Quote:
Originally Posted by BASILDON BOY
Brief analysis of the local election results appears to indicate UKIP doing well in working class Labour areas.
Perhaps spomeone can do more detailed research and those who are doing well should get together and share their knowledge and campaign tactics.
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I agree, I think we need to be looking for gains in traditional Labour territory. These local elections weren't about voters telling Labour to smarten up and do a better job - they were about knocking them down and kicking their collective heads into the pavement. Labour is in desperate straits right now, but a lot of Labour voters don't trust the Tories. UKIP has some good policies that would appeal to traditional Labour voters (for example the flat tax/£9000 personal exemption should have some traction after Brown's 10p rate abolition fiasco) and we don't have the branding image that the Tories do within this demographic.
At the same time I think we need to begin talking about the similarities between New Labour and Cameron's Blue Labour. Whilst the Tories are up in the polls a lot of their members and activists are disillusioned with Cameron and do not trust him. We need to emphasize how Cameron will carry on the New Labour project - ie promising to spend (waste?) just as much money as Labour and refusing to reduce the tax burden upon people.
Other than London, I think this year's local elections pointed the way ahead for UKIP. We got some local councillors, and indeed built upon areas where we previously had success. Clearly the party isn't dying and Labour's current circumstances give us an opportunity for more electoral success and to raise our profile.
The first step is fighting the Crewe Byelection to the best of our ability focussing on those local and national issues that the electorate is upset about. If we can achieve a good result (15% or more which in the circumstances is attainable) it will give the party membership encouragement and put the big parties on notice again that we are still here.