'policies for people' in Google search. It will be the 2nd listing...........

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    audreyanneaudreyanne Posts: 1,376
    edited October 2014

    Another blinder of a thread.

    AA (Anecdote Alert): was chatting to my sister last night who voted UKIP at the Euros and without prompting she raised doubts about staying purple for the GE 'because I haven't a clue what they stand for on General Election issues.'

    As I say, it's just an anecdote. However, it could be indicative.

    [YAWN] The lack originality of Tories is quite astonishing.

    Tell your sister to read this:

    http://www.ukip.org/policies_for_people

    Or type in 'policies for people' in Google search. It will be the 2nd listing...........

    I don't ram views down other's throats. She and the country can work out for herself whether UKIP are suitable for governing this country.

    You do know however that UKIP won't win? I bet you aren't around here on May 08th. Like the IndyRef 'Yes' brigands you'll evaporate.
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    manofkent2014manofkent2014 Posts: 1,543
    edited October 2014
    On topic:

    Linking to a graphic from this unpleasant sneering elitist piece is scraping the bottom of the barrel (Matthew Parris no doubt inspired it).

    http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21625880-moderate-voters-not-ukipers-will-decide-next-years-general-election-we-are-89

    As for the graph above it comes from these tables

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/political-monitor-sep-2014-party-image-charts.pdf

    And the data

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/political-monitor-sep-2014-party-image-tables.pdf

    Mori's comment on that poll which pre-dates the party conferences

    All the parties have a patchwork of positives and problems that need addressing, and going into conference season it doesn’t seem as if any of them hold the trump card with voters. Labour is the most liked party, but Ed Miliband still hasn’t convinced the public on his Prime Ministerial qualities – where David Cameron has the edge, but is hampered by being seen as out of touch and by a more disliked party. Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats remain the least trusted, and UKIP are the most distinctive – but also the most extreme.”

    As for the tactical voting narrative which it seems some are desperate to promote once again there may be some evidence of it in by-elections but likely when the Tories are also involved they will also suffer tactical voting against them and therefore it will cancel itself out.

    As for the general election, the idea that Labour and Tory voters are going to vote against UKIP and in doing so help their primary opponent for Downing Street to win in that constituency election is risible and frankly I doubt there will enough Libdems left outside their supposed fortresses for them to make any real difference.

    As for the detail

    Farage's likeability in this old poll was -28. His satisfaction rating in this months political monitor was -4

    Cameron's likeability in the old poll was -1. His satisfaction rating in this month's political monitor is -17

    Being liked is not necessarily the most important consideration when choosing the best politician.

    Lastly if all those who like UKIP let alone Farage vote for them, the Tories and Labour have got a major problem.
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    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,054
    Off-topic:

    Congratulations to Rob Woodall in being the first person to climb all of Marilyn's Peaks:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-29627193

    It's quite an achievement. I haven't even done all of the county tops yet ...
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    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,054

    Another blinder of a thread.

    AA (Anecdote Alert): was chatting to my sister last night who voted UKIP at the Euros and without prompting she raised doubts about staying purple for the GE 'because I haven't a clue what they stand for on General Election issues.'

    As I say, it's just an anecdote. However, it could be indicative.

    [YAWN] The lack originality of Tories is quite astonishing.

    Tell your sister to read this:

    http://www.ukip.org/policies_for_people

    Or type in 'policies for people' in Google search. It will be the 2nd listing...........
    That'll go the same way as the GE2010 manifesto ...
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    TapestryTapestry Posts: 153
    The UKIP surge is a step towards independent candidates, not government by UKIP. At Newark the independent candidate got 5000 votes against UKIP's 11,000 (from memory). People don't trust any political party, and politics will surge towards independents from hereon.
    In our constituency like 120 others, we are a safe Tory seat (Shropshire North), threatened by fracking. UKIP is in favour, like the MP - O. Paterson. The only way to oppose is to vote Green and encourage the paedophiles in the EU, or back an independent candidate.
    In the US they know what happens when gas drilling starts. E.G.
    Elizabeth Mobaldi, Rifle CO - Deceased Nov 14, 2010
    Picture
    Gas Facility: Gas wells
    Exposure: water
    Symptoms: headaches, burning eyes and skin, rashes, blisters, tumors of pituitary gland, pain
    Testimony: "I was dying and I thought it was me hout," Chris Mobaldi says in a halting, strangely accented voice. Steve Mobaldi jumps in to translate for his wife: "She was imagining that the house was killing her."Chris Mobaldi is 59, but looks at least 70. In the last decade, she has had two tumors removed from her pituitary gland and endured excruciating pain. The once lively blonde is rail-thin and frail and holds her hands out for balance when she walks.The Mobaldis believe she suffers from foreign accent syndrome, a rare malady that can result from a stroke or brain injury, though she hasn't been officially diagnosed with it. The Mobaldis believe her neurological system was damaged by drinking water that may have been contaminated by drilling fluids from wells around their former home about 60 miles to the east in Rifle.

    Elizabeth “Chris” Mobaldi, 63, died on Nov. 14, at 4:40 a.m., after a lengthy battle with a rare and persistent tumor of the pituitary gland.

    Citation: http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20061203/NEWS/112030061
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783

    As for the general election, the idea that Labour and Tory voters are going to vote against UKIP and in doing so help their primary opponent for Downing Street to win in that constituency election is risible

    Fit to govern:
    Con VI:
    Lab: 18
    UKIP: 9

    Lab VI:
    Con: 35
    UKIP: 9
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783
    Party "Extreme"

    Con VI:
    Lab: 18
    UKIP: 65

    Lab VI:
    Con: 35
    UKIP: 84
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    SpeedySpeedy Posts: 12,100
    edited October 2014
    The answer to that is no.
    I give you Lord Ashcroft latest constituency polls (the willingness to rule out to vote for party x per seat) to counter the old national polls.
    It all depends on the candidate and the nature of the seat, since the UKIP surge started in 2012 there has been evidence of an anti-UKIP vote only in one single by-election and never before or since (I said from the moment that Helmer was selected as the candidate there, that UKIP did the worst decision for 10 years).
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    anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746
    edited October 2014
    The September ComRes favourable/unfavourable numbers do not show UKIP in bad light. The Conservatives are the ugly sister there, (the LDs were not included).

    http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2014/09/27/comres-poll-farage-as-popular-as-cameron/

    http://www.comres.co.uk/polls/IoS_SM_Political_Poll_28th_September_2014_8723.pdf

    Given that UKIP seems to be the preferred choice for 2010 Con/Lab swing voters, and routinely came 2nd in 2013, 2014 Westminster by-elections we can see that they do not have a problem with attracting positive votes.

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jameskirkup/100288894/game-of-losers-the-numbers-show-david-cameron-and-ed-miliband-face-election-stalemate/

    There is no evidence of any anti-UKIP tactical voting. Anecdotes from their political opponents are worthless.
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    foxinsoxukfoxinsoxuk Posts: 23,548

    The September ComRes favourable/unfavourable numbers do not show UKIP in bad light. The Conservatives are the ugly sister there, (the LDs were not included).

    http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2014/09/27/comres-poll-farage-as-popular-as-cameron/

    http://www.comres.co.uk/polls/IoS_SM_Political_Poll_28th_September_2014_8723.pdf

    Given that UKIP seems to be the preferred choice for 2010 Con/Lab swing voters, and routinely comes 2nd in 2013, 2014 Westminster by-elections we can see that they do not have a problem with attracting positive votes.

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jameskirkup/100288894/game-of-losers-the-numbers-show-david-cameron-and-ed-miliband-face-election-stalemate/

    There is no evidence of any anti-UKIP tactical voting. Anecdotes from their political opponents are worthless.

    I do not think that Con/Lab swing voters are going to be won over by a UKIP increasingly dominated by privately educated defectors from the right wing of the Conservative party.

    With Bloom gone and Helmer caught in action, Farage must be running out of friends.
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    anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746

    Three guesses as to which of the four main parties has lost vote-share (%) at every single Great Britain Westminster by-election (18 of them) this Parliament thus far?

    (actually, it's not the LibDems, Mike!)

