Of Dead Sheep and Swivel-Eyed Loons Options

[Simon Kirby]

Poor Dave's taken a bit of a battering lately. It wasn't the full savaging, but he still got a bit of a nip from the Dead Sheep in the Observer over the increasingly anti-European noises coming off the Conservative MPs, and the small but vocal raft of swivel-eyed loons hiding in the grassroots are showing the Conservatives up as prurient reactionaries, which indeed some of them are.

Polling shows the Conservatives with around 30% of the vote, Labour are well ahead with 40%, the Lib Dems are dissolving into nothing with just 10%, and UKIP are threatening with 20%. I wonder if the Conservatives will give Dave the old heave-ho and find someone on the right of the party to woo back the UKIP vote, because if they don't I'm fearful of how strong UKIP could become, but if the Conservatives lurch rightwards that looks just as bad from where I'm standing.

[On the edge]

Frankly, this is the state of UK politics. You are right about UKIP, its simply a taxi for disenfranchised Tories, just as the SDP was for disenfranchised Labour supporters. We now have a real void between policy and people, on both sides of the debate. Very very dangerous - don't know what the answer is.

[Turin Machine]

The answer is, as I have said before, ukip. We've had the bleeding heart middle, the loony left, let's have someone who will put us back on track.

[Squelchy]

Not sure about this.

They seem to be saying they're so upset at being called 'swivel-eyed loons' that to prove they're not, they're going to join UKIP.

Yep, that'll do it. That's proved Dave wrong.

[pbonnay]

UKIP are threatening with 20%..

I'm fearful of how strong UKIP could become

Why are you scared of UKIP ?

[Sherlock]

Why are you scared of UKIP ?

Whatever the answer to that question is, calling anyone swivel eyed loons, whether or not they're in your own party, is counterproductive as Cameron and Ken Clarke have discovered (and should have already known).

[TallDarkAndHands...]

Poor Dave's taken a bit of a battering lately. It wasn't the full savaging, but he still got a bit of a nip from the Dead Sheep in the Observer over the increasingly anti-European noises coming off the Conservative MPs, and the small but vocal raft of swivel-eyed loons hiding in the grassroots are showing the Conservatives up as prurient reactionaries, which indeed some of them are.

Polling shows the Conservatives with around 30% of the vote, Labour are well ahead with 40%, the Lib Dems are dissolving into nothing with just 10%, and UKIP are threatening with 20%. I wonder if the Conservatives will give Dave the old heave-ho and find someone on the right of the party to woo back the UKIP vote, because if they don't I'm fearful of how strong UKIP could become, but if the Conservatives lurch rightwards that looks just as bad from where I'm standing.

Fearful? Why? It's about time people spoke about how they feel over immigration, europe etc rather than keeping quiet because to speak out is to be labelled racist if its about immigration or stupid and xenophobic if its anti-eu. I for one welcome UKIP into the mainstream political agenda. I hope we get a proper left party as well rather than this mish-mash of conservative, labour and liberal parties with 99% of the same policies.

[blackdog]

Frankly, this is the state of UK politics. You are right about UKIP, its simply a taxi for disenfranchised Tories, just as the SDP was for disenfranchised Labour supporters. We now have a real void between policy and people, on both sides of the debate. Very very dangerous - don't know what the answer is.

Disgruntled and disenchanted perhaps - but not disenfranchised - as they are proving by voting UKIP.

[Weavers Walk]

UKIP is, in thought if not yet in personnel, the extreme right-wing of the Conservative Party in exile.

What they haven't done yet is get their candidates to undergo a proper vetting procedure. This has allowed a certain number of what can only be called 'odd' people to wear their colours. As their vetting procedure tightens up (as it will) and as their views are now examined much more closely (as they will be) by the mainstream media , it may well be that they begin to lose support in some areas. It's all well and good giving Cameron a bloody nose, but the English electorate can't be fooled too often, remember, in the last 2010 general election Fararge came in behind a man who was dressed as a dolphin.

