First Thoughts on the EU elections

Last Updated: May 26, 2014By

“Clearly there is a dissonance between what Ukip supporters believe the party stands for and reality.”

6 Comments

  1. As can be seen, all the publicity in newspapers and on TV news given by protests on the streets against Mr Farage and all the saturation of the logo UKIP on so-called left wing blogs, has meant the old adage that negative campaigning always backfires is still true.

    Is this negative psychology to ensure a UKIP win. It might appear so, when stand back and look at how much coverage UKIP get, with the name appearing again and again and again.

    Who cares?

    If No2EU, TUSC, Left Unity Party and Mebyon Kernow in Cornwall had been given as much coverage in these blogs, to put up their stall, so to speak, to say what they offer, then perhaps the local councils would have been the real earthquake in bringing in councillors actually against austerity and cuts to public services.

    • Mike Sivier May 26, 2014 at 1:42 pm - Reply

      A couple of points:
      1. Your comment was long and boring and spammed my page yet again with the link to your own organisation’s site – so I cut it back.
      2. It wasn’t the negative campaigning on blogs that gave Farage the votes, but all the positive mentions in the mainstream media such as the BBC. Negative campaigning has always worked very well for the Conservative Party.

      • Jonathan Wilson May 26, 2014 at 2:38 pm - Reply

        Actually Mike, I think it was the large majority of anti UKIP stories in the likes of the sun and the dm that helped sway people to vote for the “under dog”. (and I use the quotes with intention, its how they were percieved, especially from the underlying comments sections of said media.)

        It has campaigned on a single issue and done it well, while hiding the fact its nothing but the tories in disguise and on steroids policy wise, but unlike other pundits I think most of its gains were from the cons.

        Labour mopped up some, a very small %, of the more left leaning conservatives (with a small “c” as to be conservative also means to conserve things such as the nhs, job rights, social security safety net, etc.) but a large proportion of the LD’s who at a grass roots level are totally against the policies that nicholas clegg, and the tories, stands for and has whiped its members to vote for even when the council has been against it, such at the BT.

        Oddly enough I find it so strange that the likes fo the dm and sun have such high readerships of working class, especially given that the papers are so anti working class, low paid, and unemployed… the latter being a notable problem with being working class, the likelihood of job insecurity meaning that at any moment you could become unemployed and become one of those you so despise..

        The funneyest thing is listening to someone who has become unemployed after a long time of employment when they say “is that it, 71 quid a week, how I am I supposed to survive on that? I though it would be more.” and just how badly they are treated at the JC. The perception of living the highlife on the dole does not match the reality when it hits home. Then comes the realisation that because the mortgage insurance lapsed nothing is going to be paid for 13 weeks, and after that at an interest rate lower than their actual interest rate or the bedroom tax (or prs lar) that they agreed with (how dare doleites get spare rooms) suddenly comes into play on their box room.

  2. Bryn miller May 26, 2014 at 2:27 pm - Reply

    I posted previously when I related my training as a sales executive.It was drummed into us.”never knock your competition,it could cost you the sale” There’s no difference between business and politics the mantra is the same. Hence UKIPS success.

    • Mike Sivier May 26, 2014 at 3:39 pm - Reply

      Politics is different. Both the Conservatives and – especially – the Liberal Democrats have been well-served by negative campaigning.

  3. Stephen Bee May 26, 2014 at 10:00 pm - Reply

    I think there’s a modicum of sleight og hand going on..The tories/Lib Dems have drawn attention to Farage negatively..to keep him in the spotlight..thats what the right hand has been doing..but what have the condems been upto with thier left hand? Could Farage even be a plant…how could one party find so many racist, homophobic, idiotic people as have been exposed to the public in one party?

    And its all been about the EU/Immigration..no coverage of their policies on NHS Privatisation, Welfare Reform, Education, Transport..the list is endless…but when you DO read their 2010 manifesto which Farage says was thrown away..you get a better picture of there real policies…which further right than even the conservatives… The Manifesto may have been thrown out..and given its contents..no wonder! But thats not the same as having those policies at the back of your mind to bring out at a suitable time…Just like the pledges from Scameron in the election run up….No top down reorganisation of the NHS, We will reform Welfare but protect the sick and vulnerable. On the first he was clearly lying…because he must have known what Lansley had been working on…clearly for years…to be able to introduce the Health and Social Care Bill so soon after taking office! UKIP are just a different shade of liars..!

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