British Euroskeptics Win Massive Support
The United Kingdom Independence Party (ukip) rocked Britain’s political establishment by winning nearly one third of the votes in a by-election in Eastleigh held February 28.
ukip came just a few percentage points away from putting its first-ever politician in Britain’s Parliament. At the general election in 2010, it received 3.6 percent of the vote in the district. This time, in a vote to replace a cabinet minister on his way to jail, it won 27.8 percent. The Liberal Democrats held the seat with 32.06 percent. The Conservative Party was beaten into the third place.
With a little bit more organization, it could have won. The Liberal Democrats only succeeded due to their lead in postal votes. When it came to votes cast on the day, ukip were in front.
This is just the latest in a surge of support for the party. It has come second in these types of elections four times in under two years.
Why the surge in popularity? The European Union. ukip exists to get Britain out of the EU. The British public is rallying around the cause.
Polls indicate that a large proportion, or even most, in Britain have wanted to leave the EU for years. But it wasn’t one of the public’s top concerns. That is changing—the EU is becoming the big issue of the day. Even the famously liberal bbc sees it. ukip’s take on Europe, it reports, “has arguably never been more prominent or more fashionable.”
British Prime Minister David Cameron dismissed its success as a protest vote, saying that when it came to the general election, people would return to the Conservatives. He may be right. ukip’s surge split the right-wing vote and allowed the most pro-European party to win. That’s not a big deal at a by-election, but when it comes to choosing a government, people may vote more carefully.
That doesn’t change the fact that those protesting the government chose a party that is against Europe and stands for old-fashioned conservative values (or rather, tries to be both an old-fashioned conservative party and a libertarian party). ukip also targeted many voters that have not voted in any recent elections. Many aren’t happy with the current government, and they’re not happy with the European Union. Mr. Cameron promised an in-out referendum by 2017. But that still isn’t enough for a huge proportion of the country.
ukip’s leader, Nigel Farage, predicts the true strength of his party will be seen in June next year, with the European Parliamentary elections. “If Eastleigh caused a tremor, then the Euro elections give us the opportunity to set off an earthquake,” he said. “The election will be held on the same day as local elections, which creates an opportunity to win council seats in real numbers.”
As well as demonstrating the mass disappointment with the EU, ukip’s victory could push the Conservative Party into a more firmly Euroskeptic position. Even before Eastleigh, many in the party feared that a failure to win over ukip supporters would mean a loss at the next election.
The election may have been a local affair. But it demonstrates a once-in-a-generation type of change in British attitudes. Being anti-EU used to be reserved for the pub bore. Now it’s mainstream. In Eastleigh we’re seeing a fundamental change in how the British public wants to relate to Europe. Britain is well on its way toward the exit, as the Trumpet has been forecasting for years.