Well Done UKIP.

[daveinprague]

The ridiculous euro project is over. All over Europe, Left and Right parties have voted to reject the Union. It was forced on us all and now we can watch it tumble. Great day for politics

Good luck with that dream. You may not of noticed, but the pro EU lobby took more votes....

Pastafarian...stupid, stupid name.... but...'await the inevitable EURO BINGO with nibble and daveinbognor '....daveinbognor?...thats brilliant..did you come up with that on your own?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Maybe we should be out of the EU? But with ukip? Haha you have to be kidding they are the laughing stock of politics and Farage doesn't even create a facade of a decent party he is the biggest plonker of them all!

I think you might have missed the point of UKIP ....... and the recent results.

 

[Paddy B]

It is the first time in 100 years that a national election has been won by any other party than the Conservatives or Labour. I think the real story is the Cons and Lib Dems are pretty much ruined in the general election 2015. No matter what Rabbits Cameron and Osborne can pull out of the hat in the next year, it is TOO LATE. They are toast.

Perversely I think that these results could well spell another term for the Tories next year. Bear in mind the Labour vote was on the floor 4 years ago, they only increased the vote to bring them virtually level with the hated party of government.

UKIP has taken votes from all ends of the political spectrum and has not split the right wing vote, therefore a Tory/UKIP coalition is a very real (and terrifying) thought

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Maybe we should be out of the EU? But with ukip? Haha you have to be kidding they are the laughing stock of politics and Farage doesn't even create a facade of a decent party he is the biggest plonker of them all!

Yeah I'm sure you're right. Mr Cameron, Mr Clegg and Mr Miliband can all be heard laughing at the joke that is UKIP......oh hang on.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Perversely I think that these results could well spell another term for the Tories next year. Bear in mind the Labour vote was on the floor 4 years ago, they only increased the vote to bring them virtually level with the hated party of government.

UKIP has taken votes from all ends of the political spectrum and has not split the right wing vote, therefore a Tory/UKIP coalition is a very real (and terrifying) thought

I agree, this election is extremely bad for the Labour party.

 

[pastafarian]

Of course the world, and Europe, are very different places from the 1930's version, but the shift of the entire political landscape to the right should be a cause for concern for everyone.

F~CK EM ALL.......they should have thought of the consequences of their actions before screwing the people of Europe.

 

[Hungry Joe]

F~CK EM ALL.......they should have thought of the consequences of their actions before screwing the people of Europe.

Thank you for that insight.

 

[dougdeep]

you may not of noticed.

Have!

 

[Steve.S]

Whats really new though? We already know a sizeable minority of the UK voting population don't like the EU and want out. One of the two largest parties in the UK is very anti-Europe and has been for a long time.

Whats perhaps remarkable is that for the first time ever a political party has been created with the sole platform of getting out of the EU, and for UKIP in isolation as a party, its a great result. This means that for the first time we can really see the strength of feeling out there. In that context, is 30% of the vote that great for the anti-EU cause? That's 30% of 30% voting, so barely 10% of the British voting public felt that strongly against Europe to go and cast a vote for the only party that wants to remove us from it.

It's not 10% though! that would suggest that 70%of the non voters would vote for one of the main parties! which is not necessary true. What it shows is that most of the public are not interested either way, because if they were, they would be voting. The truth is that come the next election turn out will be low again, the only thing that is going to save the main parties is the economy. If people start to feel better off, then they are less likely to vote UKIP. Across Europe the anti euro vote has increased in countries where the economy is at a low. The countries that economies are on the up, have not seen much of the anti euro vote.

 

[drew]

So, out of interest, what resolutions have been tabled by UKIP MEPs to try and and change the organisations they despise?

Have they tabled anything to change the rules on borders?
Have they tabled anything to change the rules relating to what benefits other EU nationals can claim in the UK?
Have they tabled anything to insist that the accounts are audited?
Have they tabled anything to stop the circus of spending 4 days in Strasbourg?


These elections will be a big wake up call to the Lab/Tory parties, probably more so to the Tories as it is estimated that only 1 in 7 Ukip voters was formerly a labour voter, the vast majority coming from the Tory vote.

The other thing is that the election next year will show how much of the UKIP vote was merely as a protest and, if as some predict, they won't win a seat, where does that leave them.

