What is the matter with people?

[AllintheDetail]

UKIP now have almost 30% of the seats on my local council where there is no overall control, so I guess they will have real influence.

In my ward they won the seat with 41% of the vote.

I live among these people and I have no idea what's going on in their heads or why. Can anyone explain?

Who are all these people - I've never met anyone who admits to being a UKIP voter?

I am just hoping the numpties get it out of their system now before a general election.

It's bloody scary, isn't it?

This saddens me too and is very surprising, and more importantly worrying!

It's almost like people need a scapegoat and someone to blame for their lives that they are not happy with, and UKIP gives them that.

Maybe I should be glad they're there. At least the BNP "only" got 1% but that amounts to a distressingly large number of actual real people.

Patronising much !

They are all round by me. There have been banners up everywhere including my new weird neighbours.

I suspect that those who vote Ukip are not really following the issues, as for the first time in many years there is a real alternative (for voters choice) between the two main parties, one of which in 2015, we can 100% guarantee, will form the next government.

I sat up until 2 a.m. and saw some of the new Ukip Councillors give interviews, and I wouldn't have trusted them running bath water.

Ukip local bluster aside, and listening to Farage at this very moment, he believes that when Ukip get M.P.s after the General Election, Ukip could hold the balance of power and there WILL be a referendum. How????

Are you listening Mr Miliband, as based on the current trend you will have the largest party in Westminster, as if you don't start fighting back to stop this twaddle gaining traction, VOTERS WILL ONCE AGAIN BELIVE IN 2015, that voting for Ukip CAN give Britain an in/out referendum,when Farage clearly cannot - whether zero seats now, or 10-20 seats in 2015.

P.S. The next big test will be in September when Ukip will announce their Westminster policies - and how can a serious manifesto appeal to all the 3-main party voters - so how does he target, Labour or Conservatives?

....WHO does he target.

In 5 years' time no one will remember who Farrago and his bunch of gobshites are. If more people actually went out and voted in the Euro elections we wouldn't have a problem. The only Kipper I've ever known personally was my late great aunt in Scotland - very bright woman but v reactionary and rather racist. She had a thing about finding "non-native species" in her garden

At least it's not a general election.

I think people need to see the real threat, see the policies and practice exposed, and then they become unvoteable. I'm sure I remember a similar thing with the BNP a few years ago... after people realise that their protest votes might lead to idiots actually getting in, they vote differently.

I wish there was a really attractive option to vote for though, instead of bad, worse or awful.

If you're asking what's going in the head of a UKIP voter I think it's the delusion of believing there are simple answers to complex questions. It's not a right/left thing especially, they appeal to a cross party 'I'll tell you what's wrong with this country' intolerance & prejudice. Don't have a job/house/etc? Foreigners have your job/house/etc so we'll put a block on foreigners. Don't have enough money? The EU costs money so we'll get you out of the EU. No idea if they want to bring back hanging and national service but it would run to type.

A think a small portion of UKIP voters are actually racists and right-wing reactionaries, whether they will admit to it or not. They would call their racism and bigotry 'common sense'.

The majority probably aren't racist, they just think that voting for UKIP is a protest vote and want a way of giving the main parties a bloody nose.

The problem is that this is also an incredibly stupid thing to do, as you're voting for fascists, and should they ever get any power, the country would pay dearly for it.

Have a look at our resident post 'claig'. He or she probably isn't racist. They have never said anything racist, as far as I can recall, but they are populist, and they are (like everyone else) fed up with the broken political system.

Claig has admitted him or herself that UKIP policies are actually secondary. What's important is delivering a message.

It's really sad - and dangerous.

I wonder do ukip voters wonder about why you all vote labour, tory, lib dem , green etc in the same patronising manner ie ' stupid thick people who dont think about the issues or they'd vote like us'...

The thing is, members of all political parties make gaffs, but the proportion of UKIP gaffs and embarrassing members is so high.

Their big statistic was the 75% of rules are made in Europe. Fair play a UKIP member did actually go on 'More or Less' to be told why that statistic was a load of rubbish, but he really didn't appear to understand what they were talking about.