    Conservatives?
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    anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746

    The September ComRes favourable/unfavourable numbers do not show UKIP in bad light. The Conservatives are the ugly sister there, (the LDs were not included).

    http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2014/09/27/comres-poll-farage-as-popular-as-cameron/

    http://www.comres.co.uk/polls/IoS_SM_Political_Poll_28th_September_2014_8723.pdf

    Given that UKIP seems to be the preferred choice for 2010 Con/Lab swing voters, and routinely comes 2nd in 2013, 2014 Westminster by-elections we can see that they do not have a problem with attracting positive votes.

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jameskirkup/100288894/game-of-losers-the-numbers-show-david-cameron-and-ed-miliband-face-election-stalemate/

    There is no evidence of any anti-UKIP tactical voting. Anecdotes from their political opponents are worthless.

    I do not think that Con/Lab swing voters are going to be won over by a UKIP increasingly dominated by privately educated defectors from the right wing of the Conservative party.
    I have no idea what will happen in the future.

    This parliament or this year, the trend shows UKIP's support increasing.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election#Graphical_summary
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783
    Net "likes"

    Miliband: -33
    Labour: +5

    Cameron: -1
    Conservatves: -14

    Clegg: -28
    Lib Dem: -11

    Farage: -27
    UKIP: -34
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    anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746

    Net "likes"

    Miliband: -33
    Labour: +5

    Cameron: -1
    Conservatves: -14

    Clegg: -28
    Lib Dem: -11

    Farage: -27
    UKIP: -34

    Source?
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783

    Net "likes"

    Miliband: -33
    Labour: +5

    Cameron: -1
    Conservatves: -14

    Clegg: -28
    Lib Dem: -11

    Farage: -27
    UKIP: -34

    Source?
    Ipsos Mori poll in thread header

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/political-monitor-sep-2014-party-image-tables.pdf
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    Surely the opposite will happen at the General Election? As UKIP pointed out after the H&M by-election, if 700 Tory voters had voted UKIP, Labour would have lost the seat.

    Increasingly, UKIP are the main contenders to Labour in their northern strongholds, and to the Conservatives in the south (broadly speaking). Since the GE is likely to be very close, the logical tactical ploy is for Labour to vote UKIP in Tory-held seats where UKIP are the main challengers and vice-versa for Tories to vote UKIP in the Labour-held seats.

    For the two main parties to vote for their counterpart at the GE to keep UKIP out would be suicidal.
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    anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746

    Net "likes"

    Miliband: -33
    Labour: +5

    Cameron: -1
    Conservatves: -14

    Clegg: -28
    Lib Dem: -11

    Farage: -27
    UKIP: -34

    Source?
    Ipsos Mori poll in thread header

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/political-monitor-sep-2014-party-image-tables.pdf
    If you look at the most recent Ipsos, you get a different picture of party leaders (party question was not included).

    Mr Farage +39/-43 (-4)
    Mr Cameron +38/-55 (-17)
    Mr Miliband +25/-59 (-34)
    Mr Clegg +25/-62 (-37)

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/3459/Voting-UKIP-no-longer-seen-as-a-wasted-vote-as-the-party-reaches-its-highest-ever-vote-share.aspx
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    OblitusSumMeOblitusSumMe Posts: 9,143
    edited October 2014

    The September ComRes favourable/unfavourable numbers do not show UKIP in bad light. The Conservatives are the ugly sister there, (the LDs were not included).

    http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2014/09/27/comres-poll-farage-as-popular-as-cameron/

    http://www.comres.co.uk/polls/IoS_SM_Political_Poll_28th_September_2014_8723.pdf

    Given that UKIP seems to be the preferred choice for 2010 Con/Lab swing voters, and routinely comes 2nd in 2013, 2014 Westminster by-elections we can see that they do not have a problem with attracting positive votes.

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jameskirkup/100288894/game-of-losers-the-numbers-show-david-cameron-and-ed-miliband-face-election-stalemate/

    There is no evidence of any anti-UKIP tactical voting. Anecdotes from their political opponents are worthless.

    I do not think that Con/Lab swing voters are going to be won over by a UKIP increasingly dominated by privately educated defectors from the right wing of the Conservative party.

    With Bloom gone and Helmer caught in action, Farage must be running out of friends.
    Is anyone willing to give us an overview of the individuals who UKIP have selected to fight their dozen most winnable seats at the next GE?

    It would make an interesting guest article. How many of them are ex-Tories like Carswell, Reckless and I think the PPC for Great Grimsby? Are there any with a Labour background, like our very own isam [not that isam was ever a Labour member, IIRC, but he used to vote that way]?
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    JackCade said:

    Surely the opposite will happen at the General Election? As UKIP pointed out after the H&M by-election, if 700 Tory voters had voted UKIP, Labour would have lost the seat.

    Increasingly, UKIP are the main contenders to Labour in their northern strongholds, and to the Conservatives in the south (broadly speaking). Since the GE is likely to be very close, the logical tactical ploy is for Labour to vote UKIP in Tory-held seats where UKIP are the main challengers and vice-versa for Tories to vote UKIP in the Labour-held seats.

    For the two main parties to vote for their counterpart at the GE to keep UKIP out would be suicidal.

    Therefore the two "big boys" should seek to portray UKIP as extremist whilst UKIP seek to offer themselves as sufficiently moderate! I can see the grin (or some such expression) on Nigel's face as he tries to make nor tail of this...

    Perhaps Jack Cade's irony is too subtle for me. It happens...

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    alexalex Posts: 244
    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.
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    anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746
    Ipsos also asked a question 'is voting UKIP at a GE a wasted vote'?

    All voters
    Waste 41%
    Not waste 48%

    UKIP supporters
    Waste 4%
    Not Waste 94%

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/political-monitor-oct-2014-tables.pdf
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    OblitusSumMeOblitusSumMe Posts: 9,143
    JackCade said:

    For the two main parties to vote for their counterpart at the GE to keep UKIP out would be suicidal.

    The balancing act that the two main parties will be trying to make is, say for the Tories, to encourage tactical voting from Labour voters against UKIP in Tory/UKIP contests while appealing to potential UKIP voters to vote tactically in Tory/Labour contests.

    It's all bollocks, really, and the contortions that the campaigns will have to go through at the net election indicate why it is so vital to change the voting system to one that does not so heavily reward tactical/dishonest/negative voting. With a system like STV you simply vote for what you want.
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    anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746
    alex said:

    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.

    I don't see why a reduction in Conservative Party support would be likely to benefit the LDs.

    During this parliament the LDs do not have a record of attracting swing voters from other parties. LD support has declined year-on-year throughout the parliament.

    (That said, I don't see how a pre-election pact could work. The parities cannot dictate their supporters voting behaviour.)
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    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,027
    edited October 2014

    The September ComRes favourable/unfavourable numbers do not show UKIP in bad light. The Conservatives are the ugly sister there, (the LDs were not included).

    http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2014/09/27/comres-poll-farage-as-popular-as-cameron/

    http://www.comres.co.uk/polls/IoS_SM_Political_Poll_28th_September_2014_8723.pdf

    Given that UKIP seems to be the preferred choice for 2010 Con/Lab swing voters, and routinely comes 2nd in 2013, 2014 Westminster by-elections we can see that they do not have a problem with attracting positive votes.

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jameskirkup/100288894/game-of-losers-the-numbers-show-david-cameron-and-ed-miliband-face-election-stalemate/

    There is no evidence of any anti-UKIP tactical voting. Anecdotes from their political opponents are worthless.

    I do not think that Con/Lab swing voters are going to be won over by a UKIP increasingly dominated by privately educated defectors from the right wing of the Conservative party.

    With Bloom gone and Helmer caught in action, Farage must be running out of friends.
    Is anyone willing to give us an overview of the individuals who UKIP have selected to fight their dozen most winnable seats at the next GE?

    It would make an interesting guest article. How many of them are ex-Tories like Carswell, Reckless and I think the PPC for Great Grimsby? Are there any with a Labour background, like our very own isam [not that isam was ever a Labour member, IIRC, but he used to vote that way]?
    Somewhat strangely, they don’t seem to have re-selected in Gt Yarmouth yet. The original candidate stepped down in July.
    His trial is scheduled for January!
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    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,942
    edited October 2014
    My constituency (NE Derbyshire) will stay Labour at the GE, no doubt about it.

