What are the political allegiances of the PBC community?
August 28th, 2007
Take part in our simple “poll”
An issue that’s often raised on the site is what is the political make-up of those who visit PBC. So to find out and to test some new online polling software I’ve created the following “poll”.
This is not a voting intention question - it asks for the party you most associate with not who you would vote for if there was a general election tomorrow. Many PBC users, I guess would vote tactically and, also, at least 15% of our daily audience is from outside the UK.
So please take part and it will be interesting to see the result.
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What British political party do you most associate with? |
| Conservative | |
| Labour | |
| Liberal Democrat | |
| Green | |
| SNP | |
| PC | |
| UKIP | |
| BNP | |
| Other | |
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| polls | |
Mike Smithson
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My first thought is that the poll is flawed because it doesn’t have Respect as a specific option. If the BNP is listed separately, then so should Respect (and vice versa). Otherwise just leave it to Green and UKIP and “others”.
Oy, I just went back to check the up to date vote and it said ‘your vote has been cancelled’! What sort of banana republic is this?
Now it won’t let me resubmit my vote
3. You should have accepted that pint.
I’ve just clicked on the “Vote” thing again for the same reason (to see what the results are so far) and my 1 vote for “Other” is still there. I think “Your vote has been cancelled” probably means that you are not allowed to vote for a second time, but that your first vote is still there. But the confusing wording is the sort of shambles you can expect from a dodgy e-voting system instead of proper ballot papers.
AS I said in the intro - I am testing the software which seems slow and rubbish.
I’ll use something else in future.
3 UkPaul. I think Mike bought the software from North Korea !
I told Mike that my ARSE was available at very reasonable rates but he declined to handle it as he felt that the volume of ARSE’s recent output might somehow taint the results beyond the margin of error. Mmhhhh.
7 - I just caught up with the ‘Team America’ film yesterday, that Kim Jong-Il is behind all our ills I tell ya.
8. It’s the other way round - the USA is behind all of Kim Jong-Il’s ills
I’m very pleased that we’re having this poll.
Maybe, when the results become clear, certain people will have to stop claiming that the site is dominated by posters of a particular party.
It’s always seems pretty clear to me that there’s quite a good balance here.
Interesting exercise. But what this’ll tell us is the allegiance of the readership of pb.c, rather than the subset of the readership that actually posts. I wonder how different the two groups are?
8. Would that be the one with Michael Moore’s suicide bomb attack?
There is, I think, some divergence between regular readers and regular posters.
10 steven - it has got a lot better since the days of mid to late 2005. I remember then there was about two labour posters to the army of tory posters commenting on the tory leadership.
Still tory majority but at least there are now a few folk of labour pursuasion around.
The current results look exactly like what I expect at the next General Election!
My vote was cancelled. An argument for not having comouter voting at the next general election.
Would any one be shocked if I said I voted Conservative?
BTW, first time I have looked int today, I will look over the earlier thread later but thanks to those who nominated me
195 have voted so far, but in the competitions we are getting usually 60-70 odd entries if I recall. I reckon hard core posters number 50 or so
Andrea - drum up some stats on the split between hard core posters and casual watchers and their relative political positions and liklihood to vote please - as indicated by the poll. Or maybe not.
On the subject of nominations (last thread)- 3 cheers to Mike and his friend Admin for keeping us enetertained through August when there was nothing much going on in the real world. A great creative effort
We won’t tell anyone, Benedict. It could have been an accident on your part - default if one just presses enter appears to be Conservative (first on the list).
Yes, as I thought, red flag, we’re in a small but gallant band of right-thinking progressives surrounded by fiendish infidels.
Red Flag at 10 - “steven - it has got a lot better since the days of mid to late 2005. I remember then there was about two labour posters to the army of tory posters commenting on the tory leadership”
Naturally Conservatives were more interested in the Conservative leadership than Labourite were. Just as when it came to the Labour deputy leadership election most postings were from Labour supporters because they were the only ones interested in the topic.
