http://www.progressives.org.uk/magaz...&articleid=753
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UKIP and Respect attracted huge attention at the European and London elections and at the two recent by-elections. They may even have made a material difference to the outcomes. But they are not telling their candidates to prepare for government. Instead, UKIP and Respect remain utterly fixated on the Tory and Labour parties respectively, trying to attract their members or to influence their policies.
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This is true only to a certain extent. Of course UKIP isn't preparing for government. It would be insane to actually think that the party will win enough seats in Parliament to take control of the government. We don't have a single MP yet, so thinking beyond the chance of winning a few seats to get us going is ludicrous.
The Lib Dems don't actually believe that they will get INTO phpbb_government either, which is why they can make manifesto pledges that they almost certainly cannot afford to implement, let alone maintain over the long-term.
I think that we have our optimism set at just the right level. We hope to take a few seats in parliament to give us a voice there. The general election is going to be much harder for the party than the European elections because our main trump card, the EU, does not form the entire focus of discussion.