Ukip - why are they gaining support?

[Awesome Wells]

he gets in our local rag (Manchester Evening News) on a very regular basis in the the letters page. May as well give him his own column. If it aint too much trouble, what's the gist of his attitude towards mental health issues?

He made an offhand remark using a term that was insenstive toward mental health sufferers. In itself it wasn't a huge deal (for a man in a party with Godfrey Bloom after all). But when an audience person picked him up on it he dismissed them with an awful shrug and a sneer, betryaing their attitude in typical arrogant kipper fashion.

 

[taffboy gwyrdd]

So "lots of people" = "fractional minority", then?

No facepalm required. Reasonable to think it's at least several hundred thousand, that's not factoring in all UKIP supporters by any means, or sympathetic tories.

Several hundred thousand is a lot of people. If parties of the left were getting that much support I'm sure they'd be eager to describe it in positive terms.

 

[Awesome Wells]

Isn't Jon 'Gaunty' Gaunt now a member?

 

[ViolentPanda]

No facepalm required. Reasonable to think it's at least several hundred thousand, that's not factoring in all UKIP supporters by any means, or sympathetic tories.

Several hundred thousand is a lot of people. If parties of the left were getting that much support I'm sure they'd be eager to describe it in positive terms.

But even those numbers are meaningless if you're describing them as "lots of people" when they're weighed against the other 25 million or so people who have the voting franchise. Sure they're likely to make a mark in a few constituencies, and to pull some votes from the Conservatives, but statistically they're nowhere near "lots of people".

 

[Quartz]

does he though? I've seen portillo in form and hated him even as he did rhetoric well. Falange doesn't come across well at all imo. He's like a marionette.

I'm not a great watcher of TV so I've a limited exposure (probably a good thing ) but he seems to come across better than most, and that's likely enough. Something else to consider: whereas the other politicos are beholden to their parties and their statements are necessarily taken in such vein, he is UKIP so his statements carry much more weight. Even Cameron and Miliband would be subject to the Kremlinologists.

 

[butchersapron]

How does that help him come across well on the TV?

 

[Dogsauce]

It does smack of the media 'making the news', in that without this exposure they'd be nowhere. It's an 'interesting story' for them, having some kind of underdog stirring the system up.

Farage seems to spin himself as some kind of outsider, who's had a 'real job' rather than being groomed by a party, but then when you consider that 'real job' was as an investment banker in The City then you'll know whose interests he'll be acting in, same as the rest of them. Phony revolutionary.

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

Lots of people do think he comes across well though - and he does have a sort of personal vote no matter where he stands. I think if he'd stood in eastleigh he would now be an mp.

He's entertaining and likable and seems like someone you could have a pint with, it's not rocket science, it's exactly the sort of thing that Republicans have been using in the US for years with some success when they have.

ETA. Not that I would fancy a pint with him

 

[nino_savatte]

Farage is like the old-fashioned stuck record or tape loop. He repeats the same phrases ad tedium, ad nauseum. He's a one-trick pony.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I'm not a great watcher of TV so I've a limited exposure (probably a good thing ) but he seems to come across better than most, and that's likely enough. Something else to consider: whereas the other politicos are beholden to their parties and their statements are necessarily taken in such vein, he is UKIP so his statements carry much more weight. Even Cameron and Miliband would be subject to the Kremlinologists.

Farage is "popular" with programmers because they can rely on him to talk in soundbites, rather than to haver on about boring old policy. For much the same reason, some right-wing voters like him and his "blah blah blah immigration, blah blah blah Europe, blah blah blah Atlanticism" old pony. Politics and a politician for people who "don't do politics". Farage leads, and the mainstream parties...well, they've been attempting to do the same for at least the last 15 years, but are tied down by awkward stuff like ideology and promises.

 

[ViolentPanda]

He's entertaining and likable and seems like someone you could have a pint with, it's not rocket science, it's exactly the sort of thing that Republicans have been using in the US for years with some success when they have.

Standard "man of the people" bollocks.

ETA. Not that I would fancy a pint with him

How about pouring a pint into his plane's fuel tank?

 

[emanymton]

does he though? I've seen portillo in form and hated him even as he did rhetoric well. Falange doesn't come across well at all imo. He's like a marionette.

 

[DotCommunist]

perhaps he died in that crash and they replaced him with a robot

 

[J Ed]

Farage is like the old-fashioned stuck record or tape loop. He repeats the same phrases ad tedium, ad nauseum. He's a one-trick pony.

He's guilty of this than most of the shadow cabinet imo

 

[Awesome Wells]

perhaps he died in that crash and they replaced him with a robot

 

[nino_savatte]

He's guilty of this than most of the shadow cabinet imo

The government too. "We're on the side of hardworking families who want to do the right thing and get on in life". The politics of the soundbite.