    But second place is interesting, CON or UKIP ?
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783

    Net "likes"

    Miliband: -33
    Labour: +5

    Cameron: -1
    Conservatves: -14

    Clegg: -28
    Lib Dem: -11

    Farage: -27
    UKIP: -34

    Source?
    Ipsos Mori poll in thread header

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/political-monitor-sep-2014-party-image-tables.pdf
    If you look at the most recent Ipsos, you get a different picture of party leaders (party question was not included).

    Mr Farage +39/-43 (-4)
    Mr Cameron +38/-55 (-17)
    Mr Miliband +25/-59 (-34)
    Mr Clegg +25/-62 (-37)

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/3459/Voting-UKIP-no-longer-seen-as-a-wasted-vote-as-the-party-reaches-its-highest-ever-vote-share.aspx
    That's a different question - 'satisfied' vs 'like'. Voters can be 'satisfied' with the job Farage is doing (e.g. in shaking up the establishment) without actually liking him. (Conversely they may quite like Cameron, yet still be dissatisfied with the job he is doing). Whether they will bring themselves to vote for a party they view as 'extreme' and not 'fit for government' will be another matter.
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    mattmatt Posts: 3,789
    alex said:

    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.

    But, UKIP are the tribunes of the people. How could common-sense be wrong?
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783

    Ipsos also asked a question 'is voting UKIP at a GE a wasted vote'?

    All voters
    Waste 41%
    Not waste 48%

    UKIP supporters
    Waste 4%
    Not Waste 94%

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/political-monitor-oct-2014-tables.pdf

    No doubt you left out the Con & Lab numbers for brevity......
    Net agree UKIP vote wasted:
    Con: +12
    Lab: +17
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783
    alex said:

    The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal.

    If there is a Con/UKIP pact there'll be one fewer Con vote here.....
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    anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746
    edited October 2014

    The September ComRes favourable/unfavourable numbers do not show UKIP in bad light. The Conservatives are the ugly sister there, (the LDs were not included).

    http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2014/09/27/comres-poll-farage-as-popular-as-cameron/

    http://www.comres.co.uk/polls/IoS_SM_Political_Poll_28th_September_2014_8723.pdf

    Given that UKIP seems to be the preferred choice for 2010 Con/Lab swing voters, and routinely comes 2nd in 2013, 2014 Westminster by-elections we can see that they do not have a problem with attracting positive votes.

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jameskirkup/100288894/game-of-losers-the-numbers-show-david-cameron-and-ed-miliband-face-election-stalemate/

    There is no evidence of any anti-UKIP tactical voting. Anecdotes from their political opponents are worthless.

    I do not think that Con/Lab swing voters are going to be won over by a UKIP increasingly dominated by privately educated defectors from the right wing of the Conservative party.

    With Bloom gone and Helmer caught in action, Farage must be running out of friends.
    Is anyone willing to give us an overview of the individuals who UKIP have selected to fight their dozen most winnable seats at the next GE?

    It would make an interesting guest article. How many of them are ex-Tories like Carswell, Reckless and I think the PPC for Great Grimsby? Are there any with a Labour background, like our very own isam [not that isam was ever a Labour member, IIRC, but he used to vote that way]?
    Looking at the Guardian's recent prediction. Their pick for UKIP's best seats was:

    Boston and Skegness - ? no PPC selected.
    Thurrock - Tim Aker, only elected for UKIP.
    Thanet South - Mr Farage, only elected for UKIP.
    Clacton - Mr Carswell, ex Tory.
    Great Grimsby - Victoria Ayling, ex Tory.

    http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/oct/14/ukip-seats-general-election-2015
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    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,343

    alex said:

    The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal.

    If there is a Con/UKIP pact there'll be one fewer Con vote here.....
    Make that 2. I am already concerned about the tendency of the Tories to bend in the wind to accommodate potential UKIP voters.
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    madmacsmadmacs Posts: 75
    I come from Rochester although don't live there now. I still have contact with many people in the area. I know of some who are not Tories who will hold their noses and vote Tory to get rid of Mr Reckless. Whether it is enough we will see.


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    SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322
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    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,054
    alex said:

    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.

    I've been saying this for some time: too many people assume that, by shifting towards UKIP's position to capture UKIP voters, the Conservatives will end up with more voters in total.

    Whereas they would probably lose more voters from the centre, who are actively repelled by UKIP. And who can blame them?

    If we assume that there is a Labour government after GE 2015, led by Ed Miliband, then it is probable that Labour will move slightly further to the left. It's also very possible that the Lib Dems, once Clegg resigns or is defenestrated, will also move to the left to differentiate themselves from the coalition.

    If this transpires, the centre ground will be more open. That is where parties need to be, and not at the ground that UKIP currently holds.

    Having said all that, UKIP shows the need for all parties to understand and cater for all segments of society. That has to be the lesson for, and of, GE2015.
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    anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746
    edited October 2014

    Ipsos also asked a question 'is voting UKIP at a GE a wasted vote'?

    All voters
    Waste 41%
    Not waste 48%

    UKIP supporters
    Waste 4%
    Not Waste 94%

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/political-monitor-oct-2014-tables.pdf

    No doubt you left out the Con & Lab numbers for brevity......
    Net agree UKIP vote wasted:
    Con: +12
    Lab: +17
    The most important number is the UKIP supporters. If they don't think a GE UKIP vote is a waste, they're more likely to stick with UKIP.

    It doesn't matter what people who intend to vote for other parties think, other than to demonstrate the potential for more UKIP converts.
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783

    The September ComRes favourable/unfavourable numbers do not show UKIP in bad light. The Conservatives are the ugly sister there, (the LDs were not included).

    http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2014/09/27/comres-poll-farage-as-popular-as-cameron/

    http://www.comres.co.uk/polls/IoS_SM_Political_Poll_28th_September_2014_8723.pdf

    Given that UKIP seems to be the preferred choice for 2010 Con/Lab swing voters, and routinely comes 2nd in 2013, 2014 Westminster by-elections we can see that they do not have a problem with attracting positive votes.

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jameskirkup/100288894/game-of-losers-the-numbers-show-david-cameron-and-ed-miliband-face-election-stalemate/

    There is no evidence of any anti-UKIP tactical voting. Anecdotes from their political opponents are worthless.

    I do not think that Con/Lab swing voters are going to be won over by a UKIP increasingly dominated by privately educated defectors from the right wing of the Conservative party.

    With Bloom gone and Helmer caught in action, Farage must be running out of friends.
    Is anyone willing to give us an overview of the individuals who UKIP have selected to fight their dozen most winnable seats at the next GE?

    It would make an interesting guest article. How many of them are ex-Tories like Carswell, Reckless and I think the PPC for Great Grimsby? Are there any with a Labour background, like our very own isam [not that isam was ever a Labour member, IIRC, but he used to vote that way]?
    Somewhat strangely, they don’t seem to have re-selected in Gt Yarmouth yet. The original candidate stepped down in July.
    His trial is scheduled for January!
    Perhaps his co-defendants are also prominent local UKIP members?

    http://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/news/matthew_smith_steps_down_as_ukip_s_prospective_parliamentary_candidate_for_great_yarmouth_1_3700305
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783

    Ipsos also asked a question 'is voting UKIP at a GE a wasted vote'?

    All voters
    Waste 41%
    Not waste 48%

    UKIP supporters
    Waste 4%
    Not Waste 94%

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/political-monitor-oct-2014-tables.pdf

    No doubt you left out the Con & Lab numbers for brevity......
    Net agree UKIP vote wasted:
    Con: +12
    Lab: +17
    It doesn't matter what people who intend to vote for other parties think,
    It does if we're discussing tactical voting.......

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    alex said:

    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.

    I've been saying this for some time: too many people assume that, by shifting towards UKIP's position to capture UKIP voters, the Conservatives will end up with more voters in total.

    Whereas they would probably lose more voters from the centre, who are actively repelled by UKIP. And who can blame them?

    If we assume that there is a Labour government after GE 2015, led by Ed Miliband, then it is probable that Labour will move slightly further to the left. It's also very possible that the Lib Dems, once Clegg resigns or is defenestrated, will also move to the left to differentiate themselves from the coalition.

