What do you think about UKIP?

[Divair]

I'm with you on this for the most part. I like them as an influence and little more, although there have been rumblings of a Tory-UKIP coalition in 2015.

I'll be extremely impressed if UKIP won a single constituency in the coming elections.

Unfortunately, they're polling roughly as high as the LibDems.
http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/
Then again, that's mostly in Tory-dominated districts.

[Olivaero]

I'll be extremely impressed if UKIP won a single constituency in the coming elections.

Unfortunately, they're polling roughly as high as the LibDems.
http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/
Then again, that's mostly in Tory-dominated districts.

Yeeees but there are a couple of factors they have to overcome;
1: They don't have an established base, the Lib dems do.
2: The UK has a bit of a history of voting differently in Generals Elections to what polls show even very shortly before the GE is the "serious election" it really matters, which explains why the SNP have a majority of seats in the Scottish parliament but not the majority of MP's in Scotland and why UKIP do very well in the European elections but have not had any gains in past generals
3: They don't have any established safe seats, their are no seats which are traditionally UKIP dominated seats this is sort of the same as number one but number 1 could just be ideological this just compounds it.

[Divair]

Unfortunately, they're polling roughly as high as the LibDems.
http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/
Then again, that's mostly in Tory-dominated districts.

Yeeees but there are a couple of factors they have to overcome;
1: They don't have an established base, the Lib dems do.
2: The UK has a bit of a history of voting differently in Generals Elections to what polls show even very shortly before the GE is the "serious election" it really matters, which explains why the SNP have a majority of seats in the Scottish parliament but not the majority of MP's in Scotland and why UKIP do very well in the European elections but have not had any gains in past generals
3: They don't have any established safe seats, their are no seats which are traditionally UKIP dominated seats this is sort of the same as number one but number 1 could just be ideological this just compounds it.

I've seen crazier things happen in the past during election season. Israel's 2nd largest party appeared out of nowhere despite the polls showing they'd win very few seats. Not the UK, sure, but the concept of a rapid rise in popularity isn't too far-fetched. All that we can do is wait. And vote. For Labour. Because I can't really bring myself to vote for anyone else.

[Olivaero]

Yeeees but there are a couple of factors they have to overcome;
1: They don't have an established base, the Lib dems do.
2: The UK has a bit of a history of voting differently in Generals Elections to what polls show even very shortly before the GE is the "serious election" it really matters, which explains why the SNP have a majority of seats in the Scottish parliament but not the majority of MP's in Scotland and why UKIP do very well in the European elections but have not had any gains in past generals
3: They don't have any established safe seats, their are no seats which are traditionally UKIP dominated seats this is sort of the same as number one but number 1 could just be ideological this just compounds it.

I've seen crazier things happen in the past during election season. Israel's 2nd largest party appeared out of nowhere despite the polls showing they'd win very few seats. Not the UK, sure, but the concept of a rapid rise in popularity isn't too far-fetched. All that we can do is wait. And vote. For Labour. Because I can't really bring myself to vote for anyone else.

Actually if your voting for Labour the rise in popularity of UKIP is only a good thing. They are massively splitting the conservative vote whilst the Lib dems have largely fallen back on their base meaning even with a weak leader Labour is sitting pretty. The only thing that would screw them would be Scotland fucking off.

[Divair]

I've seen crazier things happen in the past during election season. Israel's 2nd largest party appeared out of nowhere despite the polls showing they'd win very few seats. Not the UK, sure, but the concept of a rapid rise in popularity isn't too far-fetched. All that we can do is wait. And vote. For Labour. Because I can't really bring myself to vote for anyone else.

Actually if your voting for Labour the rise in popularity of UKIP is only a good thing. They are massively splitting the conservative vote whilst the Lib dems have largely fallen back on their base meaning even with a weak leader Labour is sitting pretty. The only thing that would screw them would be Scotland fucking off.

I'm hoping that UKIP will be popular enough in my district that Labour has a chance. Otherwise my vote is a bit wasted. Scotland will stay, so we're good.

[The Joseon Dynasty]

I'm with you on this for the most part. I like them as an influence and little more, although there have been rumblings of a Tory-UKIP coalition in 2015.

I have a feeling that'll scare a lot of voters away from the Tories.

