Election Campaign - Who's changed their mind?

[Grant(aka_eddy)]

Since the election campaign began who has been swayed to vote for, or been put of voting for a particular party?

I suspect that very few people change their minds during this time so is the campaigning really worth it?

P.s.It is only if you've changed your mind in the last 4 weeks or so, not since the last time you voted.

[drat01]

Grant - can we have an option for stayed as they were?

[nrogers]

Nope not swayed, not in the slightest

[Jon]

Can I take it there are only 2 parties competing at this election. :?

TBH, it seemed quite clear that labour would get back in before the election campaigning started, given their lead in the polls and the constituency boundaries that favour 'em

Having studied politics (policy and party) at Degree and Masters level, and with one of those elements being the degree of voter swing during an election campaign, it has been generally found that the amount of swing from one party to another in any direction during the campaign could only be in the region of about 3% max (or thereabouts - bit rusty as it was 10 years ago now).

The very great majority of people will have made their minds up before campaigning started which way they would vote.

There is a very small minority (like i say, about 3% or so of the voting population - figure may have changed though in the last decade - dunno) who can be actively persuaded one way or another during an election campaign - the "floating voters".

don't be fooled by the number of don't know's in an opinion poll. These people either do know and don't want to say, are not 100% sure but have a party in mind, or have no real interest and are unlikely to vote anyway.

election campaigns mainly serve to reinforce which way voters intended to vote before the campaigning started. See our three election threads in sticky for an example of this.

[lp_villa830]

Lib dems conservative and labour are pissing me off.

[Grant(aka_eddy)]

shhhh, this poll was so rubbish i was hoping it would slip off the end of the page.

let's let it die gracefully please

[Jon]

Lib dems conservative and labour are pissing me off.

so that leaves the Greens, UKIP, BNP, Veritas, some welsh and scottish national parties (depending where you live), and the Jam Wrestling Party.

Or as Blandy has already pointed out, they could well be the CONSERVEatives in disguise

ooops - sorry Grant :winkold:

[NibblyPig]

Why has the Green Party not taken off in Britain?

(Serious question!... I haven't lived in Britain since 1988... and the party seems to have at least had some semblance of support in other non-American OECD countries)

[Jon]

thought you were going to bed :wink:

anyway, erm .......

dunno really.

i think they do ok, but are unlikely to win any seats in parleimant due to the first past the post constituency voting system that we have.

I think nationally they would have a reasonable share of the vote. I'd hope it would be more than BNP, but i couldn't be sure .......

[NibblyPig]

yeh... you're right... i should be in bed

good night!

(seriously this time!)

[blandy]

I clicked "other"

I was going to vote Liberal, but I dunno now. I might not vote at all, or spoil the paper or something.

I think Kennedy has been very lacklustre, not really "selling" and what he has concentrated on is not altogether appealing (though still the "least bad" of the 3 main parties).

Strewth it's depressing, all this stuff....