please vote Lib Dem. Why? I have no interest in politics, having decided democracy doesn't work and politicians are wankers - but it's worth screwing up the media because a Lib Dem loss is what they all want because IT'S A BETTER STORY!

Reports suggest that the LibDems are on course to retain Eastleigh, and the "scandal" of the last few days has hardly made any impact at all.

Is it a case of the electorate seeing above the media hype?

In The Know wrote:
Reports suggest that the LibDems are on course to retain Eastleigh, and the "scandal" of the last few days has hardly made any impact at all.

Is it a case of the electorate seeing above the media hype?


More likely they're all too dim to have noticed. An ideal LibDem demographic.

My £5 is on UKIP. Got 6/1 at the bookies; its 3/1 LibDem and 4/1 Tories.

Midnight - and my bet is still a very live one!

My prediction that Nigel Farage would win was spot on; I bet UKIP would have won if he'd had the balls to bite the bullet.

JK2006 wrote:
My prediction that Nigel Farage would win was spot on.


Say goodnight to the folks, Gracie.

Massive rumour about why Farage didn't stand - media will get there one day.

Wonderful how Spoon Face's pathetic (funny?) stand up routine at PM's Question Time in the Commons fell flat on it's spoon face.

In The Know wrote:
Reports suggest that the LibDems are on course to retain Eastleigh

As expected (and rpedicted).

The "protest vote" of UKIP only just exceeded the Tory vote - quite astonishing really that the Tories are holding-up so well mid-term.

As for the loonies .... well, they dont look like winning at the next election, of the one after, or the one after that !

William Sadstone wrote:
In The Know wrote:
Reports suggest that the LibDems are on course to retain Eastleigh, and the "scandal" of the last few days has hardly made any impact at all.

Is it a case of the electorate seeing above the media hype?


More likely they're all too dim to have noticed. An ideal LibDem demographic.

You were saying ?

Just shows how the LibDems are very well regarded wherever they have been in local government.

IF you Council Tax goes up in the next few weeks I'll wager a very high bet that you live in a loony-controlled area.

It was a complete non-story that has been wildly over-hyped by all sides. A pretty safe Lib Dem seat went to a Lib Dem candidate. Wow. Significant? Not in the least.

John Collins wrote:
It was a complete non-story that has been wildly over-hyped by all sides. A pretty safe Lib Dem seat went to a Lib Dem candidate. Wow. Significant? Not in the least.

The seat was Tory not so long ago.

It shows that the "challenge of UKIP" is nothing more than a mid-term protest vote like all protest votes for one-issue parties. (Why is it that ALL one-issue parties have the same issue - racism?)

What was the name of that guy (in the 70s) who scored a major victory (Lincoln, I think) and caused quite an upset - never to be heard of again (which is why I cant remember his name LOL !)

In The Know wrote:
John Collins wrote:
It was a complete non-story that has been wildly over-hyped by all sides. A pretty safe Lib Dem seat went to a Lib Dem candidate. Wow. Significant? Not in the least.

The seat was Tory not so long ago.



Yes. Not so long ago. But long enough.

A good win for the Libs given the situation.
Bad news for the Cons,having fought to keep the current electoral system they're very vulnerable to the UKIP at the next general.

Pattaya wrote:
A good win for the Libs given the situation.
Bad news for the Cons,having fought to keep the current electoral system they're very vulnerable to the UKIP at the next general.

No, they're vulnerable in by-elections. UKIP have about ten credible candidates but also masses of ill-informed, reactionary, uncontrollable twits who'll cause immense damage to their own party in any national election coverage. Farage knows that only too well.

Pattaya wrote:
Bad news for the Cons,having fought to keep the current electoral system they're very vulnerable to the UKIP at the next general.

Not so sure ....

The UKIP vote is largely ex-Tory - so Cameron can say to the troops, Look, if you vote Ukip it just splits the vote ... we dont win and they dont win either ... it just lets the opposition in.

And what if Ukip DID win an odd seat or two? So what? They would still be totally ineffective and have absolutely NO power !

We've seen these 'chancers' come (and go !) many times before ... its a mid-term protest - nothing more. They will have disappeared before the next election, mark my words !

Dick Very-Crossman wrote:
UKIP have about ten credible candidates but also masses of ill-informed, reactionary, uncontrollable twits who'll cause immense damage to their own party in any national election coverage. Farage knows that only too well.

Correct - didn't Farage have to sack one his leading people recently (when they opened their gob) ?

Dick Very-Crossman wrote:
Pattaya wrote:
A good win for the Libs given the situation.
Bad news for the Cons,having fought to keep the current electoral system they're very vulnerable to the UKIP at the next general.

No, they're vulnerable in by-elections. UKIP have about ten credible candidates but also masses of ill-informed, reactionary, uncontrollable twits who'll cause immense damage to their own party in any national election coverage. Farage knows that only too well.

Same goes for all the parties if you scratch the surface.

In generals the candidate is mainly irrelevant.The loss to the tories of even a small percent of their vote can mean an awful lot of marginals lost.
Watch Dave & co go more and more anti EU to head off the UKIP vote.as did Hague the vague in 2001.

No, UKIP has serious LOONS. Consider the last time Farage stepped aside - look who, of all the party's supporters, stepped in to be leader:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Pearson,_Baron_Pearson_of_Rannoch


It's no national party. It's a telephone box of talent, with hundreds of nutters misting up the windows from outside.

Pru wrote:
No, UKIP has serious LOONS. It's no national party. It's a telephone box of talent, with hundreds of nutters misting up the windows from outside.

David Cowling

Editor, BBC Political Research Unit

An "on-the-day poll" conducted among people who had voted in the Eastleigh by-election suggests immigration was the biggest single issue for people supporting UKIP. Some 55% mentioned it, compared with 15% of all voters.

And 83% of UKIP voters said they wanted to send a message they were unhappy with the party they usually support nationally, compared with 35% of all voters.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21630472

In other words - exactly like I said - 83% of those who voted UKIP will SWITCH BACK to their normal party affiliation at a General election.