Some. But considering that half of the 37% of voters from the 2010 election who are "defecting" from the Tories are intending to vote for UKIP, it's to the right - not the left - that the Tories are losing their base. You could argue that those who are intending to leave have already left, and whatever ideological overlap between the Tory and UKIP base there existed has been thoroughly delineated. But I'm not so sure; I think many people want the lurch to the right of UKIP, but are hedging their bets with the predictability of the Tories. Both of them competing for the right is a huge help to Labour, though.

[The Scientific States]

I'll be extremely impressed if UKIP won a single constituency in the coming elections.

Unfortunately, they're polling roughly as high as the LibDems.
http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/
Then again, that's mostly in Tory-dominated districts.

I have a feeling that their support will go down by the time the election goes around. This happened to the lib Dems before the 2010 election, their support surged, but in the end they didn't get as many votes as they were expected to get.

[Imperializt Russia]

Yes. Like the Tories support the NHS, but want to privatise it.
British politics is weird.

It's because if they were like "yeah we need to get rid of the NHS completely" they would never win an election ever again.

You'd be surprised, in this country.

I'm with you on this for the most part. I like them as an influence and little more, although there have been rumblings of a Tory-UKIP coalition in 2015.

I'll be extremely impressed if UKIP won a single constituency in the coming elections.

UKIP beat out the BNP by about double.
With homeopathy on their manifesto.

Admittedly they didn't win any constituencies then either. But they're to be worried about.

[Alvaria and Cagwenyn]

Whilst I don't agree with the vast majority of their views (the flat tax was the only good one and they dropped it). I have a neutral view of them because they do my party (Lib Dems) a great deal of good in my area because they have split the right causing us to win in a VERY Tory area.

[Tagmatium]

Well, that'd be a British Rail colour scheme, and I'd imagine that UKIP might be against that, as it's a nationalised rail operator.

*reads polices*

Ah, they kind of want to go back to before BR.

Jesus Christ, these policies are even more mental than I thought.

So they don't want nationalised rail companies, but they do want the government to dictate what colour the trains will be?

Well, this is one of the policies that they did drop, since it's pretty obvious that whoever came up with it must live inside some sort of fantasy land.

Because it's almost a paradox.

As someone who uses the trains almost every weekday, I've got no real problem with the colours the operators use now. So long as they don't look shabby - which could hint at a lack of maintenance - I'm cool with whatever colours they use.

Within reason, of course.

[Divair]

I have a feeling that'll scare a lot of voters away from the Tories.

Some. But considering that half of the 37% of voters from the 2010 election who are "defecting" from the Tories are intending to vote for UKIP, it's to the right - not the left - that the Tories are losing their base. You could argue that those who are intending to leave have already left, and whatever ideological overlap between the Tory and UKIP base there existed has been thoroughly delineated. But I'm not so sure; I think many people want the lurch to the right of UKIP, but are hedging their bets with the predictability of the Tories. Both of them competing for the right is a huge help to Labour, though.

Yup. Thanks UKIP. You're handing us the election.

[Breadknife]

UKIP beat out the BNP by about double.
With homeopathy on their manifesto.

Be fair. It was only a little bit of homeopathy, in amongst a whole lot of other policies.

...oh, wait...

[Angleter]

Unfortunately, they're polling roughly as high as the LibDems.
http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/
Then again, that's mostly in Tory-dominated districts.

I have a feeling that their support will go down by the time the election goes around. This happened to the lib Dems before the 2010 election, their support surged, but in the end they didn't get as many votes as they were expected to get.

The LibDems were riding high for all of a few weeks, though. UKIP have been polling comfortably in third and above 10% for a year now, and there's another year to go before the election.

[Voltrovia]

I have a feeling that their support will go down by the time the election goes around. This happened to the lib Dems before the 2010 election, their support surged, but in the end they didn't get as many votes as they were expected to get.

The LibDems were riding high for all of a few weeks, though. UKIP have been polling comfortably in third and above 10% for a year now, and there's another year to go before the election.

Cleggmania is nothing compared to what Farage is becoming (torch-bearer of freedom and all the rest of it), a fact that will shortly be proved by the career-mauling of a debate to which Clegg has agreed (if his prospects can get any worse).