LabourList readers call for more focus on UKIP – and less on the Lib Dems

For our weekly survey this week we wanted to focus on Labour’s campaign – especially where the focus should be in the final days before election day. Last week there was a clear strategy of targeting and squeezing the Lib Dems – and tying them to David Cameron – including a PEB aimed squarely at the Deputy PM. We asked LabourList readers what they thought of the election broadcast, and opinions were divided – although perhaps most surprisingly of all, a quarter of LabourList readers hadn’t even seen the must talked about broadcast:

However, LabourList readers were far more united in terms of the action they’d like to see next from the party – a greater focus on UKIP, and less time spent trying to squeeze the Lib Dems. By a near two to one margin (62% vs 32%), LabourList readers said that they’d prefer the party to focus their energy on other parties, rather than continuing to squeeze the Lib Dems. On UKIP – the party currently leading the polls for the European elections – we asked if Labour should devote more or less time to them – by a twenty two point margin (46% to 24%), LabourList readers would prefer the party to focus more on UKIP.

And it seems that those running Labour’s election campaign feel likewise, with a notable recent shift towards attacking Farage’s purple party in recent days. Yesterday Yvette Cooper lambasted them in the Mirror as “Thatcherite” and worse than Cameron. Last night, Ed Balls began to talk about EU reform. Both have made a greater play of Labour’s position on immigration – and Michael Dugher told the Express (basically a UKIP paper these days) that “The idea Nigel Farage is some sort of the voice of the working class frankly is bollocks”, and labelled him a “phoney bullshit artist”.

Whilst I agree with the LabourList readers who said that they wanted a greater focus on UKIP, I’m not sure about the tone the party is adopting. Whilst Farage’s party need to be given a rough ride, I’d prefer to see their comments about immigration and race taken on directly. And at the same time, whilst lambasting them as Thatcherites might dissuade many Labour voters from throwing their lot in with Farage, it doesn’t do much to deal with the fact that many UKIP voters feel adrift, like society doesn’t work for them and that they’re not part of the political debate. Whilst Labour’s UKIP strategy is much improved (i.e. – it now has one) I’m not convinced that the party is yet answering those concerns of those voters.

768 people voted in our weekly survey this week – thanks to everyone who took part