Boundary changes have seen to it that UKIP would find it difficult to get a substantial number of seats in the Commons.

They will probably eventually become just another right-wing pressure group.

[On the edge]

The trouble is right or left it might have an influence far beyond its electoral success. The LibDems are nothing more than the a left wing UKIP in reality, its foundation came from similarly upset old Labour people. Have caused a great deal of damage over the years simply spouting populist left wing policies.

[Turin Machine]

UKIP is, in thought if not yet in personnel, the extreme right-wing of the Conservative Party in exile.

What they haven't done yet is get their candidates to undergo a proper vetting procedure. This has allowed a certain number of what can only be called 'odd' people to wear their colours. As their vetting procedure tightens up (as it will) and as their views are now examined much more closely (as they will be) by the mainstream media , it may well be that they begin to lose support in some areas. It's all well and good giving Cameron a bloody nose, but the English electorate can't be fooled too often, remember, in the last 2010 general election Fararge came in behind a man who was dressed as a dolphin.

Boundary changes have seen to it that UKIP would find it difficult to get a substantial number of seats in the Commons.

They will probably eventually become just another right-wing pressure group.

They may be right wing, but hardy extreme.

And with a soldier hacked to death in a suburban st by Muslims today I rather suspect a further hardening of attitudes by the electorate.

[Simon Kirby]

The answer is, as I have said before, ukip. We've had the bleeding heart middle, the loony left, let's have someone who will put us back on track.

But what does "back on track" actually look like. I quite like some of UKIP's policies, but I worry what that will look like in practice, because while I like some of UKIPs policies and the way Farrage presents them, the party is attracting and empowering xenophobes and all that hate isn't a good thing. Too many on the right see empathy and compassion as weaknesses, but they're not, they're the glue that holds society together.

[Rusty Bullet]

but hardly extreme.

Have you been reading what some of their recent candidates have been saying?

[Turin Machine]

The electoral process will weed out the extremists and idiots. What we will be left with is sound policy. Thank God.

[Rusty Bullet]

The electoral process will weed out the extremists and idiots.

There'll be no party left.

[Turin Machine]

There'll be no party left.

As opposed to that stalwart of common sense Eric Joyce perhaps?

[Rusty Bullet]

As opposed to that stalwart of common sense Eric Joyce perhaps?

So your political logic says that because a party has an idiot quotient it's ok to vote for another load of idiots.

Why not just get rid of the idiots? Lets see how Farage deals with his.
He was incredibly uncomfortable on Radio 2, skewered on Newsnight and hung up on a Radio interviewer. (not signs of great leadership really).

[pbonnay]

Fearful? Why? It's about time people spoke about how they feel over immigration, europe etc rather than keeping quiet because to speak out is to be labelled racist if its about immigration or stupid and xenophobic if its anti-eu. I for one welcome UKIP into the mainstream political agenda. I hope we get a proper left party as well rather than this mish-mash of conservative, labour and liberal parties with 99% of the same policies.

Totally agree.

I am also fed up with the smug political class that now appears to comprise many of the leading politicians in the traditional 3 parties.

[Andy Capp]

Fearful? Why? It's about time people spoke about how they feel over immigration, europe etc rather than keeping quiet because to speak out is to be labelled racist if its about immigration or stupid and xenophobic if its anti-eu. I for one welcome UKIP into the mainstream political agenda. I hope we get a proper left party as well rather than this mish-mash of conservative, labour and liberal parties with 99% of the same policies.

People can and do speak out over immigration, Europe, etc, the problem is sometimes what they have to say is wrong or misinformed, or they just end up exposing themselves as bigots. Surely the centre ground is where the parties should be as that captures the greatest amount of the electorate, viz, a democracy. The last thing we would need is to have heavy swings left our right every 5 or 10 years!

[JeffG]

And with a soldier hacked to death in a suburban st by Muslims today I rather suspect a further hardening of attitudes by the electorate.

So they were just any old Muslims, right?