What draws voters to a political party?

John Page · 19-05-2006, 11:55 AM

What draws voters to a political party? Samuel Brittan in the Financial Times (subscription only) looks at this in the light of David Cameron's methods.

Quote:

Studies ... showed that most voters were largely oblivious to the policy debates in the legislature and the press. The strongest claim that could be made was that voters had a rough general impression of the stands of the main parties on a few of the headline issues when these were sufficiently simple.

This lack of detailed knowledge came to be called "rational ignorance". The chances that any one person's votes will affect the outcome are so vanishingly small that it does not make sense for voters to immerse themselves in political issues, except as entertainment. ... Schumpeter ... put forward a rival interpretation of democracy as "an institutional arrangement for arriving at political decisions in which individuals acquire the power to decide by means of a competitive struggle for people's votes".

Brittan comments that

Quote:

The fact that most electors have "an indeterminate bundle of vague impulses loosely playing on given slogans and mistaken impressions" is not fatal if the job of the elector is to choose between competing teams.

What role, Brittan asks, do these theories leave for "policies"?

Quote:

The media demand that Mr Cameron should produce "policies" will only make matters worse to the extent that it is heeded. It does not require great foresight to realise that detailed undertakings produced by a mixture of backroom boys and businessmen with time to spare will be at best outdated and at worst harmful by the time an opposition party has come to office. At most the voter needs a very general steer of the kind given, for instance, by Kenneth Clarke ... when he said that in any given situation the tax burden would be less under the Tories than under Labour.

What lessons does this suggest for UKIP?

1. Apart from withdrawal from the EU, we have no broad themes. The claim is that these have to await detailed policymaking. If Brittan's analysis is right, UKIP's has the wrong priorities. UKIP needs to agree three or four broad themes, keep repeating them ad nauseam, and start to hang media comments off them. Policies can evolve from them as time goes on.

UKIP would offer withdrawal from the EU, smaller government, value for money government (= less waste), lower taxes, and greater democracy. Is this controversial within UKIP? Not as far as I can see. Does this have to await the arrival of a new leader? No. UKIP's leadership should get started now on repeating this message several times a day, rather than discussing Poles or expenses.

Policy discussion is allowed of course! - but it should be firmly in the context of the agreed themes.

2. This also means that initiatives which concentrate on policy rather than themes are probably not value for money. So leafleting, or a UKIP newspaper, would be a lot less productive than visible reiteration of the themes in the media and on the website.

What were those themes once again? Oh yes, withdrawal from the EU, smaller government, value for money government (= less waste), lower taxes, and greater democracy.

See, it's not hard.

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http://thepurplescorpion.blogspot.com/

B.A.Ware · 19-05-2006, 01:16 PM

Sounds a bit like Ukip need a set of core values. :shock:

Direct Democracy power up not down.

Intbel · 19-05-2006, 01:24 PM

Quote:

What draws voters to a political party?

Quite simply, policies worded in such a manner that they will make the voter feel good when they vote for them.

Voters vote, mostly, not via any intellectual, but via an emotional process.

kernow · 19-05-2006, 01:41 PM

(Question) What will attract Voters to vote UKIP?
(Answer) The media!
The media talked the voters into voting BNP in the local elections!
Policies won't do it, unless they are VASTLY different to the other parties! Different enough but plausable enough to attract the media's attention, and I haven't read any yet on this forum that fit that bill!

Christina · 19-05-2006, 01:52 PM

One of UKIPs problems is that the anti-EU campaign comes across as almost entirely negative. You need to build up the feel good factor in relation to what independence would mean for the UK. Consider Labour at the last election, lots of bad stuff about them, but not enough good stuff in feel good terms from the Tories. Better the devil you know and all that.

Right now there's lots of concern about illegal immigration, false asylum claimants, foreign criminals, the prospect of 300, 000 Romanian and Bulgarian workers coming over here, like the Poles, etc.

What has UKIP got? A leader who brings over Polish workers to work on his mansion for half price labour costs!

Your credibility is shot right now.

As BA Ware's work colleagues have said, UKIP are no different than any other politicians.

kernow · 19-05-2006, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kernow

(Question) What will attract Voters to vote UKIP?
(Answer) The media!
The media talked the voters into voting BNP in the local elections!
Policies won't do it, unless they are VASTLY different to the other parties! Different enough but plausible enough to attract the media's attention. The media do mention UKIP (occasionally) because of our stance on the EU. If UKIP want the media to pick up on other policies, then those policies have to be as different from the main parties policies as UKIP wanting to leave the EU

John Page · 19-05-2006, 02:12 PM

Christina, that is standard anti-UKIP hostility which belongs on another thread.

Please don't take her bait, can we stick to the subject like the other respondents, please.

B.A.Ware · 19-05-2006, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kernow

I haven't read any yet on this forum that fit that bill!

Kernow have you read this document,your opinion would be useful.
I cant see other politicians adopting this.
http://www.lechladegroup.org.uk/direct-democracy.html

David Holland · 19-05-2006, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B.A.Ware

Quote:

Originally Posted by kernow

I haven't read any yet on this forum that fit that bill!

Kernow have you read this document,your opinion would be useful.
I cant see other politicians adopting this.
http://www.lechladegroup.org.uk/direct-democracy.html

I think it is a good policy and one we could use in the Bromley by-election.

B.A.Ware · 19-05-2006, 05:59 PM

And something the opposition wont use as the last thing they want is to empower the people.

19-05-2006, 05:59 PM	#10 (permalink)
B.A.Ware Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Birmingham Posts: 4,773 Party: UKIP	And something the opposition wont use as the last thing they want is to empower the people. __________________ We’re not just about Europe.

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19-05-2006, 01:16 PM	#2 (permalink)
B.A.Ware Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Birmingham Posts: 4,773 Party: UKIP	Sounds a bit like Ukip need a set of core values. :shock: Direct Democracy power up not down.

19-05-2006, 01:41 PM	#4 (permalink)
kernow Uber Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 5,288	(Question) What will attract Voters to vote UKIP? (Answer) The media! The media talked the voters into voting BNP in the local elections! Policies won't do it, unless they are VASTLY different to the other parties! Different enough but plausable enough to attract the media's attention, and I haven't read any yet on this forum that fit that bill!

19-05-2006, 01:52 PM	#5 (permalink)
Christina Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Eccleston, St Helens Posts: 1,529	One of UKIPs problems is that the anti-EU campaign comes across as almost entirely negative. You need to build up the feel good factor in relation to what independence would mean for the UK. Consider Labour at the last election, lots of bad stuff about them, but not enough good stuff in feel good terms from the Tories. Better the devil you know and all that. Right now there's lots of concern about illegal immigration, false asylum claimants, foreign criminals, the prospect of 300, 000 Romanian and Bulgarian workers coming over here, like the Poles, etc. What has UKIP got? A leader who brings over Polish workers to work on his mansion for half price labour costs! Your credibility is shot right now. As BA Ware's work colleagues have said, UKIP are no different than any other politicians.

19-05-2006, 02:12 PM	#7 (permalink)
John Page Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Welwyn Hatfield (Herts.) Posts: 1,878	Christina, that is standard anti-UKIP hostility which belongs on another thread. Please don't take her bait, can we stick to the subject like the other respondents, please.