    If this transpires, the centre ground will be more open. That is where parties need to be, and not at the ground that UKIP currently holds.

    Having said all that, UKIP shows the need for all parties to understand and cater for all segments of society. That has to be the lesson for, and of, GE2015.
    No. The whole point of a Party is to prefer one part of society over another. Activists often suffer from the delusion that their Party of choice in some magical way eludes this point, bit that's what they suffer from - a delusion...

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    anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746

    Ipsos also asked a question 'is voting UKIP at a GE a wasted vote'?

    All voters
    Waste 41%
    Not waste 48%

    UKIP supporters
    Waste 4%
    Not Waste 94%

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/political-monitor-oct-2014-tables.pdf

    No doubt you left out the Con & Lab numbers for brevity......
    Net agree UKIP vote wasted:
    Con: +12
    Lab: +17
    It doesn't matter what people who intend to vote for other parties think,
    It does if we're discussing tactical voting.......

    No it doesn't.

    This is 'is UKIP a wasted vote at the GE'.

    So if Con/Lab voters think UKIP is a wasted vote, they will not consider voting for UKIP.
    If Con/Lab voters think UKIP is not a wasted vote, they will consider voting for UKIP.

    The net of those two numbers is not relevant. Only the positive response. Those are the only potential UKIP supporters from those parties.
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    SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322

    alex said:

    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.

    I've been saying this for some time: too many people assume that, by shifting towards UKIP's position to capture UKIP voters, the Conservatives will end up with more voters in total.

    Whereas they would probably lose more voters from the centre, who are actively repelled by UKIP. And who can blame them?

    If we assume that there is a Labour government after GE 2015, led by Ed Miliband, then it is probable that Labour will move slightly further to the left. It's also very possible that the Lib Dems, once Clegg resigns or is defenestrated, will also move to the left to differentiate themselves from the coalition.

    If this transpires, the centre ground will be more open. That is where parties need to be, and not at the ground that UKIP currently holds.

    Having said all that, UKIP shows the need for all parties to understand and cater for all segments of society. That has to be the lesson for, and of, GE2015.
    How is moving to want reduced immigration or reduced powers for the European Union "moving away from the centre"? The vast majority of the UK population supports such things. The only reason such things are considered "right wing" are because the party leaderships are far to the left of public opinion. The demographic for high-immigration, Europhilia is about 15% of the public, and mainly vote left anyway. There aren't enough votes to lose for the Tories to worry about.
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    SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322

    alex said:

    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.

    I've been saying this for some time: too many people assume that, by shifting towards UKIP's position to capture UKIP voters, the Conservatives will end up with more voters in total.

    Whereas they would probably lose more voters from the centre, who are actively repelled by UKIP. And who can blame them?

    If we assume that there is a Labour government after GE 2015, led by Ed Miliband, then it is probable that Labour will move slightly further to the left. It's also very possible that the Lib Dems, once Clegg resigns or is defenestrated, will also move to the left to differentiate themselves from the coalition.

    If this transpires, the centre ground will be more open. That is where parties need to be, and not at the ground that UKIP currently holds.

    Having said all that, UKIP shows the need for all parties to understand and cater for all segments of society. That has to be the lesson for, and of, GE2015.
    No. The whole point of a Party is to prefer one part of society over another. Activists often suffer from the delusion that their Party of choice in some magical way eludes this point, bit that's what they suffer from - a delusion...

    Only if you take a class-based view of politics, rather than a principle-based one.
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    isamisam Posts: 40,952
    All those polls were done before the game changers of Clacton and Heywood & Middleton

    If we see tactial anti ukip voting by Tories in order to gift labour the seat and vice versa next May, the world will truly have gone mad... It is such a ridiculous proposition I can scarcely believe anyone would suggest it
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    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,855

    alex said:

    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.

    I've been saying this for some time: too many people assume that, by shifting towards UKIP's position to capture UKIP voters, the Conservatives will end up with more voters in total.

    Whereas they would probably lose more voters from the centre, who are actively repelled by UKIP. And who can blame them?

    If we assume that there is a Labour government after GE 2015, led by Ed Miliband, then it is probable that Labour will move slightly further to the left. It's also very possible that the Lib Dems, once Clegg resigns or is defenestrated, will also move to the left to differentiate themselves from the coalition.

    If this transpires, the centre ground will be more open. That is where parties need to be, and not at the ground that UKIP currently holds.

    Having said all that, UKIP shows the need for all parties to understand and cater for all segments of society. That has to be the lesson for, and of, GE2015.
    The "centre ground" is a bit like the Somme battlefield. A small slice of territory that the established parties spend enormous resources trying to capture.

    UKIP are rewriting the rules.
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    woody662woody662 Posts: 255
    Do you remember how Billy Bragg used to promote a website that encouraged voters on the left to keep the Tories out. He got a bit of publicity from what I remember. I wonder if anything might be set up from the right to encourage voters from the right to do something similar.
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    woody662woody662 Posts: 255
    woody662 said:

    Do you remember how Billy Bragg used to promote a website that encouraged voters on the left to keep the Tories out. He got a bit of publicity from what I remember. I wonder if anything might be set up from the right to encourage voters from the right to do something similar.

    This is a story about the website http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/apr/19/politics.election2001
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    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,054
    Socrates said:

    alex said:

    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.

    I've been saying this for some time: too many people assume that, by shifting towards UKIP's position to capture UKIP voters, the Conservatives will end up with more voters in total.

    Whereas they would probably lose more voters from the centre, who are actively repelled by UKIP. And who can blame them?

    If we assume that there is a Labour government after GE 2015, led by Ed Miliband, then it is probable that Labour will move slightly further to the left. It's also very possible that the Lib Dems, once Clegg resigns or is defenestrated, will also move to the left to differentiate themselves from the coalition.

    If this transpires, the centre ground will be more open. That is where parties need to be, and not at the ground that UKIP currently holds.

    Having said all that, UKIP shows the need for all parties to understand and cater for all segments of society. That has to be the lesson for, and of, GE2015.
    How is moving to want reduced immigration or reduced powers for the European Union "moving away from the centre"? The vast majority of the UK population supports such things. The only reason such things are considered "right wing" are because the party leaderships are far to the left of public opinion. The demographic for high-immigration, Europhilia is about 15% of the public, and mainly vote left anyway. There aren't enough votes to lose for the Tories to worry about.
    So you are calling UKIP a centrist party?
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    Socrates said:

    alex said:

    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.

    I've been saying this for some time: too many people assume that, by shifting towards UKIP's position to capture UKIP voters, the Conservatives will end up with more voters in total.

    Whereas they would probably lose more voters from the centre, who are actively repelled by UKIP. And who can blame them?

    If we assume that there is a Labour government after GE 2015, led by Ed Miliband, then it is probable that Labour will move slightly further to the left. It's also very possible that the Lib Dems, once Clegg resigns or is defenestrated, will also move to the left to differentiate themselves from the coalition.

    If this transpires, the centre ground will be more open. That is where parties need to be, and not at the ground that UKIP currently holds.

    Having said all that, UKIP shows the need for all parties to understand and cater for all segments of society. That has to be the lesson for, and of, GE2015.
    No. The whole point of a Party is to prefer one part of society over another. Activists often suffer from the delusion that their Party of choice in some magical way eludes this point, bit that's what they suffer from - a delusion...

    Only if you take a class-based view of politics, rather than a principle-based one.
    I think you'll find, Socrates, that principles don't pay for election campaigns.

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    PlatoPlato Posts: 15,724
    As a card-carrying Tory, I'd be very unimpressed by a pact with Kippers. Not out of worries of extremism [I think that's overblown] but of the psychology behind it.

    I'd rather go down swinging, than indulge in a pre-election gang bang as a tactic. Coalitions are acceptable if that's what the voters serve up, they shouldn't be the public starting point.

    alex said:

    The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal.

    If there is a Con/UKIP pact there'll be one fewer Con vote here.....
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783
    isam said:

    All those polls were done before the game changers of Clacton and Heywood & Middleton

    You think both will rank highly in the ITN news index poll at the end of the month?

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    isamisam Posts: 40,952

    Ipsos also asked a question 'is voting UKIP at a GE a wasted vote'?