The balance of posters always depends upon the topic up for discussion.
Agreed with John Wheatley at 18 - we don’t thank Mike often enough for providing this platform. BTW, thanks to tjm for his friendly post in the last thread in response to the shocking news that the BNP doesn’t like me.
The only thing that worries me sometimes is that the regular posters know each other so well that we must seem a bit cliquey to casual visitors. It’s relatively rare that a new regular poster joins us, and it’d be good to encourage more - you don’t have to know who we all are, just give us your comments and you should get a friejnhdly welcome.
Won’t the results be biased, as there seems to be a default option? Some people might choose it by accident, by clicking “vote” too soon.
re 18 Thanks for all the supportive comments. Yes - it has been a challenging August and sometimes I get irritated when someone moans about my more contrived attempts to find something to discuss on the slowest of news days.
Charlotte - it spotted you voting twice - a reason for having electronic back office systems in elections
21 we must seem a bit cliquey to casual visitors
Infact the site is far, far less cliquey than it was around two years ago, as a result, it has to be said, of a number of Tories (including one in particular), who seemed to determined to totally dominate the discussion, particularly during the evenings, about everything under the sun except political betting - I just found it all sooo tedious and went away for about nine months. With a much livelier mix of opinions, it’s now infinitely better.
21. You got a badge with ‘The BNP hate me’ on it?
If not, why not?
Not surprised to see Tories leading the pack, but quite surprised when I voted that Labour somewhat ahead of Lib Dems.
14 “it has got a lot better since the days of mid to late 2005. I remember then there was about two labour posters to the army of tory posters commenting on the tory leadership.”
This place is INFESTED with tories. When the Tory heavies moved in on Walter Wolfgang, a brother Labour party member, then threatened him with arrest as a terrorist people could see how bad the last Tory goverment really was. Now they are seeing how Labour can really improve the NHS, Policing and ultimately, their lives.
25: ‘…a number of Tories (including one in particular)…’
Is the individual still around, or did he abandon the Tory cause in despair when Dave took over?
Are all the “others” fellow supporters of the Save Bedford Hospital party?
29 No, the individual concerned is still a Tory but thankfully now posts very seldom. Nuff said!
20 Just as when it came to the Labour deputy leadership election most postings were from Labour supporters because they were the only ones interested in the topic.
Steven - there were a good few Tories who were also interested in this otherwise totally meaningless internal Labour Party election from a betting perspective and also on account of the ridiculous level of coverage given over to it by the ever biased BBC.
If you fancy a laugh,(don’t we all) go back into the archives one year, read what was being said: and cringe!
http://tinyurl.com/2veklm
Not sure how serious you ‘regular posters’ are being about tempting us ‘regular readers’ out of the woodwork, but FWIW, I have only posted a handful of times but read the site almost every day… and I just voted Green!
So I don’t think I’m affecting anything really, as per usual.
33. Nt sure about cringeing - post 22. was remarkably prescient…
‘Release some cattle disease to devastate the countryside……’
by Foot’n'mouth September 7th, 2006 at 11:00 am
Well the latest figures on our “poll” of the PBC community have CON 38%: LAB 29%: LD 21% - which is not quite what people seemed to have been expecting. There are certainly a lot more LD lurkers than there are posters.
Hi Mike,
Does the default setting of Conservative on the vote meet the strict pollster criteria (whistling emoticon thingy) …!!!
It’ll obviously be more Tory here. I like this site, but always go to ukpolling for something less spun. No offence intended - because this is also very good and probably the best of the right-of-centre blogs (beats Iain Dale’s site for my money, and miles ahead of the increasingly-farcical Guido).
Richard
36. Can we have 9 David Cameron’s if the figures stay like that Mike? Would be good to see them.
Can I be the first to post that if you plug the latest figures into Electoral Calculus, you get a Conservative majority of 8:
Con 329
Lab 231
LD 57
LD tally holdong up better than expected with a few gains from Lab and the pleasing loss of Chris Huhne, Whilst “Oor Nick” loses Broxtowe….
