The General Election 2015 The Pigeon Watch vote/poll

[AVB]

I don't get this Labour=workers thinking. I have worked since leaving school at 16. I was educated at a local comprehensive. I have got where I am today through hard work, honesty and common sense. In my opinion if you want to better yourself you vote conservative. If you want to live off of somebody else's hard work then you vote labour. voting ukip means you are a frustrated Conservative. Lib Dems/greens means your medication needs increasing.

[kdubya]

I don't get this Labour=workers thinking. I have worked since leaving school at 16. I was educated at a local comprehensive. I have got where I am today through hard work, honesty and common sense. In my opinion if you want to better yourself you vote conservative. If you want to live off of somebody else's hard work then you vote labour. voting ukip means you are a frustrated Conservative. Lib Dems/greens means your medication needs increasing.

I was filling up reading this then realised you are in banking so assume its tongue in cheek.

 

KW

[AVB]

I was filling up reading this then realised you are in banking so assume its tongue in cheek.

 

KW

And what's that got to do with it. I'm still right.

[Dick]

Great topic.......UKIP for me......they may not be perfect, but neither are the rest of them,this country needs radical and transformational change. UKIP will not win but hopefully will get enough seats to have influence and show what they can do before the next election and it will then be make or break for them.

Britain for the British with British values first.

[Bazooka Joe]

Yep...UKIP all the way......come on Nigel..

Edited March 28, 2015 by Bazooka Joe

[scolopax]

I just cannot get away from the idea that a vote for UKIP is a defacto vote for Labour.

[Gordon R]

Whatever a vote for UKIP means, it has to be a kick in the pants for the other shambolic leaders.

[islandgun]

I just cannot get away from the idea that a vote for UKIP is a defacto vote for Labour.

it would be interesting to find out what first time UKIP voters voted last time to see if the trend is away from lab or con

[kdubya]

it would be interesting to find out what first time UKIP voters voted last time to see if the trend is away from lab or con

I voted con 1st time last time.

 

KW

[Scully]

it would be interesting to find out what first time UKIP voters voted last time to see if the trend is away from lab or con

I have always voted Tory prior to this election.

[Pothunter]

Genuine question: why do people think it is that the opinion on this forum seems to be so different from not just the country as a whole but also the countryside as a whole: UKIP and Tories on more than 40% each, with Labour on less than 4% is wildly unrepresentative.

 

Crudely characterised, it would suggest that this forum is more overwhelmingly right wing than any other imaginable cohort of British society.

 

I've always thought that characterising shooters as right wing was a gross oversimplification perpetrated by people who didn't actually know many shooters.

 

Whereas if this poll is to be believed (and it's already a fair sample), it would actually seem to be true.

[poontang]

I just cannot get away from the idea that a vote for UKIP is a defacto vote for Labour.

 

In some seats yes, but in others it's quite the opposite and a vote for the Tories would be a vote for Labour. Depends on the demographic.

 

Of course if we had a fairer voting system where every vote could make a difference then strategic voting would become a thing of the past. The EU elections use a form of proportional representation and last years results were a bit of an eye opener for some.

Little wonder the 'bigger' parties don't want it.

[poontang]

 

Crudely characterised, it would suggest that this forum is more overwhelmingly right wing than any other imaginable cohort of British society.

 

 

 

You say that as if being 'right wing' is a bad thing?

[Pothunter]

 

You say that as if being 'right wing' is a bad thing?

As it happens, that's my personal view, but that's not at all what I was trying to say. I'm just interested in people's views about why the forum is so out of kilter. In the safest Conservative seat in England (a very rural one), labour gets 15% of the vote in a bad year. Whereas on here they're at less than 4%; and most shooters, of course, as BASC's recent research shows, live in cities.

Edited March 28, 2015 by Pothunter

[islandgun]

I voted con 1st time last time.

 

KW

 

 

I have always voted Tory prior to this election.

So the swingometer is showing a swing away from tory

[panoma1]

As it happens, that's my personal view, but that's not at all what I was trying to say. I'm just interested in people's views about why the forum is so out of kilter. In the safest Conservative seat in England (a very rural one), labour gets 15% of the vote in a bad year. Whereas on here they're at less than 4%; and most shooters, of course, as BASC's recent research shows, live in cities.

The vote is skewed because this is a shooting forum and most shooters think Labour would put further restrictions on shooting and gun ownership, conservatives are less likely to do so!