    All voters
    Waste 41%
    Not waste 48%

    UKIP supporters
    Waste 4%
    Not Waste 94%

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/political-monitor-oct-2014-tables.pdf

    No doubt you left out the Con & Lab numbers for brevity......
    Net agree UKIP vote wasted:
    Con: +12
    Lab: +17
    It doesn't matter what people who intend to vote for other parties think,
    It does if we're discussing tactical voting.......



    Those Tory and labour figures are not bad at all for Ukip. In fact they're extremely encouraging

    I am surprised that around 35% of labour and Tory voters think Ukip isn't a wasted vote, and those votes that will come in very handy in 2010 two way marginals where Ukip have now climbed into 1st or 2nd place

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    SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322

    Socrates said:

    alex said:

    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.

    I've been saying this for some time: too many people assume that, by shifting towards UKIP's position to capture UKIP voters, the Conservatives will end up with more voters in total.

    Whereas they would probably lose more voters from the centre, who are actively repelled by UKIP. And who can blame them?

    If we assume that there is a Labour government after GE 2015, led by Ed Miliband, then it is probable that Labour will move slightly further to the left. It's also very possible that the Lib Dems, once Clegg resigns or is defenestrated, will also move to the left to differentiate themselves from the coalition.

    If this transpires, the centre ground will be more open. That is where parties need to be, and not at the ground that UKIP currently holds.

    Having said all that, UKIP shows the need for all parties to understand and cater for all segments of society. That has to be the lesson for, and of, GE2015.
    No. The whole point of a Party is to prefer one part of society over another. Activists often suffer from the delusion that their Party of choice in some magical way eludes this point, bit that's what they suffer from - a delusion...

    Only if you take a class-based view of politics, rather than a principle-based one.
    I think you'll find, Socrates, that principles don't pay for election campaigns.

    No, but people who support your principles can, whatever class they come from.
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    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,054
    Sean_F said:

    alex said:

    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.

    I've been saying this for some time: too many people assume that, by shifting towards UKIP's position to capture UKIP voters, the Conservatives will end up with more voters in total.

    Whereas they would probably lose more voters from the centre, who are actively repelled by UKIP. And who can blame them?

    If we assume that there is a Labour government after GE 2015, led by Ed Miliband, then it is probable that Labour will move slightly further to the left. It's also very possible that the Lib Dems, once Clegg resigns or is defenestrated, will also move to the left to differentiate themselves from the coalition.

    If this transpires, the centre ground will be more open. That is where parties need to be, and not at the ground that UKIP currently holds.

    Having said all that, UKIP shows the need for all parties to understand and cater for all segments of society. That has to be the lesson for, and of, GE2015.
    The "centre ground" is a bit like the Somme battlefield. A small slice of territory that the established parties spend enormous resources trying to capture.

    UKIP are rewriting the rules.
    The centre ground may seem small from where you sit; it seems quite large from where I sit.
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    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,855
    isam said:

    All those polls were done before the game changers of Clacton and Heywood & Middleton

    If we see tactial anti ukip voting by Tories in order to gift labour the seat and vice versa next May, the world will truly have gone mad... It is such a ridiculous proposition I can scarcely believe anyone would suggest it

    H & M and the result from the Shere Division of Surrey CC last year both suggest large numbers of Tory voters will vote UKIP to beat Labour and Lib Dems respectively.

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    Socrates said:

    Socrates said:

    alex said:

    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.

    I've been saying this for some time: too many people assume that, by shifting towards UKIP's position to capture UKIP voters, the Conservatives will end up with more voters in total.

    Whereas they would probably lose more voters from the centre, who are actively repelled by UKIP. And who can blame them?

    If we assume that there is a Labour government after GE 2015, led by Ed Miliband, then it is probable that Labour will move slightly further to the left. It's also very possible that the Lib Dems, once Clegg resigns or is defenestrated, will also move to the left to differentiate themselves from the coalition.

    If this transpires, the centre ground will be more open. That is where parties need to be, and not at the ground that UKIP currently holds.

    Having said all that, UKIP shows the need for all parties to understand and cater for all segments of society. That has to be the lesson for, and of, GE2015.
    No. The whole point of a Party is to prefer one part of society over another. Activists often suffer from the delusion that their Party of choice in some magical way eludes this point, bit that's what they suffer from - a delusion...

    Only if you take a class-based view of politics, rather than a principle-based one.
    I think you'll find, Socrates, that principles don't pay for election campaigns.

    No, but people who support your principles can, whatever class they come from.
    And I think you'll find that rich people who support them can pay a lot more than poor ones!
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    anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746
    Boston and Skegness
    Conservatives are selecting their candidate by open caucus, 25th October.

    http://www.bostonskegnessconservatives.org.uk/events/open-primary
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    state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,422
    edited October 2014
    Plato said:

    As a card-carrying Tory, I'd be very unimpressed by a pact with Kippers. Not out of worries of extremism [I think that's overblown] but of the psychology behind it.

    I'd rather go down swinging, than indulge in a pre-election gang bang as a tactic. Coalitions are acceptable if that's what the voters serve up, they shouldn't be the public starting point.

    alex said:

    The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal.

    If there is a Con/UKIP pact there'll be one fewer Con vote here.....
    I don't agree with that. Its more democratic if Coalitions are known in advance of an election .In fact all political parties (certainly labour and the Tories) are coalitions of sorts anyway as they have to encompass a spectrum of views.
    Conservatives would be silly to mess up any chance of a UKIP /Con agreement before the election if it was in the right circumstances .Alas I think time is running out though
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    isamisam Posts: 40,952

    isam said:

    All those polls were done before the game changers of Clacton and Heywood & Middleton

    You think both will rank highly in the ITN news index poll at the end of the month?

    Your posts are of such bad quality I actually feel sorry for you that Ukip are doing so well
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    FinancierFinancier Posts: 3,916
    @Plato

    Very true, in fact the present coalition has not been best for what was required for the UK in 2010 and the next five years. A lot that should have been done has not been done because it would not get past the coalition.

    In fact Clegg and Cable seemed to delight at times in claiming that they had prevented a certain needed policy from being enacted.
    Plato said:

    As a card-carrying Tory, I'd be very unimpressed by a pact with Kippers. Not out of worries of extremism [I think that's overblown] but of the psychology behind it.

    I'd rather go down swinging, than indulge in a pre-election gang bang as a tactic. Coalitions are acceptable if that's what the voters serve up, they shouldn't be the public starting point.

    alex said:

    The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal.

    If there is a Con/UKIP pact there'll be one fewer Con vote here.....
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    NinoinozNinoinoz Posts: 1,312
    edited October 2014
    DavidL said:

    alex said:

    The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal.

    If there is a Con/UKIP pact there'll be one fewer Con vote here.....
    Make that 2. I am already concerned about the tendency of the Tories to bend in the wind to accommodate potential UKIP voters.
    Enjoy your time in opposition, then.
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    philiphphiliph Posts: 4,704
    UKIP poll numbers are very good. They should be pleased with the progress they have made in the last 3 or 4 years. If they peak at 22% between now and May 2015, I would suggest that for a combination of reasons the actual vote they record will be around 25% lower than that figure, so about 16.5% for May 2015 would be my estimate. The reason for the drop off from peak VI poll numbers are:

    They are a protest party (to some poll respondents) and some of those people tend to drift away when the crunch comes.

    They will be squeezed by the election campaign, remember that the broadcast and print media have the power to portray a party in the way they like by the selection of interviewees they use on a regular basis. If they focus on Roger Helmer for example, extensive coverage will not act as an attraction to many voters. The media are capable of identifying the candidates that suit the narrative they have and 'bigging them up' to create an image that is tilted in a particular direction. The ego of a budding politician is far to great for them to see that they are been used for negative effects.

    The inexperience in general elections may reduce turnout, from GOTV to lack of data to contact the potential UKIP voters efficiently.

    Some suggest anti UKIP tactical voting, but they may gain some from anti Tory voting.

    The number of novice candidates will open the doors to more 'foot in mouth' moments which isn't helpful to the overall picture.

    A number of the UKIP respondents in the Polls are from non 2010 voters, only a percentage of these are likely to turn out on the day.