Well someone had to do it, didn’t they!
38 Woody.
But as it’s a PB election we better have nine Sean Fear’s !!
37 It’ll obviously be more Tory here
err…why?
37. The preponderance of Tories here is hardly surprising. People who post on, or read, a political blog are likely to be well-educated, internet-savvy, politically engaged, literate, intelligent, eloquent, and blessed with a fair amount of spare time because they are successful in their professions.
They are likely to be right wing, in other words.
40 an excellent suggestion and it might boost his chances in the upcoming PB election.
33 grumpy old man- quoting myself in this link from early May 2006- this was replying to Julian’s post in 50 on why should Blair go early- i.e after the May elections in May 2007
“50 Julian H
Why would Blair quit immediately after the inevitably bad local / Scottish results, thus going out on a low?
Because Blair ultimately will put his party needs before his own. I think the plans make complete sense- announce departure in March/April, distract attention from the elections, resign in May-new PM in July. It would be madness to tarnish a new leader with the May elections. Blair knows this.
Blair has his legacy. His stock will rise considerably as well after he leaves. Clinton’s did in the US, and Blair carries many similar characteristics. People generally like him, and he resonates as a political superstar (albeit a slightly mailgned one at the minute).
The May election results will be quickly forgotten. Blair will not be, but it would be a pretty stupid thing to do strategically to install a leader before May whose momentum would quickly be cut short by poor ensuing election results.
Also, a July succession will provide the option of the new leader calling new elections the following May (2008) depending on the poll bounce. Labour need the flexibility to call snap elections before the political rut sets in.
by Tyson September 7th, 2006 at 11:48 am
I think looking at this quote nearly 18 months ago in retrospect I am going to nominate myself as pbCOM political punter of the year. Thank you for bringing this thread back to life. I for one m not cringing about comments made that day!!
40 - I couldn’t help noticing that Mike hasn’t included a single party that advocates the return of a Stuart monarchy.
I’m surprised you let such overt pro-Hanoverian bias pass without comment. Clearly going soft in your old age Jack!
42 But then again, there could just as easily be a disproportionate number of left wing University lecturers on their extended summer hols, with all the time in the world to spend on pb.com ticking all the other boxes to which you refer.
Seant at 42: actually, i believe that some research a year or two back found a positive correlation between ‘well-educated, internet-savvy, politically engaged, literate, intelligent, eloquent’ and being a LibDem
42 seanT- thank you for your kind comments earlier. I would have nominated you, but there is not a catagory for you, although many others located one. You are not a Tory, nor independent really, nor specialist. You are in the genre of an agitator, a polemicist, a kind of right wing Michael Moore- but I could absolutely guarantee that when a Tory government comes again you will be one of its fiercest critics.
You will be as disappointed with a Tory govt, as people like Moore would be with a Democratic one- always failing, never delivering the true zion, and hopelessly selling out. I can hear you now putting the boot in on Cameron as he signs those Euro treaties, one after another
42-seanT- anyway- replying to your comment on why there are more Tories on pbCOM- betting, autism, geekines, like playing with their computers (by themselves) slightly wierd or a bit odd- sounds pretty much like a Tory community to me.
Now I was at the Edinburgh fringe this week- lots of beautiful, sexy, artistic types- vibrant, edgy, cultured, radical, satirical, witty, informed and perceptive, broad minded- and ah yes, not a single Tory in sight.
Now yes I know I inhabit both groups- but which group is more attractive. A clue- it is not the pbCOMers.
45 Max. This is a Stuart election !!
Clearly an election for the usurpers would be :
O Christian Democrat Party
O Social Democratic Party
O Free Democratic Party
Re 19, Nick Palmer, “We won’t tell anyone, Benedict. It could have been an accident on your part - default if one just presses enter appears to be Conservative (first on the list).”
