2012 Local Elections - Results

[ron]

ron

Look at the election results for May 2012. UKIP started the day with 9 councillors, and ended the day with 9 councillors. The other minor parties did even worse than UKIP.

These election results indicate that something extra is needed to boost the public's awareness that the European Union is a danger to the economic health of the nation. We need a mass cross party movement that will sweep along people that are not usually interested in politics, and get them out demonstrating and campaigning against the EU.

Their vote share increased both in percentage and number, you know as well as I do that with our antiquated and unrepresentative electoral system, bizarrely supported by a majority of the public, votes are not translated into numbers of elected representatives. But I am not really bothered about sticking up for the party, only stating facts, what I am really wondering is why widespread anti-EU feeling is not translated into votes for the predominant anti-EU party.

Why is it better to start from scratch with a new organisation instead of getting involved with one that already exists and already gets a fair bit of air time? Who would lead the organisation? These days without a good media performer you have no chance of any success, sad but true.

Perhaps an even better approach is to harangue your local MP with good evidence, e.g. from Open Europe, and hope that at least significant EU reform gets on the table even if the ultimate goal of quitting the EU seems impossible. I have my doubts that reform will ever happen or be anything more than a PR exercise but with the new governments in Europe things look ever so slightly more promising.

[SDP]

2158 Labour +823
1005 Conservative -405
431..LibDem -336
424..SNP +57
158..PC -41
40...Green +11
9.....UKIP +0
5.....Respect +5
4.....Lib -6
0.....BNP -6
0.....ED -2
0.....SDP -2

ron

Just look at these local election results, dont you think that the minor parties need some sort of boost to get some decent results. There were over 4,000 seats up for grabs. I dont want another splinter group. I want cross party co-operation at will help all the minor parties to make progress, including UKIP.

[Richard Allen]

ron

Just look at these local election results, dont you think that the minor parties need some sort of boost to get some decent results. There were over 4,000 seats up for grabs. I dont want another splinter group. I want cross party co-operation at will help all the minor parties to make progress, including UKIP.

Cross party co-operation is not the issue. If you want to fight council elections on the subject of the EU then you are completely wasting your time. The electorate are not stupid, they know that a local councillor will not get Britain out of the EU. If you don't give people relevant reasons to vote for you then they won't vote for you.

[SDP]

Cross party co-operation is not the issue. If you want to fight council elections on the subject of the EU then you are completely wasting your time. The electorate are not stupid, they know that a local councillor will not get Britain out of the EU. If you don't give people relevant reasons to vote for you then they won't vote for you.

Richard Allen

I look at the local election results and I see a serious problem.

Council seats only cover very small areas and are relatively easy to win. There were over 4,000 seats up for grabs and the net gain of the minor parties was zero. Infact on the day the monor parties had a net loss of 14 seats. I see this as a problem. To every problem there is a solution. You could blame the minor parties individually or you could say their is a bigger problem, that effects all the minor parties.

[SDP]

Richard Allen

To the best of my knowledge all the minor party candidates put local issues in their leaflets. But I dont think people will switch their vote because one candidate promises to pick up more litter, than the other candidate.

My experience of UKIP leaflets is that they appeal the the head. But when people voter they vote with their hearts, and not with their heads.

Yes of course local issues are an important part of the election leaflet. But no-one changes party loyalty because they want cleaner streets.

Leaflets are put out to get the party's core voters out to the polls. With the Conservative and Labour parties the core votes run along the lines of the class struggle between rich and poor.

[SDP]

Cross party co-operation is not the issue. If you want to fight council elections on the subject of the EU then you are completely wasting your time. The electorate are not stupid, they know that a local councillor will not get Britain out of the EU. If you don't give people relevant reasons to vote for you then they won't vote for you.

Richard Allen

To win council seats you need a sufficiently large core vote. A good leaflet will bring out your core voters to the polls. UKIP has a core vote of about 5%. But a core vote of 5% is not big enougn to win elections. The problem is how to increase the size of theat core vote. I believe that a cross party campaign against the EU will build up the core anti-EU vote, and thus help all the minor parties.

[Independent UKIP]

Council seats only cover very small areas and are relatively easy to win.

They'll be many thousands of people from all parties and none who have tried & failed and will disagree with your 2nd point.

In my own small area the tories have won every council election going back well over 100 years. The only way to become a councillor in that area is to join the tory party. (As well as to have gone to the right school.)

[Richard Allen]

In some parts of the country council areas are not so small. In Birmingham most wards have over 10,000 properties.

[SDP]

They'll be many thousands of people from all parties and none who have tried & failed and will disagree with your 2nd point.

In my own small area the tories have won every council election going back well over 100 years. The only way to become a councillor in that area is to join the tory party. (As well as to have gone to the right school.)

Independent UKIP

It all depends on what the core vote is in your area. Clearly in your area the Conservative core vote is over 50% of the voters. Putting out a good UKIP leaflet and concentrating on local issues will not affect the huge core vote of the Tories in your area.

Across the country UKIP have a core vote of about 5%. But a core vote of 5% is too small to win council seats. Of course a good leaflet helps but only at the margins, its the size of your core vote that really counts.

70% of people want a referendum on the EU. That is a pretty good start. My idea is to build on that 70% base, and try to increase the core vote of people who are willing to support the minor parties.

[SDP]

In some parts of the country council areas are not so small. In Birmingham most wards have over 10,000 properties.

Richard Allen

It is the size of the core vote for the party that counts. A good leaflet helps but only at the margins. Its the core vote that I want to increase, and you dont increase the core vote by arguing about litter and cleaner streets.

I still think that people dont realise how evil the European Union really is. We must go back to basics and tell the voters how bad things are and use Greece as an example. UKIP and the other minor parties are basicly anti-EU.

Yes this is a single issue. But a single issue that affects everything in the country.

It is like being anti slavery. Its a single issue. But to a slave that single issue is a pretty big issue.

I am sure a slave would not say "Stop banging on about slavery all the time".