Last week we asked Left Foot Forward readers what outcome they'd most like to see at the General Election. We had 471 responses, and here's what we found out
34.4 per cent of you said you’d like an outright Labour majority, compared to 10.6 per cent who’d like a Conservative majority. Only 13 of you (2.8 per cent) would like things to stay as they are with another Conservative/Lib Dem coalition.
Seven per cent would like to see a Labour-led coalition with the Lib Dems, but 10.8 would like Labour to lead a coalition with the SNP, and 19.3 per cent (91 of you) would like to see Labour lead a coalition with the Greens.
The second most popular choice after a Labour majority was a three-party coalition with Labour, the Greens and the SNP, which 27.6 per cent of you are hoping for. The least popular choice was a Tory/SNP coalition, which only two of you would like to see.
25 of you would like a Tory/UKIP coalition – half the number who are hoping for an outright Tory majority. Adding the Lib Dems into that coalition sees popularity fall to 1.06 per cent.
Take part in our latest poll here.
Ruby Stockham is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow her on Twitter
60 Responses to “Left Foot Forward poll: 34 per cent want a Labour majority”
JustAnotherNumber
Why would so many followers of a left-wing political website be so keen to support a right wing party like Labour?
Gary Scott
Coalitions for Labour? The LibDems have no credibility and could not be included. Both SNP and Greens are a good bit further to the left than Labour now are. Neither of those parties would reach any agreement with the Tories and so Labour has a great advantage in being able to attract others to some kind of deal or coalition. The only problem in this is Scottish Labour. They look set to lose a good number of seats to SNP, but this shouldn’t be a problem if, as they’ve already confirmed, they will reach a ‘supply and confidence’ deal with Labour. No, the problem is the Scottish Labour Party itself. The MPs and MSPs detest SNP with a passion greater than that with which they hate Thatcher. This hatred which saw them refuse to deal with SNP in any way, shape or form in Holyrood may well be difficult to overcome. Their attitude is diametrically opposed to the ideals of a parliament set up to cause coalitions and has, if anything, boosted SNPs popularity. I think an overall majority is impossible but Labour could tear itself up over a possible deal. They, and the Conservative Party may then risk going to the people in September to polarise the vote – it could save the two party system or destroy Westminster completely. I think the rules have changed on this now but I’m sure plenty of twonks have been scrutinising them avidly.
Gary Scott
Who else could a ‘left winger’ vote for? (And have a hope of being elected)
ForeignRedTory
Uhm, most self-identified left wingers equate Labour with The Left. This is of course unpalatable for that kind of ‘moderate’ left-winger who thinks that parties to the left of, say, Joschka Fischer should not be treated as rather suspect.
For Social Democrats, the age of the Baader-Meinhoff Gruppe, is a poignant reminder that fraternising with the hard-left is simply rope-selling.
JustAnotherNumber
Labour – regardless of the party’s history and origins – are now supporters of austerity, neo-liberalism and privatisation, and as such exist as a party of the right.
If you vote for Labour this year, you’re endorsing further welfare reform, public sector cuts, and the upwards transfer of wealth. If you’re happy with that, go ahead.
Many observers will be familiar with this chart produced by http://www.politicalcompass.org/uk2015, which is based on extensive research into published policies, and you can see that all the big parties are now clustered in the authoritarian right sector. If you divide that blue corner alone down the middle, then Labour exist just to the left of that line, and that’s where the big con has taken place, as long as Labour remain just enough to the left of the Tories, then they’ll still attract their old dyed-in-the-wool working-class vote, regardless of how far to the right the whole circus drifts.
As a political system, we need to move past pointless tactical voting, which has led us into this mess, and start voting for what we actually want out of life.