Many thanks, i would not want any one to know really
“Yes, as I thought, red flag, we’re in a small but gallant band of right-thinking progressives surrounded by fiendish infidels. :-)”
Well, some of your cabinet have certainly been a tad on the right. John Reid made Ghengis Khan look like a Liberal Democrat!
Re 21, Nick Palmer, “thanks to tjm for his friendly post in the last thread in response to the shocking news that the BNP doesn’t like me.”
I too am shocked. Thats your leadership bid up the swanny! BTW, did you see my post about contract clauses etc the the other day?
48. You are almost certainly right. I am sure I would be gravely disappointed by a Tory government; there’s lots about Cameron I find quite emetic already - and he hasn’t even reached power yet.
But I differ with you on two things. I reckon Cameron would indeed stop ceding power to Europe, and I think he would call some kind of referendum, thereby establishing the principle of referenda - so that no more power could be ceded to Brussels, without the people’s explicit consent (this is all presuming Brown doesn’t himself grant a vote - something which is, I reckon, becoming increasingly likely anyway).
No doubt Cameron would, when in power, find his lack of maneuver-room on Europe quite uncomfortable. But he would have no choice but to accommodate the eurosceptics in his party.
In this he would probably resemble Blair on foxhunting. Europe is now a litmus issue for certain Tories, the way foxhunting was for Labourites. Most of the country is vaguely anti-hunting, but not really exercised by the issue. For a group of class-hating Labour lefties foxhunting is overwhelmingly important. Blair was obliged to pass the anti-hunting bill to keep this very important constituency happy.
DC will do the same on Europe - to keep his foot-soldiers from mutinying.
The other thing I think Cameron will do is row back the authoritarian state - I happen to think Cameron’s libertarian views are sincere. I genuinely believe he despises the concept of ID cards, for instance, and he will abolish them or halt their inception if he gains power.
For these two reasons alone - euroscepticism and love-of-liberty - I expect to vote Tory in the next election. I also fully expect to be hideously disenchanted on every other issue by about day 5 of a Cameron government.
BTW I’m not sure I’m flattered by the comparison to Michael Moore (though I suppose I should be). Regarding Michael Moore, I’ve always wondered why we are meant to take seriously the geopolitical opinions of a man who doesn’t even know when to stop eating the doughnuts.
Re 23, Mike Smithson, “18 Thanks for all the supportive comments. Yes - it has been a challenging August and sometimes I get irritated when someone moans about my more contrived attempts to find something to discuss on the slowest of news days.”
Seriously well done for keeping going.
53- to be honest I doubt we will see Cameron signing too many treaties any time soon- though would never say never. Am still to be convinced whether Brown can hold the Blair coalition together.
But I remember the rampant authoritarianism of Howard- so am not sure the Tories represent the libertarian liberal fringe of this country, especially when you read the Daily Mail et al..
The Moore thing is a compliment- anyone who has the ability to get people thinking, arguing, discussing is a good thing in my book.
Re 44, Tyson, Well done for the prediction and I must send that tenner!
Re 55, Tyson “But I remember the rampant authoritarianism of Howard- so am not sure the Tories represent the libertarian liberal fringe of this country, especially when you read the Daily Mail et al..”
how can you say Howard was authoritarian when we have had Blunket talking about turning up outside an alleged hooligans house, all sorts of draconian measures, ID cards and John Reid?
Surely by comparison Howard looks like a lefty?
As it’s nearly the witching hour, here’s a little real-life ghost story I wrote.. to send people to bed with a shiver.
http://tinyurl.com/yvgkkm
Oo-er lumme!
G’night peebles.
56 - Benedict the Blog “Tyson… I must send that tenner!”
See, a model of compassionate Conservatism. Some well to do rural chap seeking to help some down-trodden urban artistic lefty-type out of the gutter with the offer of a little capital with which to grease the wheels of social mobility.
Gawd Bless yer, Benedict, sir.
