Oliver Coppard to win sheffield hallam?

[Eater Sundae 12]

It's a little more complicated than that the left leaning protest votes returned to Labour or went off to Green but a different set of socially conservative voters moved from Labour to UKIP. They are traditionally Labour or abstainionist because they won't vote for the party of Thatcher. It's difficult to call them a protest vote because the simply have never had a moderate home, they might have flirted with BNP or voted through gritted teeth or loyalty for Labour but UKIP are the first real party to offer them what they want.

 

Labour need to watch out because UKIP show clear signs of splitting the working class vote in the north, it's foolish to write them off as purely a protest vote.

 

I agree about some Labour voters switching to UKIP.

 

At present, UKIP are picking up support across the board. If their success continues, then at some point I think there will be an old fashioned conflict between left and right within the party, when they get into policy details.

[alchresearch 215]

I think Clegg has been unfairly punished for putting country before party

 

Not just Clegg. My council area has just lost its Lib Dem councillor, the first time in many years. He worked tirelessly for the community and was the only one who produced regular newsletters of their progress. There was never any national party political bitching in it, just reports of their campaigns and successes.

 

Now he's been replaced by a Labour councillor, who's done nothing for the area, save for show his face in a glossy Labour flyer last week.

[RickyM 10]

Love it when lefties say things like "let the Tories in". Reality is we live in a democracy, and like it or not, of those who cared enough to vote, more people voted Conservative than for any other party (we can only assume those who didn't vote are happy with the status quo anyway).

 

As for those lefty demonstrators in London, they're a disgrace. Anti-democratic fascists who don't want to accept the will of the people. If they're so unhappy with this country's democratically elected government, then perhaps they'd better go and find another country to live in for at least the next 5 years.

 

How do you know what the 'will of the people' was when the Tories weren't fully upfront about their spending plans? People were hardly making an informed choice, were they?

 

Also, you conveniently forget that the FPTP electoral system encourages tactical voting. People voting Tory (a small number in a few areas) to stop UKIP and former Tory Lib Dem voters going back to stop Labour.

 

It's not as straight forward as it's made out to be in the media!

 

---------- Post added 11-05-2015 at 20:44 ----------

 

I'd agree with that.

 

As I've said on another thread, the turnout in Labour held seats is substantially lower than in Tory held seats.

 

However, I question whether those who don't vote are any more Labour inclined than just totally apathetic about politics and government.

 

A really radical move would be to say that we should have a single transferable vote, eliminating candidates until the last two are head to head to determine a winner. If the constituency has had a turnout of less than 50% the elected MP would have no vote in Parliament! Maybe I'd impose a by-election after 12 months to give them another chance:-)

 

Thanks.

 

There will always be a proportion of the electorate that don't vote - in the Scottish Independence Referendum last year about 15% didn't turn up.

 

Turnout last Thursday was 66.1% so there is about 20% that would've voted but didn't.........assuming the 85% benchmark would be replicated in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

 

---------- Post added 11-05-2015 at 20:52 ----------

 

Not just Clegg. My council area has just lost its Lib Dem councillor, the first time in many years. He worked tirelessly for the community and was the only one who produced regular newsletters of their progress. There was never any national party political bitching in it, just reports of their campaigns and successes.

 

Now he's been replaced by a Labour councillor, who's done nothing for the area, save for show his face in a glossy Labour flyer last week.

 

I'm all for coalitions but when a party tries to distance itself from the actions it has taken by blaming their partners for all the negative aspects of the government and also backtracks on what it had voted through (Bedroom Tax, Police & Crime Commissioners and Proportional Representation) then voters rightly punished the Lib Dems.

 

It is sad about the councillor you mention but he/she was guilty by association and that's politics. they had their chance to make their case and defend their record and the voters of that ward decided not to re-elect him/her.

[WiseOwl182 10]

How do you know what the 'will of the people' was when the Tories weren't fully upfront about their spending plans? People were hardly making an informed choice, were they?

 

Also, you conveniently forget that the FPTP electoral system encourages tactical voting. People voting Tory (a small number in a few areas) to stop UKIP and former Tory Lib Dem voters going back to stop Labour.

 

It's not as straight forward as it's made out to be in the media!

 

 

Were you complaining about FPTP in 2005 when a 35% vote share yielded Labour a 66 seat majority?

[mossdog 10]

Not just Clegg. My council area has just lost its Lib Dem councillor, the first time in many years. He worked tirelessly for the community and was the only one who produced regular newsletters of their progress. There was never any national party political bitching in it, just reports of their campaigns and successes.

 

Now he's been replaced by a Labour councillor, who's done nothing for the area, save for show his face in a glossy Labour flyer last week.

That could have been the same in Stannington,but thankfully the liberals who work their socks off for Stannington are back in again!

[RickyM 10]

Were you complaining about FPTP in 2005 when a 35% vote share yielded Labour a 66 seat majority?

 

Yes, I was complaining.

 

It favours both the main parties and suppresses support of other parties by denying them and their voters representation. The SNP still support PR as they know the FPTP wont benefit them and their voters forever.

[mossdog 10]

Hardly nationalist support has has not gone over 54%, because of our beloved FPTP system they'll slaughter the unionist parties at anything approaching 50%.

[ur.................... Edited October 28, 2015 by mossdog

[WiseOwl182 10]

Oliver who?

[-xsf 10]

Nick Clegg isn't bothering to serve the people who voted for him, there should be a mechanism to force a by-election for MPs who's voting record falls below 20%.

 

Oliver - and the people of Sheffield - were robbed by Nick Clegg, he should be ashamed.