Are Ukip The Real Conservatives?

[Gromit]

Many former Conservative voters are so fed up with the Cameron coalition that they will turn to UKIP as the party which comes closest to a traditional Conservative agenda, and a reasoned position on the European issue. One can hardly blame them for that.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2317305/Tebbit-tells-voters-UKIP-means-stopping-Labour-But-Farage-forced-foot-candidates-Nazi-salute.html#ixzz2S2TSNUZX

Has the Conservative Party lost its way under Cameron?

[ludwig]

No one's going to vote for UKIP in a general election, just like no-one did in the last one. It's the current Tory protest vote reserved for by-elections, local government, european parliament and opinion polls.

[youngmafbog]

No, they have taken a few traditional Tory themes that, at present resonate with the voters.

More what it shows is that DC has failed and is not a proper Tory. He has totally misread public opinion (not just Tory voters) on key issues such as immigration and Europe (including th ECHR).

If DC wants to save the Tories he needs to get his finger out; fast! But I would not hold your breath

[Canary42]

Agree with ludwig.

[ichkeria]

Just as a dog is not just for Christmas, an election is not just about your own party's voters.
That was a lesson the Labour Party had to learn in the 1980s and it's one Cameron has taken on board. The reason the Tories are unpopular is because of the state of the economy, not becaue they aren't the real Tory party any more.
Whereas Labour leaders had to contend with Militant within, it was a comparatively easy job electorally to dispose of them. UKIP is more of a problem for Cameron because it's a party in its own right which might deprive it of votes. It also needs to be born in mind though that many people will stop voting Tory if he courts them too much.

[youngmafbog]

I thin you too have missed the point. It is not about the economy UKIP are making headway on immigration and the EU. That is the problem for voters, particularly those who might vote Tory. Tory voters tend to understand why the economy is knackered; labour spent it all (as admitted by them on leaving office)

[ludwig]

The problem UKIP have is that they don't have any opinions on anything except Europe and immigration. They're lobbyists on a single issue, but they'll never be taken seriously as a proper political party.

Come the general election, all the UKIP protest voters will vote Tory again.

The real problem for Cameron is that fact that all the disillusioned Liberal voters of which there are many, will be voting Labour next time around.

UKIP won't figure in the equation at all.

[chrisgel]

I will be voting for UKIP if possible in the next election and I don't mind saying that it will be on the issue of the EU.
That is the one issue that I agree with in their manifesto and I am not in agreement with them on anything else but as they are the only party that will make withdrawal a priority they will get my vote once.

[DJHawkes]

i'm voting for UKIP and they have a lot of supporters up here.

[DTCwordfan]

"Heil Farage"

[jno]

hope your candidate isn't one of the ones doing Nazi salutes, DJ

[jake-the-peg]

That's not what all the polls about General Election voting intention are saying Ludwig

http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/7351

They're saying that UKIP will pull 14% (more than the Liberals) because of the spread of that though they're not likely to gain more than a few seats - current predictions are a 90 seat Labour Majority.

The Tories will continue to say that a vote for UKIP is a vote for Labour and that will have some impact but there's a lot of ground to make up.

The problem remains the age old Tory problem that they are split with right wing Tories bleeding off to UKIP

They've not been united for 25-30 years

[Ellipsis]

I thought Boris had it pretty much right on the Tory vs UKIP issues:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ukip/10024202/Keep-calm-everyone-now-is-notthe-time-to-do-a-Nicolas-Cage.html

[ToraToraTora]

I suppose they could represent the EU sceptics on the EUSSR issue but in reality they are not the "real conservatives". They appear to have lost their way a little but that is inevitable when they have to get into bed with the slippery Lib dems. Personally I think they should boot out the wets and move toward the UKIP stance in order to give the electorate a real choice about the EU, at the moment there is no choice at all.

[Old_Geezer]

A traditional Conservative agenda such as Ted Heath had when he signed us up for Europe ?

[jim360]

Well I certainly think it might be a good idea to have a referendum. Even though I'd vote "yes". It's a non-argument to say "well we did have a referendum in 1975 so why do we need another one" as a few Europhile politicians have been saying. Well, so many of us weren't even a glint in their fathers' eyes then so we never had a say.

I hope that Cameron makes good on his promise of a 2017 referendum -- or, if Labour gets in, they offer a referendum too. I also hope that the British vote "yes", but the time has certainly come to have a chance to say that they want to stay in. Or out, if the case may be.

[youngmafbog]

Ted Heath took us into the EEC not the EU. There is a huge difference.

[ichkeria]

2
youngmafbog
"I think you too have missed the point."

Depends what you think the point is: either having policies that are sensible and benefit a broad enough swathe of the electorate, or sticking to "traditional party values" to please a small section of your core vote.

[ludwig]

// That's not what all the polls about General Election voting intention are saying Ludwig //

If they're anything like the polls that had Neil Kinnock celebrating election victory a few days before an election had actually taken place I wouldn't put much faith in them jake. As I said, the protest vote covers opinion polls as well as actual ones.

[modeller]

Gromit you posted an almost identical post yesterday.

//Boris Says Rise Of Ukip Good For Tories - Is He Right?//

Didn't you get enough left wing answers the first time.

[jno]

Gromit has obviously posted this one for the benefit of those who can't get interested if there isn't a link to the Mail.

But more specifically, this is a Q about Cameron, not about Ukip.