Wythenshawe by-election result – for whom?

[Isitmebut]

By-elections, known for protest voting against the incumbent government are still pawed over by political parties for voting intensions at the next major elections; so is there anything to be learned by this by-election?

The votes of 28.2% of those eligible to vote (versus 54.3% at the 2010 general election) went like this;
Labour 13,261
Ukip 4,301
Consevatives 3,479
Lib Dems 1.176
Monster Raving Looney Party 288

If Ukip was looking to gain ‘working class’ votes, the 11% increase in Labour’s share of a piddley turnout, would not bode too well, but that COULD have been down to Ukip’s dodgy candidate, his backer, and no national or local policies that mattered – in which case coming second was indeed a result.

The Lib Dems even as a party in government must be disappointed as they have been THE traditional by-election party, gathering the ‘protest vote’ parliamentary seats, unlike Ukip, now 6-times second and still don’t have one seat in parliament to keep the lucky candidate’s bum warm.

The Conservatives, the senior party in a coalition government, making tough, necessary and unpopular, in a Manchester constituency they have not held since 1959, it could have been worse. IMO.

Only ONE (Labour) party allowed opened door immigration and only ONE (Ukip) party has disowned/U turned on their WHOLE 2010 manifesto and officially called it "drivel".

So Ukip have NO firm domestic policies they went to the 2010 general election polls with so cynically just only 'oppose' other parties views, and can not bring us out of Europe, yet indicate they can.

Whether the other parties 'failed' in government only the history books can tell us that, but Ukip have failed to show the electorate why they even exist, other than a party of protest - that unlike the Lib Dems in by-elections before them, has failed to convince the voters they are worthy of one parliamentary seat.

'but Ukip have failed to show the electorate why they even exist'

But UKIP got about 26% of the public's votes in local elections and beat the Conservative Party in the Wythenshawe by-election.

Those voters know why UKIP exists. In the coming decade, the public will begin to wonder why the Tory Party of Etonians and Bullingdon bullies exists.

Well said claig.

Claig….no one who blindly follows the son of a stockbroker, who speculated in the price of oil and metals for a living and does not have a policy to his name, should NOT play the ‘class’ card, we have had the people who didn’t go to Eton running the country for 13-years, helped by a postman, bar steward and ex trade union members, AND HOW DID THAT TURN OUT???

Thinking about this, the fact that Ukip gets any votes in very low turnouts, when the ONLY policies voters CAN recognise are anti immigration, anti Syrian Muslims and anti EU they can do nothing about (but pretend they can), tells us EXACTLY why they exist

For those who follow every other issues i.e. the economy, employment, education, the NHS, that more than 10% of policeman are out of the station at any one time, will look at the proper parties, as ‘protesting’ at General Elections is pointless. But that’s a democracy and brainwashing over the internet, pretending that a leader who don’t care about his (2010) manifesto, is offering ‘different politics’.