    The really interesting question is what will happen to UKIP beyond 2015, if there is a single party government. Will the LibDems want or be able to occupy the NOTA ground that they have skilfully played for 20 years, or will UKIP keep them out of that position? With single party government there is a main opposition, and then a fight for the other votes of principle and protest between UKIP, LibDem and Green. There are not enough votes for them all to do well. The one(s) that lag in the polls will suffer.
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    For those wanting to see UKIP delenda est, this polling in encouraging.
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    anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746

    Plato said:

    As a card-carrying Tory, I'd be very unimpressed by a pact with Kippers. Not out of worries of extremism [I think that's overblown] but of the psychology behind it.

    I'd rather go down swinging, than indulge in a pre-election gang bang as a tactic. Coalitions are acceptable if that's what the voters serve up, they shouldn't be the public starting point.

    alex said:

    The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal.

    If there is a Con/UKIP pact there'll be one fewer Con vote here.....
    I don't agree with that. Its more democratic if Coalitions are known in advance of an election .In fact all political parties (certainly labour and the Tories) are coalitions of sorts anyway as they have to encompass a spectrum of views.
    Conservatives would be silly to mess up any chance of a UKIP /Con agreement before the election if it was in the right circumstances .Alas I think time is running out though
    Coalitions are known in advance.

    In a FPTP system, parties are 'broad churches' with an internal coalition, under the party banner.
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    PlatoPlato Posts: 15,724
    Surely the intention of the Wasted Vote is key here.

    Prior to the Coalition, a large chunk of LD votes were *wasted* but used to prevent Something Worse.

    If Kippers have too much of a Something Worse brand problem [and the polling here seems to suggest it], then they'll miss out of a load of potential serial voters. It appears that this is currently being filled by previous DNVers. That may be a very useful gambit for the Kippers to mine further since the Big Three haven't had much effect in this segment, so aren't even competing for them.

    It's likely that these DNVers are more left-wing/DE IIRC - pick your label of choice.

    Ipsos also asked a question 'is voting UKIP at a GE a wasted vote'?

    All voters
    Waste 41%
    Not waste 48%

    UKIP supporters
    Waste 4%
    Not Waste 94%

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/political-monitor-oct-2014-tables.pdf

    No doubt you left out the Con & Lab numbers for brevity......
    Net agree UKIP vote wasted:
    Con: +12
    Lab: +17
    It doesn't matter what people who intend to vote for other parties think,
    It does if we're discussing tactical voting.......

    No it doesn't.

    This is 'is UKIP a wasted vote at the GE'.

    So if Con/Lab voters think UKIP is a wasted vote, they will not consider voting for UKIP.
    If Con/Lab voters think UKIP is not a wasted vote, they will consider voting for UKIP.

    The net of those two numbers is not relevant. Only the positive response. Those are the only potential UKIP supporters from those parties.
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783
    isam said:

    isam said:

    All those polls were done before the game changers of Clacton and Heywood & Middleton

    You think both will rank highly in the ITN news index poll at the end of the month?

    Your posts are of such bad quality I actually feel sorry for you that Ukip are doing so well
    So that's a "no" then.

    So much for "game changer"

    And like the NATS your modus operandi is to play the player, not the ball......
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    state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,422
    edited October 2014
    Hopefully its already been offered in secret and maybe its already been rejected but at least they would have tried but the Tories need to do a deal with UKIP along the lines of standing aside in UKIP friendly labour seats and getting UKIP to stand aside in Con/lab marginals .Then UKIP and the Tories can fight it out amongst themselves for currently safe tory seats.

    They could even justify it as a straight vote for a referendum or not
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    anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746
    edited October 2014
    philiph said:



    The really interesting question is what will happen to UKIP beyond 2015, if there is a single party government. Will the LibDems want or be able to occupy the NOTA ground that they have skilfully played for 20 years, or will UKIP keep them out of that position? With single party government there is a main opposition, and then a fight for the other votes of principle and protest between UKIP, LibDem and Green. There are not enough votes for them all to do well. The one(s) that lag in the polls will suffer.

    I think one of the results to watch for next May will be the local elections LD vs UKIP, which party elects the most councillors.
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783
    Ninoinoz said:

    DavidL said:

    alex said:

    The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal.

    If there is a Con/UKIP pact there'll be one fewer Con vote here.....
    Make that 2. I am already concerned about the tendency of the Tories to bend in the wind to accommodate potential UKIP voters.
    Enjoy your time in opposition, then.
    And I'm sure you'll enjoy a Miliband government and further integration into the EU.....

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    DavidL said:

    alex said:

    The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal.

    If there is a Con/UKIP pact there'll be one fewer Con vote here.....
    Make that 2. I am already concerned about the tendency of the Tories to bend in the wind to accommodate potential UKIP voters.
    Indeed. This cartoon from Brookes today sums up your feelings on Dave. Though it will enrage the fans of The God King Farage

    (It isn't psywalled)

    http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/article2481811.ece#tab-4
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    SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322
    Plato said:

    As a card-carrying Tory, I'd be very unimpressed by a pact with Kippers. Not out of worries of extremism [I think that's overblown] but of the psychology behind it.

    I'd rather go down swinging, than indulge in a pre-election gang bang as a tactic. Coalitions are acceptable if that's what the voters serve up, they shouldn't be the public starting point.

    alex said:

    The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal.

    If there is a Con/UKIP pact there'll be one fewer Con vote here.....
    I think it needs at least an election cycle for both sides to come psychologically to the point where they're prepared for an alliance. On UKIP's side, because they'll want to carve out a separate identity for themselves in the public's consciousness before they get involved with the Tories, and on the Tories' side, because they look at UKIP as inferior and is reducing themselves to treat with them.
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    CD13CD13 Posts: 6,351
    JJ,

    People's views on what is "centrist" are subjective. But objectively, it depends on how you define it. If you define it as the views of the majority, then that view also needs defining.

    Unlimited immigration is definitely not centrist. A total ban on immigration is definitely not centrist. A reduction from current levels probably is.

    Let's leave Europe now probably isn't; let's stay in at all costs probably isn't; let's negotiate and see if we can win concessions, and then decide probably is - that's why Cameron is suggesting it

    Whether a party is "centrist" depends an the amalgam of all their policies.

    It's easier to be subjective.

    I'm centrist, you're not, and he's an extremist.
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    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,027
    edited October 2014

    The September ComRes favourable/unfavourable numbers do not show UKIP in bad light. The Conservatives are the ugly sister there, (the LDs were not included).

    http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2014/09/27/comres-poll-farage-as-popular-as-cameron/

    http://www.comres.co.uk/polls/IoS_SM_Political_Poll_28th_September_2014_8723.pdf

    Given that UKIP seems to be the preferred choice for 2010 Con/Lab swing voters, and routinely comes 2nd in 2013, 2014 Westminster by-elections we can see that they do not have a problem with attracting positive votes.

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jameskirkup/100288894/game-of-losers-the-numbers-show-david-cameron-and-ed-miliband-face-election-stalemate/

    There is no evidence of any anti-UKIP tactical voting. Anecdotes from their political opponents are worthless.

    I do not think that Con/Lab swing voters are going to be won over by a UKIP increasingly dominated by privately educated defectors from the right wing of the Conservative party.

    With Bloom gone and Helmer caught in action, Farage must be running out of friends.
    Is anyone willing to give us an overview of the individuals who UKIP have selected to fight their dozen most winnable seats at the next GE?

    It would make an interesting guest article. How many of them are ex-Tories like Carswell, Reckless and I think the PPC for Great Grimsby? Are there any with a Labour background, like our very own isam [not that isam was ever a Labour member, IIRC, but he used to vote that way]?
    Somewhat strangely, they don’t seem to have re-selected in Gt Yarmouth yet. The original candidate stepped down in July.
    His trial is scheduled for January!
    Perhaps his co-defendants are also prominent local UKIP members?

    http://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/news/matthew_smith_steps_down_as_ukip_s_prospective_parliamentary_candidate_for_great_yarmouth_1_3700305
    One is, I suspect. The, other, at 19 is unlikely to be. The charge is forging signatures on nomination papers.
    However, since his trial is scheduled for early January they may be hoping he’ll be found not guilty. UKIP leader of the Co Council says he’s been “suspended” as a UKIP Councillor etc. Still seems active as one though!
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    anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746
    Plato said:

    Surely the intention of the Wasted Vote is key here.

