What Britain thinks: politics, the election, David Cameron and Ukip
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Version 0 of 1. They thought David Cameron had held his ground against Jeremy Paxman, argued that Labour politicians are not much different to the Conservatives and were more upbeat about the Scottish National party than any of the other major political parties. Here, according to the constituents of five focus groups set up for the Guardian by polling firm BritainThinks, is what the nation is making of the general election campaign. And you can read the overview from Deborah Mattinson, the founder of BritainThinks, on getting inside the minds of the UK’s undecided voters. Related: Battleground Britain: getting inside the minds of the UK’s undecided voters On the Channel 4/Sky interviews by Jeremy Paxman: “Happy to see Paxman back.” – Ealing “I have a lot of respect for Cameron – he doesn’t get too flustered even when he’s grilled by Paxman! He seems honest and down to earth.” – Ealing “Cameron has his facts and figures to hand and is not allowing Paxman to throw him off course in giving his answers, despite tough questioning from him.” – Ealing “Ed Miliband doesn’t seem to speak as confidently as David Cameron. Also not as ready with the numbers as David Cameron.” – Taunton “Milibands words sound like a fairytale. Easier said than done.” – Taunton “David v Ed question put him on the spot! Do I vote for someone who would undermine his brother like he did?” – Ealing “Still had more faith in Cameron by the end of the debate. However, I thought Miliband came across as far better than usual. Now more confused than ever!” – Ealing “Miliband much better than Cameron on questions, more passionate, although slightly less composed. More honest.” – Glasgow East On Cameron’s plans, unexpectedly revealed on Monday, to limit his term in office to two parliaments: “Why has David Cameron come out about that before the election?” – Glasgow East Related: Battleground Britain: Lib Dems face uphill battle to hold Taunton Deane “It makes me nervous to hear ‘supporters’ of the Tories publicly slating him. It makes me ask myself: Was it a deliberately contentious statement?? Is Cameron trying to get people to subconsciously imagine him in a third term?! Is it better to say ‘no’ and then retract it in 2020 and stay; is this a win-win for Cameron?? Or was it just an honest, simple answer??” – Taunton Deane “Cocky sod, he’s not got a second yet.” – Ealing On the state of politics and politicians: “They’re all out for themselves. The local lad [candidate] may be the best one but our choice is limited. It’s a choice amongst scoundrels. – Thanet “I’m heartened that people are getting angry. My youngest works at Tesco – 7.5 hours a week, and 3.3/4 hour shifts so they don’t have to give him a break. He has no employment rights, but no one is getting angry about zero hours. We put up with anything and making money is the point. No one is getting angry.” – Thanet “I think everyone here is pretty burnt out. Everyone was on such a high during the referendum, there was a lot of stuff going on. But now everyone thinks it’s just more of the same: London.” – Glasgow East “I think that this election is going to change things because people are saying it’ll be a hung parliament. I think people will think twice before they vote this time.” – Glasgow East “They just say the same things over and over again, and nothing happens from it.” – Dewsbury “I feel confusion, especially this time. I think because there’s not much difference between Labour and Conservative these days. I’m hearing the same thing pretty much from both of them, and I think it’s just confusing.” – Dewsbury On electioneering: “I’m pleased the phoney war is almost over and the campaign can begin in earnest. The polls are stubbornly similar: little budget ‘bounce’; little reaction to ‘Two Shredded Wheat’ Cameron but the smaller parties looking just a bit more marginal, a bit more irrelevant? This might be gathering to a true hearts and minds battle. I have seen the first roadside billboards. Tory, obviously: they have all the money.” – Thanet “I liked the specific, personal communication from the local Labour candidate as opposed to the more generic Conservative brochure which was much more generic and lacked the personal touch.” – Ealing On the Tories: We asked our panel to work in pairs and to imagine that selected parties were real people. One group concluded that a Conservative would live in a country mansion (with a place in town too), working on “daddy’s estate” or as a banker, and playing polo and yachting round the world at weekends. Their “Come Dine With Me” menu would be “caviar to start, a three-bird roast and gilded meringues or Eton mess”, and they’d only drink “champers, darling!” “They’re almost shamelessly like this now – before at least they used to hide it.” – Thanet “I think that there are small businesspeople who believe in conservative values but aren’t being represented by the party any more.” – Thanet “I would hate for them to get in again. I’d hate the cuts that they’d bring.” – Glasgow East “For me, the problem with Labour wasn’t that they were for the union, it was the fact that they came up here and stood next to the Tories, looking like best pals.” – Glasgow East “I think that the Conservatives – in spite of disagreeing with almost all of their policies – may well be better at handling the economy and continue to get us out of the recession.” – Dewsbury On Cameron: “As a chap who’s trying to lead a party and lead a country, he’s done a good job of it.” – Thanet Related: Battleground Britain: Dewsbury doubters have little faith that their vote counts On Labour: “Mr Labour” would live “in a four-bed detached, double garage, with a little pied-a-terre in town”, and he’d be a banker too. For his “Come Dine With Me” menu, would want “pretentious fish and chips” or “sausage en croute” – “some kind of regional, working class food, seriously tarted up”. “These ones are not quite so privileged – their parents will have struggled to get them where they are, but they’ve ended up much the same – didn’t they go to the same schools?” – Thanet “That’s right, the front-row parties have gone to the same schools now – they’re all Eton.” – Thanet “When I grew up, Labour was the automatic choice for working people. I heard about someone that used to be Labour and joined the SNP who said ‘I’m not leaving the Labour party, the Labour party left me’. And I can see that.” – Glasgow East “If Labour won I’d be okay about it. They aren’t going to do most of the things that they promise, but neither would any other party.” – Dewsbury On Miliband: “He’s a plonker, a wally, a bit ignorant, not really with it.” – Thanet “There was a homeless person on the street, and it was zoomed in on how much he’d given, but it was just 2p – he was trying to seem like he was doing a good thing but he wasn’t.” – Thanet Related: Battleground Britain: Labour 'cannon fodder' desert to SNP in Glasgow East On the SNP: We asked our panel to work in pairs and to imagine that selected parties were real people. Those panellists who profiled the SNP imagined them as young, working class, living in a tenement in Dennistoun, working as a social worker. The soundtrack to their lives would be “Things Can Only Get Better” or “Flower of Scotland”. “With [Sturgeon] being young and female – it’s a change from the dreary old guys in the suits, isn’t it?” – Glasgow East “The way the media portray the SNP is totally unfair. Especially the English media. They make out like the SNP are the same as Ukip but they’re not. And the way they showed that photo of Nicola Sturgeon on the wrecking ball was totally out of order. They’d never do that with a man or an English politician.” – Glasgow East “I’d be happy if it was an SNP-Labour coalition. I quite like the idea of coalition, one can keep the other in tow … I think Scotland would benefit from that. As a country and as a people.” – