More on that Lib Dem – UKIP connection.
The most recent YouGov poll shows the libdems on 8%, with UKIP on 18% and the Greens on 7%.
It’s worth noting that of those who voted LD in 2010, only 32% intend to vote for them in 2015. This compares with 71% continuing to vote Tory, and 78% continuing to vote Labour. I suppose this shows that the Lib Dem voter is more of a floating and tactical voter, so no great surprise there.
Where are the other 68% of the previous LD vote going?
26% are going to Labour and 12% to the Tories. This leaves a whopping 30% voting for “none of the above”, which is as many as are going to vote LD.
These voters are heading left and right – 14% to the Greens and 12% to UKIP, with the rest to the Celtic Nationalists.
UKIP are picking up most votes from disgruntled Tories (21% of those who voted Tory in 2010 are heading right) with only 9% from Labour.
The Greens are now up to 11% for young voters in both the 18-24 and 25-39 age brackets, while UKIP have 23% of the 60+ voters.
It’s also worth considering that 20% of those asked, either would not vote or haven’t decided yet. This means only 57% of voters are saying they will support the 3 traditional parties in the election, which is only a little over 6 months away.
I don’t remember a time when there was this much disillusion with mainstream politics in Britain, but then I don’t remember the 30s, or the preceding decades when there was so much more interest and activity in politics.
a new nature blog 
I wonder if it might have been that there was more honesty, transparency, principles and not personal profitable agendas around in past decades Miles? Conversely there was less exposure of wrong doing as the establishment & Co. were generally better able to keep a lid on dissemination of ‘interesting information’, at least social media & the www have made that more easily available today?
We have a two and a half party system which masquerades as an elected democracy, until there is serious reform then they (the parties) have the public where they want them, no change to status quo!
There is no place for principled individuals in the party politics we endure in this country, here or across the pond you have to be partisan. Look what happened to the ‘Accidental MP’ ….
That would appear to be the case mud-lark.
It’s a pity the LibDems so comprehensively mucked up the opportunity they had to introduce PR. How many more years will we have to wait before another chance for some more democracy?
Quite Miles
A deliberately mis-managed opportunity? Was it manipulated to retain status quo because surely no-one really expected that fiasco to deliver real democracy?
What we really do need is a purge, do we really need 650 in the Commons and an astonishing 850 in the Lords (more than at the time of the expenses scandal)? If there were a ‘cull’ then a new truly independent appointment panel appointed then there might just be a semblance of open, honest & transparent conduct?
We can dream ….
“purge” and “cull” sound a bit messy to me. But we do need something much better.
cock up or conspiracy? It’s invariably cock-up
That’s what they’d like us to believe, it keeps them all in jobs?