WITH the majority of councils declared a clearer picture has emerged about the new political landscape of Britain
Social media site Twitter was buzzing through the day with news that the United Kingdom Independence Party had made gains in its number of seats across the country. Some news outlets have claimed that UKIP's success has been an "earthquake" in British politics.
Despite the hype however the party's performance has not been the triumph which it has been claimed. While UKIP leader Nigel Farage has been reported as saying that "British politics will never be the same," and are "serious players", the party has failed to take overall control of any of the councils announced. In terms of percentage of the national share of the vote it is also likely to see some sobering news, with projected figures lower than the 23 percentage it achieved in council elections last year.
It had gained 134 seats, at time of writing, to give it an overall total of 155, however, this is still someway behind the clear winners Labour which gained 298 seats giving it 1870.
UKIP's gains may have harmed the Conservative position as they saw 134 seats move away from them, leaving them with 1194. It was Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrat party which suffered the greatest defeat of the day, losing control of 237 seats.
@Otto_English tweeted: "1200 seats declared so far and UKIP have won just over 80. Political earthquake? More like a passing bus. #Elections2014"
Meanwhile supporters of the Green Party, which gained 15 seats, bringing it up to 51, have accused the media of "pandering" to UKIP and ignoring its status as a "national party".
@psyeclipse: "BBC blatantly ignoring Green Party (even though we've just made gains in Bristol). All UKIP. All facism."
Posted via Blogaway
News, politics and current affairs. Journalism used to be about placing news in context and generating informed debate. Sometimes the old days are the best.
Showing posts with label local. Show all posts
Showing posts with label local. Show all posts
Friday, 23 May 2014
Wednesday, 21 May 2014
Lost spirit in politics
WITH polling stations across the country gearing up for a lacklustre turnout tomorrow there is concern that Britain is losing its political spirit.
Thursday's local and European Union elections are expected to be a defining moment for the three main parties, ahead of next year's General Election, as they battle the political encroachment of Nigel Farage's United Kingdom Independence Party.
Apart from a drop to 24.02 per cent in 1999 overall voter turnout to the EU elections has remained relatively stable at the mid to high 30 per cent mark for the last 25 years. Despite being lower than many EU countries the stability of the figure has been used to demonstrate that it is a national malaise about the particular elections, rather than in politics in general. For Britain the EU elections have been seen as something unnecessary and tedious.
As Europe take a more prominent place in the public consciousness, and with local elections taking place on a national level, this may be about to change. A low turnout tomorrow could be indicative of a larger problem with British politics according to some spectators.
For the last decade there has been a gradual rise in the number of spoiled ballot papers being submitted as people use the opportunity to protest against the political establishment. Between EU elections in 2004 and 2009 the number of invalid votes jumped from 1.76 per cent to 3.18 per cent.
The rise of the right wing UKIP has highlighted the growing discontent the public have with their political peers. Part of the driving force of the party's surge to the lead has been an increasing concern about the immigration issue, in large part created by UKIP's own members.
It's growth, however, is being seen by some in the political system as just another sign that the EU elections are used as an outlet for protest, stating that it is the local elections which will give a clearer image of the state of British politics. With UKIP, on 17 per cent, lagging behind the Conservatives and Labour according to the latest ComRes survey they seem unlikely to create a significant shift in the political landscape.
Tomorrow may demonstrate a lack of faith in the system by voters, however, based on the evidence it is unlikely to generate any surprises for the future of the British political spirit.
Posted via Blogaway
Thursday's local and European Union elections are expected to be a defining moment for the three main parties, ahead of next year's General Election, as they battle the political encroachment of Nigel Farage's United Kingdom Independence Party.
Apart from a drop to 24.02 per cent in 1999 overall voter turnout to the EU elections has remained relatively stable at the mid to high 30 per cent mark for the last 25 years. Despite being lower than many EU countries the stability of the figure has been used to demonstrate that it is a national malaise about the particular elections, rather than in politics in general. For Britain the EU elections have been seen as something unnecessary and tedious.
As Europe take a more prominent place in the public consciousness, and with local elections taking place on a national level, this may be about to change. A low turnout tomorrow could be indicative of a larger problem with British politics according to some spectators.
For the last decade there has been a gradual rise in the number of spoiled ballot papers being submitted as people use the opportunity to protest against the political establishment. Between EU elections in 2004 and 2009 the number of invalid votes jumped from 1.76 per cent to 3.18 per cent.
The rise of the right wing UKIP has highlighted the growing discontent the public have with their political peers. Part of the driving force of the party's surge to the lead has been an increasing concern about the immigration issue, in large part created by UKIP's own members.
It's growth, however, is being seen by some in the political system as just another sign that the EU elections are used as an outlet for protest, stating that it is the local elections which will give a clearer image of the state of British politics. With UKIP, on 17 per cent, lagging behind the Conservatives and Labour according to the latest ComRes survey they seem unlikely to create a significant shift in the political landscape.
Tomorrow may demonstrate a lack of faith in the system by voters, however, based on the evidence it is unlikely to generate any surprises for the future of the British political spirit.
Posted via Blogaway
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