Byelections

UKIP’s latest successes could yet damage it

Turgon on November 23, 2014, 5:21 pm

| Readers 911

Slowly the dust is beginning to settle on UKIP’s latest by-election victory. This one could be analysed as more or less important than the last one dependent on a number of factors. Rochester and Strood was a considerably less attractive target seat for UKIP than Clacton on Sea. It has much less of the older, poorer, white, “left behind” demographic which has been previously identified as the classic UKIP voter. Furthermore it seemed that Mark Reckless is not as popular …

Heywood and Middletown: UKIP’s Drake-like foray into the once inhospitable north of England

Mick Fealty on October 10, 2014, 12:26 pm

| Readers 564

Okay, so what to say about UKIP’s performance last night. Let me gloss over the Clacton byelection where since, despite Douglas Carswell’s claim for it to be him ‘recalling himself’ it was in fact was a UKIP hold rather than a gain from the Tories. The Heywood fight was much more interesting politically. First, the issue for Labour was more to do with the turnout rather than the fact they nearly lost. Spelling that out: 35% means that 65% of …