49 - I’ve performed at the Edinburgh fringe a couple of times and produced a show I wrote there a bit after that, not something you do to make money but it’s nice to get a good review in ‘The Scotsman’.
Of course, I also fit the ‘beautiful, sexy, artistic types- vibrant, edgy, cultured, radical, satirical, witty, informed and perceptive, broad minded’ description.
Re 59, Robin, “Gawd Bless yer, Benedict, sir.” many thanks, but it is less out of alturism than the bugger won a bet with me
61 - Ah, the fickle hand of Lady Luck. Just don’t invest heavily in Mighty Fella any more…..
A slightly different approach to Lornorder in Norn Iron:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6966493.stm
seanT and his ghost stories, robin wiggs and his urine extration, and our very own pbCOM luvvy in ukPaul. pbCOM really has a life of its own at night.
Finally though Benedict- Blunkett, Reid, and now Brown talking tough are all very unappealing. But which party wants to build more and more prisons? Good night- am trying to work out how to spend that tenner.
I too think this is a great idea and long overdue. The fact of the matter is that this excellent site - precisely because it is so important - has become a huge target for Tory posters. Look back at any thread from the past month and the point will be confirmed.
Re 64, Tyson, “Finally though Benedict- Blunkett, Reid, and now Brown talking tough are all very unappealing. But which party wants to build more and more prisons?”
Well both, the fact is that if you are going to send people there you do need the space for things like rehab etc.
However we do have other elements to our plans like vastly increased drug rehab and looking at the bigger picture.
Let us get one thing straight. As a Conservative I am not prepared to pay for huge prisons in the long term, it is a waste of money.
Tyson, there is a serious point to building more prisons - not simply so that we can lock up more criminals.
Overcrowded prisons make it much harder to rehabilitate, educate, train and prepare prisoners for release back into society as productive and valued citizens.
Piss poor capacity planning and knee-jerk reaction is an abject failure of the current Labour government.
63. You want to know how much govenment money those feckers are get?
Its a joke.
66 Benedict - it’s almost like we’re the same poster!
Re 69, Robin,
could you do the poll again in six months, so it will show any significant swing?
Sean T.
I know you have retired to bed but on your return to PBC land tomorrow I will happily offer you a wager. You are preoccupied with a referendum on the EU constitution and have tied your PBC blogging future to this event. Do you want a bet at evens with me that this will not happen? I’m betting against a referendum.
Name your stake, even if nominal. At least we will get on Mike’s recorded list of PBC bets.
re 72, StJohn, Is that a bet that the referendum will not happen in the UK or that one will not be offered? After all we could have had one had the French and Dutch not sunk it.
I wonder how many of the voters would describe themselves as activists, and if the party breakdown would be any different?
Just dropping in and I see that the Professor has recently returned, just like the good old days!
72 stjohn - Should seanT decide not to take you up on your generous offer, I will - shall we say a straight £50 at even money that there will be a referendum on the “modified” EU Constitution, in which case I win, no referendum then you win, no time limits to apply.
(Pleased to see Villa won last weekend so just about break even at this early stage)
PfP “no referendum then you win, no time limits to apply.”
Sounds like a free bet to me, as without a time limit in which to declare that there has not been a referendum as an outcome to the bet, you can’t lose! Or have I misunderinterpretated it?
stjohn - I’ll take 3rd place in that queue, if those are the terms…
75/76. Might I suggest that an appropriate cut-off time for the ‘no referendum’ option would be the moment the treaty either comes into force or a government of a member state announces that it will not ratify the treaty (eg following a failed referendum in a country outside the UK).
It is possible that a country might initially reject it and then subsequently change its mind, like Denmark over Maastrict, but then the government looked for ways to both pass the treaty legislation and satisfy its electorate; it didn’t make the announcement that I’m suggesting would close the bet.
What about the English Democrats, SNP, PC, SDLP, Sinn Fein, UUP, DUP etc etc - why are they not included?
Seems to have settled down at 42/27/22 on quite a large sample
Labour