 

[William of Walworth]

Farage is like the old-fashioned stuck record or tape loop. He repeats the same phrases ad tedium, ad nauseum. He's a one-trick pony.

Will people get bored of that loop tho'?

 

[nino_savatte]

Will people get bored of that loop tho'?

I'd like to think so. All I hear are the same phrases coming out the mouths of Farage and the Cameron's Hole-in-the-Head gang.

 

[butchersapron]

The polling figures don't suggest that they are. They are suggesting that support for that 'loop' has stabilised at worst at 10%+ at best around 16/17%.

 

[brogdale]

I'd like to think so. All I hear are the same phrases coming out the mouths of Farage and the Cameron's Hole-in-the-Head gang.

But isn't it the perogative of the recipiants of the 'protest vote' to be as single-issued as they choose?

e2a : from today's YG/ST poll...one little UKIP related snippit...

Looking specifically at EU immigration, 22% of people think there is nothing wrong with EU immigration into the UK, 20% think it is damaging, but that Britain has no practical choice but to accept it. 42% think that Britain should act to limit EU immigration even if it means breaking EU law or British citizens losing their own right to live elsewhere in Europe.

 

[brogdale]

Loadsamoney!

The UK Independence Party will receive a multi-million pound boost before next year’s European elections after winning support from one of Britain’s wealthiest businessmen.

Paul Sykes, a self-made tycoon and veteran of the campaign to keep the pound 15 years ago, has promised to do “whatever it takes” to help Ukip top the polls in May.

His move deals a big blow to the Conservatives as they fight to contain Nigel Farage’s party.

Mr Sykes supported the Tories under Margaret Thatcher and Michael Howard, but has backed Ukip in the past, giving the party £1.5 million in 2004.

His latest investment in the party is expected to run into several millions. He told the Telegraph that he wanted to finance Ukip’s efforts to pull Britain out of the EU.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...as-Tycoon-Paul-Sykes-gives-UKip-millions.html

 

[shagnasty]

Standard "man of the people" bollocks.



How about pouring a pint into his plane's fuel tank?

Sugar in the tank would do the job better

 

[King Biscuit Time]

The government too. "We're on the side of hardworking families who want to do the right thing and get on in life". The politics of the soundbite.

The Tories managed to get that one in to their response as to why they'd re-organised their website. It's almost creepy.

"Mr Cameron, how would you like your tea?"
"Well in order to continue to do the right thing for hardworking families, and for those who want to get on in life, I'm proud to say that in addition to bringing Britain out of recession and turning the corner on the economy, I'd like milk and no sugar please. And have you got any custard creams?"

 

[Quartz]

How about pouring a pint into his plane's fuel tank?

What harm did the poor plane do to you to deserve that?

 

[nino_savatte]

But isn't it the perogative of the recipiants of the 'protest vote' to be as single-issued as they choose?

e2a : from today's YG/ST poll...one little UKIP related snippit...

Quite, hence "I'd like to think so". Of course, it ain't happening.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Sugar in the tank would do the job better

Cheaper too, now I think of it!

 

[ViolentPanda]

What harm did the poor plane do to you to deserve that?

It harmed my sense of propriety by not killing Nigel Farage.

 

[butchersapron]

Sykes to pay for all UKIP's euro election advertising. Let's see if there's any other capital followers.

edit: sorry, forgot about brogdale's post above.

 

[Batboy]

Don't know that I'd agree with two of your assumptions;

(a) Labour just lost votes - and many of those were working class voters who just stopped voting. I'd like to see evidence that they 'lost votes tothe BNP'.
(b) Labour did start to get outflanked to the left in Wales by PC, in Scotland (devastatingly in recent Assembly elections) by the SNP and here and there by the Green Party in England (they lost 10 seats by a smaller margin than the GP vote in 2010 - one of course was Caroline Lucas in Brighton).

labour lost votes to the BNP via white working class voters in places like Barking and Dagenham. I know I was there, I can assure you it was absolutely real and helped by the fact that horror show Margaret Hodge is he Labour MP.
The labour party majority decreased by around 40% from he start of her tenure.

Ukip are pulling in voters from both sides, predominantly white voters but equally some Asian voters too.

 

[butchersapron]

Sykes to pay for all UKIP's euro election advertising. Let's see if there's any other capital followers.

edit: sorry, forgot about brogdale's post above.

Conservative donors are flocking to Ukip

Seventeen Tory supporters who between them gave over £5 million in donations now appear to have switched their allegiance to Nigel Farage’s Ukip, giving almost £750,000 to the Eurosceptic party.

Still small scale but interesting in that rather than rat-faced small poujadist businessmen they're starting to attract money from the financial fraction of capital - traditionally tory but with recent involvement with labour.