    Prior to the Coalition, a large chunk of LD votes were *wasted* but used to prevent Something Worse.

    If Kippers have too much of a Something Worse brand problem [and the polling here seems to suggest it], then they'll miss out of a load of potential serial voters. It appears that this is currently being filled by previous DNVers. That may be a very useful gambit for the Kippers to mine further since the Big Three haven't had much effect in this segment, so aren't even competing for them.

    It's likely that these DNVers are more left-wing/DE IIRC - pick your label of choice.


    Ipsos also asked a question 'is voting UKIP at a GE a wasted vote'?

    All voters
    Waste 41%
    Not waste 48%

    UKIP supporters
    Waste 4%
    Not Waste 94%

    https://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/political-monitor-oct-2014-tables.pdf

    No doubt you left out the Con & Lab numbers for brevity......
    Net agree UKIP vote wasted:
    Con: +12
    Lab: +17
    It doesn't matter what people who intend to vote for other parties think,
    It does if we're discussing tactical voting.......

    No it doesn't.

    This is 'is UKIP a wasted vote at the GE'.

    So if Con/Lab voters think UKIP is a wasted vote, they will not consider voting for UKIP.
    If Con/Lab voters think UKIP is not a wasted vote, they will consider voting for UKIP.

    The net of those two numbers is not relevant. Only the positive response. Those are the only potential UKIP supporters from those parties.
    My understanding of 'wasted vote' is that you think the party has no chance of either winning that seat, or being in government. So you wouldn't vote for/against them.
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    SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322
    CD13 said:

    JJ,

    People's views on what is "centrist" are subjective. But objectively, it depends on how you define it. If you define it as the views of the majority, then that view also needs defining.

    Unlimited immigration is definitely not centrist. A total ban on immigration is definitely not centrist. A reduction from current levels probably is.

    Let's leave Europe now probably isn't; let's stay in at all costs probably isn't; let's negotiate and see if we can win concessions, and then decide probably is - that's why Cameron is suggesting it

    Whether a party is "centrist" depends an the amalgam of all their policies.

    It's easier to be subjective.

    I'm centrist, you're not, and he's an extremist.

    It all depends on what's in that negotiation. The centrist position is to go back to something that's a trade relationship and little extra. If we can do that in Dave's renegotiation, that will be preferred, but if it can't, people will want to leave. Until these proposals on a points system for EU migration or, at the very least, an effective emergency brake, the Tories haven't proposed anything major to be renegotiated.
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    isamisam Posts: 40,952

    isam said:

    isam said:

    All those polls were done before the game changers of Clacton and Heywood & Middleton

    You think both will rank highly in the ITN news index poll at the end of the month?

    Your posts are of such bad quality I actually feel sorry for you that Ukip are doing so well
    So that's a "no" then.

    So much for "game changer"

    And like the NATS your modus operandi is to play the player, not the ball......
    That is one of the worst arguments/justifications I have ever seen on here... Do you honestly sit there thinking you've made a good point??!!!

    Probably only your misquoting if Farage last Friday comes close!

    What is it about you and Fridays?!

    I haven't given one thought to the itn news index poll !!! For this month or any other this year haha up your game
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783
    Labour Scotland......
    In Scotland
    Net satisfied:
    Posh boy fop out of touch Tory Cameron: -27
    Man of the (nice) people (who can afford Dartmouth Park) Miliband: -43
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    PlatoPlato Posts: 15,724
    Point of order here - surely joining a Party isn't about *preferring one part of society over another* as you state, but of *preferring a way* to make society better [using whatever metric you fancy].

    Well that's my last 2p of starry-eyed political capital spent. I will be having a baby on toast for breakfast.

    alex said:

    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.

    I've been saying this for some time: too many people assume that, by shifting towards UKIP's position to capture UKIP voters, the Conservatives will end up with more voters in total.

    Whereas they would probably lose more voters from the centre, who are actively repelled by UKIP. And who can blame them?

    If we assume that there is a Labour government after GE 2015, led by Ed Miliband, then it is probable that Labour will move slightly further to the left. It's also very possible that the Lib Dems, once Clegg resigns or is defenestrated, will also move to the left to differentiate themselves from the coalition.

    If this transpires, the centre ground will be more open. That is where parties need to be, and not at the ground that UKIP currently holds.

    Having said all that, UKIP shows the need for all parties to understand and cater for all segments of society. That has to be the lesson for, and of, GE2015.
    No. The whole point of a Party is to prefer one part of society over another. Activists often suffer from the delusion that their Party of choice in some magical way eludes this point, bit that's what they suffer from - a delusion...

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    Socrates said:

    Plato said:

    As a card-carrying Tory, I'd be very unimpressed by a pact with Kippers. Not out of worries of extremism [I think that's overblown] but of the psychology behind it.

    I'd rather go down swinging, than indulge in a pre-election gang bang as a tactic. Coalitions are acceptable if that's what the voters serve up, they shouldn't be the public starting point.

    alex said:

    The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal.

    If there is a Con/UKIP pact there'll be one fewer Con vote here.....
    I think it needs at least an election cycle for both sides to come psychologically to the point where they're prepared for an alliance. On UKIP's side, because they'll want to carve out a separate identity for themselves in the public's consciousness before they get involved with the Tories, and on the Tories' side, because they look at UKIP as inferior and is reducing themselves to treat with them.
    You are probably right but I fear it will mean a Miliband government . I like to think of the Tories as a practical pragmatic sort but there is an emotional wing who probably do think UKIP as beneath themselves and thus not entertain a deal with them.
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783
    isam said:

    isam said:

    isam said:

    All those polls were done before the game changers of Clacton and Heywood & Middleton

    You think both will rank highly in the ITN news index poll at the end of the month?

    Your posts are of such bad quality I actually feel sorry for you that Ukip are doing so well
    So that's a "no" then.

    So much for "game changer"

    And like the NATS your modus operandi is to play the player, not the ball......
    I haven't given one thought to the itn news index poll !!!
    Evidently not.

    Otherwise you wouldn't be making ludicrous claims about "game changers"!
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    Plato said:

    Point of order here - surely joining a Party isn't about *preferring one part of society over another* as you state, but of *preferring a way* to make society better [using whatever metric you fancy].

    Well that's my last 2p of starry-eyed political capital spent. I will be having a baby on toast for breakfast.

    alex said:

    I think the relevance of this poll is perhaps not in the effect on UKIP's chances of winning seats (which i think should fall apart under scrutiny in the course of a GE campaign as long as the Conservatives keep their heads). The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal. For the sake of avoiding a few Conservative MPs in safe seats actually having to do some proper election campaigning, a deal/pact would throw away huge number of moderate Conservative or potential Conservative voters in more marginal seats.

    The LibDems must be praying for such an eventuality, as they will become the natural home for those voters, considering their participation in the coalition government.

    I've been saying this for some time: too many people assume that, by shifting towards UKIP's position to capture UKIP voters, the Conservatives will end up with more voters in total.

    Whereas they would probably lose more voters from the centre, who are actively repelled by UKIP. And who can blame them?

    If we assume that there is a Labour government after GE 2015, led by Ed Miliband, then it is probable that Labour will move slightly further to the left. It's also very possible that the Lib Dems, once Clegg resigns or is defenestrated, will also move to the left to differentiate themselves from the coalition.

    If this transpires, the centre ground will be more open. That is where parties need to be, and not at the ground that UKIP currently holds.

    Having said all that, UKIP shows the need for all parties to understand and cater for all segments of society. That has to be the lesson for, and of, GE2015.
    No. The whole point of a Party is to prefer one part of society over another. Activists often suffer from the delusion that their Party of choice in some magical way eludes this point, bit that's what they suffer from - a delusion...

    and Plato wins today's prize for 'What would Obama say'
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    NinoinozNinoinoz Posts: 1,312

    JackCade said:

    For the two main parties to vote for their counterpart at the GE to keep UKIP out would be suicidal.

    The balancing act that the two main parties will be trying to make is, say for the Tories, to encourage tactical voting from Labour voters against UKIP in Tory/UKIP contests while appealing to potential UKIP voters to vote tactically in Tory/Labour contests.