Beyond Farage, I can't think of a single UKIP member who has a high profile for anything other than being a bit odd. Again, fair enough, these people do tend to leave/get chucked out of UKIP, but who else is there?

Even if you write off these problems because you think all MP's are as bad as each other, it's not even as though UKIP have a manifesto at the moment.

In my neighbourhood there were three ukip posters up last week. Two of the houses normally would have previously put up Lib Dem posters, the other one Labour.

To be honest I could see Farage in quite an appealing light if he lost the racist and homophobic views. He's very down to earth, and plain speaking and not posh. Ans it's a shame really because you don't get many politicians like that, but then he's never going to get very far if he holds onto those views. A bit self-destructive.

The people around you aren't 'admitting' to voting UKIP because there are a large vocal group (especially on mn it seems) branding anyone who does vote for them racist and ignorant. Why would you want to have that conversation?

And believe me, some of the people you know and like will have voted for them. I don't think it's a reason to suddenly start thinking differently about them, or wondering what's wrong with them. We all have different life experiences which influence the way we vote.

Their vote and the reasons behind it are no less valid than yours, although you seem to believe it is - which actually says more about you than them.

Agree with saoirse's post above.

As the mother of a severely disabled child I do worry about what goes on in the heads of UKIP voters & I fear for his future when so many apparently see them as acceptable. BNP aside I don't have the same concerns about voting for any other party.

I hope the European results will encourage people to turn out & vote in the next election

www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/26/ukip-founder-alan-sked-party-become-frankensteins-monster

Article about the original ukip founder, it is very interesting. He says 'I feel very sorry for voters who are now going to have as councillors people who aren't very sophisticated, who have no local government policies and who have no experience in running things. All Ukip is good for, if their behaviour in Strasbourg and Brussels is anything to go by, is taking public money.' And '"If you elect a Ukip MEP, you're just going to elect another incompetent charlatan that you're going to turn into another millionaire. They go native in Brussels, take the expenses and the perks and do fuck all."

Succinct and sadly probably all too accurate.

Ukip councillors in my region have already declared their unwillingness to attend council meetings but indicate they intend to take the full allowances.

So tell me now who are the workshy scroungers sponging off the taxpayer?

The policies of every party should be picked apart and debated. The problem is that UKIP policies unravel so quickly once they come under any scrutiny. If its too embarrassing/difficult to make an argument for them on an anonymous internet forum, really you shouldn't be voting for them.

"What is the matter with people?"

A better question would be
"What is the matter with politicians, the establishment and the system?"

"DAILY MAIL COMMENT: This roar of anger can be ignored no longer"

...

"The truth is that all three leaders appear to be treating Ukip’s phenomenal upsurge as merely a bad dream, which will melt away as the General Election draws near.

But they are surely deluding themselves. For what we are witnessing is a roar of anger from voters, whose everyday concerns can be ignored by the political class no longer."

Speaking with the authentic voice of that class, Tony Blair advises that politicians should continue to ‘ take these people on ’, disregarding Ukip supporters’ views on mass immigration and Britain’s increasing subjection to Brussels.

www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2640104/DAILY-MAIL-COMMENT-This-roar-anger-ignored-no-longer.html

Blair will sort it. He will take "these people" on. Put him on TV, let his oily charm ooze from every radio station, bring back his coterie of spinners and liars and let them all take those awful people on.

What an arrant fool he is, what a bubble he lives in. He is the best they have got to take "those people" on.

Lord Glasman, Labour's Blue Labour strategist said

"it pains me to say this – I have come to the conclusion that Labour is in danger of losing England"

www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2638478/Labour-losing-England-In-hugely-significant-intervention-Labour-peer-Ed-Milibands-closest-mentor-issues-grim-verdict-partys-election-meltdown.html

Don't blame the people. Blame Labour. And it is oily, greasy fixers like Blair and his gang that started it.

And the Conservative spinners are starting to lose England too. Don't blame the English people, blame the political class.

It's not that long a wait.

Newark by election next week (and isn't there another one coming up after that?)

I think it is wrong to write off a large proportion of those who are committed enough to turn out for the EU and local elections as stupid or 'other' in any way. It's both insulting and counterproductive.

No third party has gained traction in Westminster since the Labour party in the early 20th century. No-one knows if it can be done.