A year ago an analysis of UKIP voters showed that:-

60% of UKIP’s current supporters voted Conservative in 2010 – a clear majority, but far from everyone. Just 12% voted UKIP last time. Small minorities voted Labour or, more likely, Liberal Democrat. (There’s nothing new in supporters from the pro-EU Lib Dems switching to the anti-EU UKIP – they are the kind of Lib Dem voters whose choice was driven by a dislike for the two big parties rather than enthusiasm for Brussels.)

Forced to choose, UKIP supporters would, by three-to-one, prefer a Tory-lead Cameron government to a Miliband-led Labour government. But one in four UKIP supporters decline to take sides. Nevertheless, one obvious line of attack by the Conservatives at the next election will be to warn UKIP supporters of the dangers of letting Ed Miliband become Prime Minister by default, if UKIP deprives the Tories of the votes they need to hang on in Con-Lab marginals.

UKIP is widely seen as to the Right of the Tories – but that is not how UKIP voters view themselves. Whereas 60% of Tory voters place themselves to the Right of centre, the figure for UKIP supporters is rather less, 46%. And whereas 25% of Tories say they are in the centre, or even left-of-centre, the figure for UKIP voters is 36%.
However, UKIP voters are more likely than Tories to read one of right-of-centre tabloids, the Mail, Sun or Express.

Demographically, UKIP voters attract men slightly more than women – and the party draws its support disproportionately from older people with fewer qualifications. Whereas 46% of all voters are over 50, and 38% under 40, the figures for UKIP are 71% and 15% respectively. And just 13% of UKIP supporters have university degrees – half the national average (though this partly reflects the age profile: older people generally were less likely to attend university when they were young).

UKIP voters are less likely than voters generally, and far less likely than Conservative voters, to be above-average earners. 23% of UKIP supporters live in households whose total income exceeds £40,000, compared with 38% of Tories and 28% of Labour voters.


Would be interesting to see if they did the same analysis now, how much those percentages have changed. A lot might depend on where disappointed Libdem voters put their cross as to whom, if anyone, holds the balance of power.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

The French hate the EU even more.

 

[sahel]

UKIP have no pro-agenda, but have been skilful in tapping into the "I don't know what I'm for, but I'm against this" vote, and for that they should get some credit, although the reality is it is more down to the major centre parties failure to get the zeitgeist.

The far right in France have been knocking at the door for far longer than UKIP. Much of France being more rural than the UK has helped the Front Nationale in terms of support for years now, as is the case in large parts of Italy, rural areas tend to be the heartlands of right wing.

The biggest worry for me with the potential demise of the EU is a return to nation state Nationalism coupled with a slow and painful economic recovery, too slow for many to see any light at the end of the tunnel. Of course the world, and Europe, are very different places from the 1930's version, but the shift of the entire political landscape to the right should be a cause for concern for everyone.

I wonder if any UKIP supporters read their 2010 election manifesto. It was completely laughable - flat taxes, lots of aircraft carriers, huge army and police force. Farage signed it off but now agrees it was ridiculous - shows he was on top of things doesn't it ! Really interesting to see this time what they say about what really matters - housing, education, jobs taxes etc. Last time no one took any notice of them and their silly ideas. This time they will come under great scrutiny

 

[pastafarian]

Good luck with that dream. You may not of noticed, but the pro EU lobby took more votes....

Pastafarian...stupid, stupid name.... but...'await the inevitable EURO BINGO with nibble and daveinbognor '....daveinbognor?...thats brilliant..did you come up with that on your own?

Thats twice youve called my usename stupid in a week....whats wrong with it dave?

i think today mate is time to take stock that a message has been sent around Europe with the rising popular vote that the EU as far as the citizens are concerned is broken.It needs fixing if it is to work,if the powers that be do not want to change the Status Quo it looks like trouble and political strife.I am concerned as the next guy as to the rise of the far right and also the far left(which seems to be ignored).....but this establishment has been asking for this kicking for ages!

Today Dave your beloved Europe took a bit of a shoeing,in the scale of things it really is quite significant.Loonies would say it isnt.

But today i get to wave my big hairy nuts in your face and all over your continuous hate of people that like democracy and free speech,so have a good look and feel because i suspect they are coming your way soon for a second helping.

 

[drew]

It's not 10% though! that would suggest that 70%of the non voters would vote for one of the main parties! which is not necessary true. What it shows is that most of the public are not interested either way, because if they were, they would be voting. The truth is that come the next election turn out will be low again, the only thing that is going to save the main parties is the economy. If people start to feel better off, then they are less likely to vote UKIP. Across Europe the anti euro vote has increased in countries where the economy is at a low. The countries that economies are on the up, have not seen much of the anti euro vote.

