By Suraj Bhanot
PR Team Officer
A week ago, senior government minister Ken Clarke, described the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) as ‘clowns’. As the local council elections results come in, it appears as though the ‘clowns’ have it. UKIP has emerged as a serious threat to the main parties, which will inevitably send a shock to the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labour. These votes have far too often been labeled as ‘protest votes’ which has stigmatized the electorate as making uninformed and thus in turn, wasting their vote. Political parties need to stop perpetuating this myth that a majority of these votes cast are as a protest to government policies. This may be the case for some votes, but it cannot be used as a way of deferring ownership to a poorly fought election campaign which has seen the electorate send a strong and clear message to Westminster.
These elections are not fought on the bigger issues of debt, deficit and interest rates. They are about local issues which constituents have real concerns about and it appears UKIP are answering those concerns for many who feel disconnected from the three main parties. The 140 seats gained by UKIP may be a drop in the ocean of the 10,000 seats fought, but it has spilt the Tory vote in largely traditional Tory strongholds, which may impact on votes at the next general election. This could lead to the same situation of 2010; where no political party had an outright majority.
The Conservatives lost 337 seats, losing control of 10 councils including Oxfordshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire. Labour failed to capitalise on what is traditionally seen as an ‘easy’ campaign for the opposition as they mustered a mediocre gain in some council areas.
One of the most startling results was the South Shields by-election triggered by the resignation of former political heavyweight David Miliband. Labour was always going to win this seat; it has held since the 1930’s, however the fact that UKIP came in a strong second and the Lib Dems finished in seventh place; behind the BNP, demonstrates that the ultimate political power remains with the electorate who have the power to shape the government.
It appears the road to 2015 is going to be bumpy ride for the main three political parties. The post mortem for these elections results has begun and the three main parties are seriously going to have to readdress their policies and campaigns in order to have a real response to the rise of UKIP. The traditional line of this election result being one of protest is simply not true. Major reform and political engagement is needed in order for the main parties to recapture the trust of the electorate.
It is important that we as the Hindu community ensure that we are aware of what is happening in the political arena as elections affect us all. It is important that we are mindful of each political party’s agenda so that we are able to make informed decisions as to who we should vote for, ensuring the needs of the Hindu community are met. It shouldn’t be the case that we feel our voice and vote is wasted as what these elections results have shown us are that people really do have the power to make change.