Which is your SECOND CHOICE of political party?

[wellquickwoody]

If I had a PROTEST vote it would go to the English Democrats, just to f**k of the Welsh and F.R.I.S.P.s

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

I voted UKIP, though I don't really have a second preference, as a large number of them seem to be fruitcakes. If we ended up with some form of PR, and a centre-right, pro-freedom, pro-business (i.e. not loads of "rights" for employees that cost small businesses vast amounts each year), small-government party, like the Free Democrats in Germany, were to come in to being, I would vote Tory first preference and that party second. Also, everyone assumes the Lib Dems would stay united after PR came in. The Lib Dems are a fragmented party with centre-right leaning people like David Laws and Jeremy Browne as well as lefties. There is nothing to say new parties would not arise from a realignment of the political system, with more right-wing Tories joining UKIP, left-wing Labour people joining the Socialist Party/Socialist Alliance, etc.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

I voted UKIP, though I don't really have a second preference, as a large number of them seem to be fruitcakes. If we ended up with some form of PR, and a centre-right, pro-freedom, pro-business (i.e. not loads of "rights" for employees that cost small businesses vast amounts each year), small-government party, like the Free Democrats in Germany, were to come in to being, I would vote Tory first preference and that party second. Also, everyone assumes the Lib Dems would stay united after PR came in. The Lib Dems are a fragmented party with centre-right leaning people like David Laws and Jeremy Browne as well as lefties. There is nothing to say new parties would not arise from a realignment of the political system, with more right-wing Tories joining UKIP, left-wing Labour people joining the Socialist Party/Socialist Alliance, etc.

Very true. There would be fragmentation on all sides with proper PR. That's why Labour want AV. The parties will most probably stay together but they know that the Conservatives will lose a lot of seats.

 

[Steve Foster]

Conservatives first,

English Democrats, second

 

[The Large One]

Seeing as - in this election - I am voting for the candidate whose views most closely represent my own, rather than a party whose view most closely represent mine, I went with Labour as second choice.

If my reasons for voting were about the party rather than the candidate, I'd have voted LibDem on this poll.

 

[NMH]

This poll is a shoe-in for Lib-Dems I reckon - the 3 most visible/audible parties and the majority of people lean to either Labour or Tory. Therefore what falls in the middle is picked up by Liberals.
Other than that, we know too little about how well the Greens or 'Other' might manage, UKIP is either trust them or don't, and BNP are dead dodgy so you are either gullible pro, or anti-BNP.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

Very true. There would be fragmentation on all sides with proper PR. That's why Labour want AV. The parties will most probably stay together but they know that the Conservatives will lose a lot of seats.

I think we saw a bit of this with the merger of the Liberal Party and the SDP to form the Liberal Democrats. The Liberals in some ways were to the left of Labour (particularly on nuclear disarmament), and certainly to the left of New Labour, whereas the SDP was mainly formed from the right wing of the Labour Party, some of whom later played prominent roles in setting up New Labour. The only true left winger was Roy Jenkins, who I think mainly joined the SDP because of Labour's then anti-Europeanism. I toyed with the Alliance in my late teens, as I was impressed with the SDP and had a few differences with Maggie Thatcher at the time, despite my grave concerns about the Liberal Party with the large amount of support for CND among its membership. I would have voted for them in 1987, but never got the chance as she called the election a month before my 18th birthday.

As for AV, I am surprised the Liberals are willing to go for it, as it would not necessarily give them a role in government. In all the seats they finish third, they would drop out automatically. Most of the gains they will make this time will be at the expense of Labour, while in seats where the Tories finish third, the vast majority of Tory supporters would be unlikely to give them their second preference. Very risky I would have thought. Surely they would have to press for STV or something like the Scottish or Welsh system.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

As for AV, I am surprised the Liberals are willing to go for it, as it would not necessarily give them a role in government. In all the seats they finish third, they would drop out automatically. Most of the gains they will make this time will be at the expense of Labour, while in seats where the Tories finish third, the vast majority of Tory supporters would be unlikely to give them their second preference. Very risky I would have thought. Surely they would have to press for STV or something like the Scottish or Welsh system.

I don't think they are completely for it, but would probably back it if Labour supported it on the grounds that it would be better than FPTP

 

[keaton]

Labour (voting Green)

 

[coventrygull]

BNP or English dems are my second choice. English Independence party are my frist choice party.

 

[Hove Lagoonery]

BNP or English dems are my second choice. English Independence party are my frist choice party.

Ha Ha! The BNP are directly opposed to English independence.

 

[Barry Izbak]

Seagulls Party

 

[coventrygull]

Ha Ha! The BNP are directly opposed to English independence.

But they do support an English parliament Which none of the other parties except for the English Deomcrats do

 

[Martinf]

That's because it's everyone's first choice

I said BNP second. I agree with a lot of their policies, but couldn't vote for them as they are a bunch of racists

What - the BNP or the Tories?

 

[Sir Norman Gull]

My young son,not of voting age, described UKIP as a nicer BNP!

 

[Barnham Seagull]

Conservative 1st, Labour 2nd and never ever Lib Dem