But what he said is true, only a third of the electorate voted and a third of them voted UKIP so, roughly only 10% of the electorate bothered to vote. In the last election, there was a 65% turnout, double that of the EU elections. Where you are right is that we don't know which way the 70% who didn't bother to vote this week will vote next year, although we can be pretty certain not all of them will be voting anyway! However, it doesn't stretch the imagination to suggest that if they were UKIP inclined, they would have gone and voted this time to register their protest.

 

[Paddy B]

I wonder if any UKIP supporters read their 2010 election manifesto. It was completely laughable - flat taxes, lots of aircraft carriers, huge army and police force. Farage signed it off but now agrees it was ridiculous - shows he was on top of things doesn't it ! Really interesting to see this time what they say about what really matters - housing, education, jobs taxes etc. Last time no one took any notice of them and their silly ideas. This time they will come under great scrutiny

Indeed, even last year when interviewed by Victoria Derbyshire on R5L (hardly the most ferocious of opponents) even gentle probing proved there was no substance to their other (particular) economic policies.

Lets see what they come up with next year

 

[vegster]

The ridiculous euro project is over. All over Europe, Left and Right parties have voted to reject the Union. It was forced on us all and now we can watch it tumble. Great day for politics

Hilarious ! You may see some renegotiation and change of policy and structure but you won't see it " tumbling down ".

 

[crasher]

The French hate the EU even more.

Lots of them clearly do, but France is inextricably tied to the EU in ways that we're not. For instance, the system of farming subsidies mainly exists because the French economy, with its agricultural component, needs it more than we do. And many regions of France, for example Brittany, would be in a bad way without the large EU subsidy that comes their way to prop up impoverished bits of the country.

So for all the votes that have gone the way of the French national front - I don't see any serious prospect of France leaving the EU. Unless I've missed it, they don't even have plans for a referendum on leaving - unlike the UK.

 

[daveinprague]

Thats twice youve called my usename stupid in a week....whats wrong with it dave?

i think today mate is time to take stock that a message has been sent around Europe with the rising popular vote that the EU as far as the citizens are concerned is broken.It needs fixing if it is to work,if the powers that be do not want to change the Status Quo it looks like trouble and political strife.I am concerned as the next guy as to the rise of the far right and also the far left(which seems to be ignored).....but this establishment has been asking for this kicking for ages!

Today Dave your beloved Europe took a bit of a shoeing,in the scale of things it really is quite significant.Loonies would say it isnt.

But today i get to wave my big hairy nuts in your face and all over your continuous hate of people that like democracy and free speech,so have a good look and feel because i suspect they are coming your way soon for a second helping.

whats wrong with it?... apart from it being offensive to some members of my family with your ridiculous hijacking of Selassies name, nothing I guess...
Maybe it makes you 'different'.

Yeah, the far right did better than usual... well done... however, overall, the left won....im all for democracy...so id wait a bit before waving whatever is between your legs at anybody. Was the 'daveinbognor' an original joke from you, or did somebody else come up with it...it was really clever. So, im guessing it wasnt your own.

 

[Meade's Ball]

As protest votes go it's one that fills me with horrific dread. But greater concern lies for me in 2 areas. One in how the mainstream parties will respond to nab back a selection of voters, looking to mirror UKIP's phony everyman us against thems - jobstealing foreigners and 'the man' for controlling our lives rah rah - and that people feel so disconnected politically that it ie no bother to them that such a foul-hearted group of far-righters gain authority. We've been bombarded with negativity throughout this recession and it's no surprise really that so many feel hopeless and have to find external blame for their ills. Politicians have to find ways of bringing their supporters back in, and those most without a voice to feel even slightly represented. Otherwise we have a country of greater hatefulness on the near horizon.

 

[pastafarian]

I wonder if any UKIP supporters read their 2010 election manifesto. It was completely laughable - flat taxes, lots of aircraft carriers, huge army and police force. Farage signed it off but now agrees it was ridiculous - shows he was on top of things doesn't it ! Really interesting to see this time what they say about what really matters - housing, education, jobs taxes etc. Last time no one took any notice of them and their silly ideas. This time they will come under great scrutiny

Oddly enough this weekend i read the Full Green Manifesto,i wonder how many of their supporters realise the Greens propose a massive tax rise on Alcohol well and above current Government guidelines and also a huge increase on corporate tax for producers of alcohol....you dont need to be an economist to work out the result on the hospitality industry would be catastrophic.

every party has policies one could not agree with in a thousand years even if you were a supporter.