LibDems hold Eastleigh, Tories in Third Place after UKIP

[OwlHoot]

Quite. People will imagine Nigel Farage as PM and recoil

er, why would they recoil at that?

[sasguru]

er, why would they recoil at that?

He's a real Nigel in looks and demeanor - a real provincial.
He'd be like a fish out of water on the world stage.
And what do you think his relationships would be like with the countries that matter in the future?

[KentPhilip]

Oh and look at the BBC News website BBC News - Home
Proof of the BBC's left-leaning bias: the story is not even one of the main stories - it's hidden as a single line item. They don't want to publicise anything that shows people showing support to right-wing parties like UKIP.

I don't think it is the case of the Conservatives splitting the UKIP vote, rather the other way round. Had UKIP not stood then most UKIP voters would have voted Conservative, resulting in a Conservative victory.

Come the general election then a Tory-UKIP merger or Tory-UKIP coalition is the best way to get those two parties into Government.

At least Labour came reassuringly fourth...

[sasguru]

Oh and look at the BBC News website BBC News - Home
Proof of the BBC's left-leaning bias: the story is not even one of the main stories - it's hidden as a single line item. They don't want to publicise anything that shows people showing support to right-wing parties like UKIP.
.

Proof of your conspiracist mindset more like. Looks like the top story to me.

[Doggy Styles]

UKIP aren't a one-issue party. EU exit (or 're-alignment') is just the one they are best known for.

Although some of their policies on the other issues would shove the deficit back up again. That's what must have attracted votes from Labour. Which is no bad thing in itself.

[Mich the Tester]

And what do you think his relationships would be like with the countries that matter in the future?

Probably no better or worse than any of the other European 'leaders' who seem to be split between provincials that don't even seem to know about the economic rise of east Asia, southern Africa and south America and those who do know about it but prescribe old world big heavyweight government solutions that aren't going to work. I get the impression that the people who know how to do business with other cultures and build really beneficial mutual relationships, and are really needed in politics, are not working in government; they've been turned off by the backbiting nature of it all and have been snapped up by businesses who reward them well for what they can do. Mr Farage is rather like Herman van Rompuy; just another mediocre little man competing with mediocre little men for the honour of doing a mediocre little job of something that desperately needs to be done well.

[NickFitz]

er, why would they recoil at that?

Because he's a demented fool. The country would be in a state of complete collapse within weeks if they let that imbecile take charge.

[Malcolm Buggeridge]

He's a real Nigel in looks and demeanor - a real provincial.
He'd be like a fish out of water on the world stage.
And what do you think his relationships would be like with the countries that matter in the future?

So, what would be new?

It's not like Gordon Brown bestrode the World stage like a Colussus is it?

And the thought of Miliband representing us in the international arena...

[formant]

UKIP aren't a one-issue party. EU exit (or 're-alignment') is just the one they are best known for.

Although some of their policies on the other issues would shove the deficit back up again. That's what must have attracted votes from Labour. Which is no bad thing in itself.

Uhm, Labour have gained, not lost votes in this by-election. Not a whole lot obviously, but then it's never been a target seat of theirs.

And if they're not a one-issue party, then UKIP are doing a p***-poor job at pushing anything other than anti-immigration and EU-exit propaganda. This sort of approach works okay in local elections, but the average voter will want to see a bit more in a general election.

[DodgyAgent]

(from BBC News - Eastleigh by-election: Lib Dems hold on despite UKIP surge)

Brilliant! He seems to be expecting one of the big two to step aside to allow his extremist one-issue protest party to gain some political ground. You really couldn't make this s*** up.

Dear UKIP, please keep doing what you're doing. I can't wait for you to play a substantial part in helping this country get rid of the current government of incompetence.
And that's saying something - I'm certainly no fan of Labour either. Lesser evils, though, lesser evils...

Seriously though, the fact that the LibDems held on to Eastleigh despite everything they've effed up lately shows that neither UKIP nor the Conservatives ever stood a real chance of winning this by-election.

This is exactly why people are voting for UKIP because people like you are sneering at and smearing them (earlier post aligning them to UKIP) conservatives have genuine worries about the Tory party ignoring their basic concerns (your post epitomises this) and are voting UKIP in order to tell people like you to f**k off.

If you look at Nigel Farages background he is one of the only recent party leaders to have ever had a proper job. I would rather have someone who understands the fundamentals of profit and loss running the country than a serial politician.