    It's all bollocks, really, and the contortions that the campaigns will have to go through at the net election indicate why it is so vital to change the voting system to one that does not so heavily reward tactical/dishonest/negative voting. With a system like STV you simply vote for what you want.
    It pays not to be too clever with the electorate, unless you're filling the ballots yourself.

    In recent council elections in my borough, UKIP put only one candidate up in each ward. Huge numbers of ballots had one vote for UKIP and two for the Tories. The voters were scared of spoiling their ballot. Obvious to PBers, perhaps, but not to the electorate.

    Perhaps the importance of politics to the general population is exaggerated on this site.
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    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,855

    Ninoinoz said:

    DavidL said:

    alex said:

    The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal.

    If there is a Con/UKIP pact there'll be one fewer Con vote here.....
    Make that 2. I am already concerned about the tendency of the Tories to bend in the wind to accommodate potential UKIP voters.
    Enjoy your time in opposition, then.
    And I'm sure you'll enjoy a Miliband government and further integration into the EU.....

    You do rather prove his point. UKIP get accused here of splitting the right-wing vote, and letting in Labour. But then you, and others here, say you'd refuse to vote Conservative if they made a pact with UKIP. Which does rather suggest that for all the talk of the horrors of a Milliband government, it's not in reality a prospect that bothers you much.

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    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,277
    Rochester is shaping up to a classic old-skool by-election, except without the Liberals. Every vote will be fought over. Where is Vincent Hanna when you need him?

    For those who haven't seen the news on the two Tory hopefuls:

    http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/tory-hopefuls-vie-to-contest-25350/
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    state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,422
    edited October 2014
    Ninoinoz said:

    JackCade said:

    For the two main parties to vote for their counterpart at the GE to keep UKIP out would be suicidal.

    The balancing act that the two main parties will be trying to make is, say for the Tories, to encourage tactical voting from Labour voters against UKIP in Tory/UKIP contests while appealing to potential UKIP voters to vote tactically in Tory/Labour contests.

    It's all bollocks, really, and the contortions that the campaigns will have to go through at the net election indicate why it is so vital to change the voting system to one that does not so heavily reward tactical/dishonest/negative voting. With a system like STV you simply vote for what you want.
    It pays not to be too clever with the electorate, unless you're filling the ballots yourself.

    In recent council elections in my borough, UKIP put only one candidate up in each ward. Huge numbers of ballots had one vote for UKIP and two for the Tories. The voters were scared of spoiling their ballot. Obvious to PBers, perhaps, but not to the electorate.

    Perhaps the importance of politics to the general population is exaggerated on this site.
    Not sure I understand that ? I would have thought in a ward with 3 councillors that ,if there was only one UKIP candidate there would be many who put Tories as their preferred choice for the other two
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    isamisam Posts: 40,952

    isam said:

    isam said:

    isam said:

    All those polls were done before the game changers of Clacton and Heywood & Middleton

    You think both will rank highly in the ITN news index poll at the end of the month?

    Your posts are of such bad quality I actually feel sorry for you that Ukip are doing so well
    So that's a "no" then.

    So much for "game changer"

    And like the NATS your modus operandi is to play the player, not the ball......
    I haven't given one thought to the itn news index poll !!!
    Evidently not.

    Otherwise you wouldn't be making ludicrous claims about "game changers"!
    So let me get this straight... You are saying that Ukip winning a seat and pushing labour a close 2nd in their heartlands, is not a game changer.

    This is despite every respected political journalist saying it is, Ukip hitting record highs in almost every poll

    And your justification is that you don't reckon it will be in the itn news index poll at the end of the month?

    Can you confirm that is what you really think
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    NinoinozNinoinoz Posts: 1,312

    Ninoinoz said:

    DavidL said:

    alex said:

    The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal.

    If there is a Con/UKIP pact there'll be one fewer Con vote here.....
    Make that 2. I am already concerned about the tendency of the Tories to bend in the wind to accommodate potential UKIP voters.
    Enjoy your time in opposition, then.
    And I'm sure you'll enjoy a Miliband government and further integration into the EU.....

    Like under Cameron? European Arrest Warrant ring any bells?
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    JBriskinJBriskin Posts: 2,380
    Briskin and co live at 0907 BST (part 1 of 2)

    The debate regarding Lord Freud's (related?) comments is over. As ever Briskin and co need some time, in this case 3 days, to analyse.

    What many people may or may not understand - and who may or be not be reading this, is that there are many disabled people who work for less than 2 GBP per hour. This is because they "work" (unpaid) in the voluntary sector (related to the third sector, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_sector , see also NGO's such as Greenpeace, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenpeace )

    Hague (MP, Con) has stated that since the beginning of the coalition (Con/LD) parliament there are now more than 70,000 (figure from memory )disabled people in work.
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    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,054
    Sean_F said:

    Ninoinoz said:

    DavidL said:

    alex said:

    The relevance is what it says about the crazy suggestions of any sort of Con-UKIP pact/deal.

    If there is a Con/UKIP pact there'll be one fewer Con vote here.....
    Make that 2. I am already concerned about the tendency of the Tories to bend in the wind to accommodate potential UKIP voters.
    Enjoy your time in opposition, then.
    And I'm sure you'll enjoy a Miliband government and further integration into the EU.....

    You do rather prove his point. UKIP get accused here of splitting the right-wing vote, and letting in Labour. But then you, and others here, say you'd refuse to vote Conservative if they made a pact with UKIP. Which does rather suggest that for all the talk of the horrors of a Milliband government, it's not in reality a prospect that bothers you much.
    The threat to me and my family from a UKIP majority or minority government, especially given the views of many UKIP supporters on here, is far greater than it would be from a Labour government.

    And that's saying something. Therefore, if it comes to play in my constituency, my vote will be an anti-UKIP vote. This was not the case a year (or possibly even six months) ago.
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,783
    isam said:

    isam said:

    isam said:

    isam said:

    All those polls were done before the game changers of Clacton and Heywood & Middleton

    You think both will rank highly in the ITN news index poll at the end of the month?

    Your posts are of such bad quality I actually feel sorry for you that Ukip are doing so well
    So that's a "no" then.

    So much for "game changer"

    And like the NATS your modus operandi is to play the player, not the ball......
    I haven't given one thought to the itn news index poll !!!
    Evidently not.

    Otherwise you wouldn't be making ludicrous claims about "game changers"!
    So let me get this straight... You are saying that Ukip winning a seat and pushing labour a close 2nd in their heartlands, is not a game changer.

    This is despite every respected political journalist saying it is, Ukip hitting record highs in almost every poll

    And your justification is that you don't reckon it will be in the itn news index poll at the end of the month?

    Can you confirm that is what you really think
    As we are interested in politics we tend to grossly over estimate the general public's interest.

    The ITN news index poll is a useful antidote to that.

    Britain being forced out of the ERM was a "game changer".

    I doubt Carsell holding his seat is remotely in the same league.
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    NinoinozNinoinoz Posts: 1,312

    Ninoinoz said:

    JackCade said:

    For the two main parties to vote for their counterpart at the GE to keep UKIP out would be suicidal.

    The balancing act that the two main parties will be trying to make is, say for the Tories, to encourage tactical voting from Labour voters against UKIP in Tory/UKIP contests while appealing to potential UKIP voters to vote tactically in Tory/Labour contests.

    It's all bollocks, really, and the contortions that the campaigns will have to go through at the net election indicate why it is so vital to change the voting system to one that does not so heavily reward tactical/dishonest/negative voting. With a system like STV you simply vote for what you want.
    It pays not to be too clever with the electorate, unless you're filling the ballots yourself.

    In recent council elections in my borough, UKIP put only one candidate up in each ward. Huge numbers of ballots had one vote for UKIP and two for the Tories. The voters were scared of spoiling their ballot. Obvious to PBers, perhaps, but not to the electorate.

    Perhaps the importance of politics to the general population is exaggerated on this site.
    Not sure I understand that ? I would have thought in a ward with 3 councillors that ,if there was only one UKIP candidate there would be many who put Tories as their preferred choice for the other two
    It was a FPTP election.

    I presume you live in Scotland, where they have PR for local elections.
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