Seems UKIP have done very well in the local elections. Interesting times ahead.

Not sure how all this will play out. Some initial thoughts:

- a traditional "protest" vote
- perhaps, but more I think two fingers to the whole, inept political establishment
- I would bet longer-term it signals the complete demise of the LibDems
- a signal that the public are angry and are shifting to the right. Possibly the end of Cameron, Osborne and the ridiculous (in my opinion) Shapps?
- a tribute to Farage's personality and "real" personal manner
- as Farage is essentially a traditional, right-wing Tory could there be a possibility of a major shift to the right by the Tories and them doing a deal to take him in before the general election? If so, Labour is in big trouble.
- I guess Farage would want UKIP to go it alone though at the next general election to see how UKIP fares

Farage is the sort of twok who 'thinks' that people should be able to do what they like. Except when it comes to those nasty gays getting married, of course.

The rise of UKIP is, in part, a protest vote, but it also illustrates how a large number of people don't have very credible thinking skills (my father is just such a one), and that there is a sizeable percentage of the media that is boosting UKIP/Farage on the basis of its own agenda.

H'Angus the Monkey has had more power than Farage has ever had, arguably ever will, and I don't remember H'Angus getting the blanket, fawning media coverage Farage is enjoying.

Maybe it's because H'Angus failed to follow through on his 'free bananas for schoolkids' policy. The danger of promising something it turns out to be impossible to deliver. A salutary note for Farage, perhaps.

Deary me! You should elope with El Barb.

Although I agree largely I still say that UKIP are causing Dave C major problems.
He is now in a tricky situation. He has clearly lost the a fair chunk of the right and possibly centre-right of the Tory vote.
Now does he stay as he is or does he try and get a referendum pushed through in this parliament. It's looking obvious that the UKIP point that Cameron hasn't delivered this time so why would he go through with it in the next parliament is starting to hit home.
I can see a fair few Tory MP's being very twitchy, The dirty trick campaign for Clark and his mob didn't work and it's possible all they did was make a bad situation worse as calling your own voters closet racists was never a great idea.

You have to give Farage credit though as he is playing the 'game' well in fact on BBC news today it was stated that he was just going round and around doing press interviews (Every local BBC station and lets be honest local radio would give their right arm for an interview today) when it's normal for a leader to be away enjoying it.

A specific example of UKIP-voter 'thinking':

I was on the phone with my parents the other day and my father – not for the first time – announced that he was voting UKIP out of disgust at the Eton boys currently running the country.

I pointed out that UKIP leader Nigel Farage is another former public schoolboy, but that didn’t seem to carry quite the same weight.

“At least he’d get us out of Europe,” huffed my father.

I pointed out that many people who are opposed to the EU are so because they want to reduce the rights of workers to below those of EU levels. My father – from very humble working-class stock himself – purports to have sympathy on such matters, so it seemed a coherent point to make, and I thought that it would, at the very least, make him pause.

He did pause.

And then: “We didn’t win the war to be ruled over by the Germans!” he exploded.

I agree there'll be twitchiness and they've created for themselves. But part of that has been because of the lies that their (former) best mates in the media have taken to spreading. I suspect there will be less of a protest vote come 2015.



There's talk now of him getting to share a debate platform with the leaders of the main parties in the general election: yet his party has not a single MP, while other parties do and won't be expected to have some of the media demanding they be on the telly in such a fashion.

the rise of UKIP is explained by this very forum, too many left wing opinionists in a position of power, preventing the middle ground having a say, and beating them down when they do.

Farage is a clown, but at least he isn't a bully.

I found rlthisrl on the BBC website that is quite interesting. A sort of idiots guide to UKIP (so suited me )

On the basis of the point on Europe they seem more like the UK "cherry picking the bits we like" Party than independence. I hope that policy is based on a real understanding of our relationship with Europe and why some of the treaties are in place, rather than some bat loonytune Littlejohnesque interpretation.

Being honest can Cameron rely on suspicion or does he have to do something to head UKIP off.
Also let us not forget that the general public have never been so disinterested in voting so it takes less to of a protest to be effective.
I have a horrible feeling that UKIP wont go away in 2015 simply because it will be easy to pick up voters that historically haven't voted due to the 3 major parties 'all being the same'.

As UKIP is mostly right wingers anyway and has mostly gained votes at the expense of the tories ... please explain how a shift to the right by tories will put Labour in big trouble.

Hopefully UKIP will do for the tories what the SDP did for Labour in the 80s. If the tories move to the right, Labour have little to do other than remain in the centre ground.

Cameron and Miliband should be more worried about the 65% of the electorate that chose not to vote, rather than those who voted Kipper.