[grrclark]

 

In some seats yes, but in others it's quite the opposite and a vote for the Tories would be a vote for Labour. Depends on the demographic.

 

Of course if we had a fairer voting system where every vote could make a difference then strategic voting would become a thing of the past. The EU elections use a form of proportional representation and last years results were a bit of an eye opener for some.

Little wonder the 'bigger' parties don't want it.

I am genuinely torn on PR, i agree with you entirely that every vote should count and our current system does not reflect that at all, but if PR is based on list votes as it is in Scotland with partial PR and also the EU elections then you don't have individual responsibility and accountability.

 

There are some Scottish MSPs that simply would never get there in first past the post, they are shockers. Likewise with MEPs in all parties.

 

I like the local accountability, in so much as it exists, and I don't want to vote for people on a central list.

 

Not sure what the answer is.

[grrclark]

Genuine question: why do people think it is that the opinion on this forum seems to be so different from not just the country as a whole but also the countryside as a whole: UKIP and Tories on more than 40% each, with Labour on less than 4% is wildly unrepresentative.

Crudely characterised, it would suggest that this forum is more overwhelmingly right wing than any other imaginable cohort of British society.

I've always thought that characterising shooters as right wing was a gross oversimplification perpetrated by people who didn't actually know many shooters.

Whereas if this poll is to be believed (and it's already a fair sample), it would actually seem to be true.

This forum would never be representative for a poll of wider society, it is elective in that we choose to come here, it is predominantly male, likely represents an age demographic of the majority being 40 plus, it is shooting based so very niche, etc.

 

It would be interesting to see a demographic make up relative to age, ethnicity, disposable income, job type, location, etc, but not so interesting I could be bothered creating a poll.

 

The good thing though is that it does indicate slightly right of centre which is reassuring, we are a forum community of realists and not idealistic dreamers, even the kippers......

 

As Winston Churchill is reputed to have said 'if a man in his 20's is not a liberal then he has no heart and when in his 40's if he is not a conservative then he has no brain' or something very similar. He probably didn't really say that, but he should have.

[Pothunter]

This forum would never be representative for a poll of wider society, it is elective in that we choose to come here, it is predominantly male, likely represents an age demographic of the majority being 40 plus, it is shooting based so very niche, etc.

 

It would be interesting to see a demographic make up relative to age, ethnicity, disposable income, job type, location

Obviously an interest forum will rarely be a societal cross-section, but my point was that if you surveyed white men over 40 who live in rural Conservative constituencies, Labour would still get (a lot) more than 4%.

 

A previous poster's suggestion that shooters are specifically worries that Labour would restrict shooting makes more sense; though it's not something many posters have mentioned.

[chrisjh]

surprise Sinn Fein only has 2% they are the natural choice for those with a leaning towards firearms

[Scully]

surprise Sinn Fein only has 2% they are the natural choice for those with a leaning towards firearms

[Danger-Mouse]

Given that my MP is Ed Miliband it`s pretty much just a waste of time voting. Might be worth a vote for UKIP just incase there is an upset. I doubt it though.

[grrclark]

Obviously an interest forum will rarely be a societal cross-section, but my point was that if you surveyed white men over 40 who live in rural Conservative constituencies, Labour would still get (a lot) more than 4%.

A previous poster's suggestion that shooters are specifically worries that Labour would restrict shooting makes more sense; though it's not something many posters have mentioned.

I agree, it is heavily skewed. I think all being shooters is a big part of the reason, Labour are traditionally anti country sports as they see the countryside as the playground of the wealthy, at least their core support which is predominantly industrial high population density see it that way. Shooting would become more expensive.

 

They are also pro legislation which most shooters don't like, even although conservatives have put more shooting legislation in place, they are less legislative than Labour.

 

I also like to think that shooters demonstrate good wisdom

[ditchman]

allright ........own up who voted lb-dem for gods sake !

[Ollieollie]

I don't get this Labour=workers thinking. I have worked since leaving school at 16. I was educated at a local comprehensive. I have got where I am today through hard work, honesty and common sense. In my opinion if you want to better yourself you vote conservative. If you want to live off of somebody else's hard work then you vote labour. voting ukip means you are a frustrated Conservative. Lib Dems/greens means your medication needs increasing.

Sums it up well I think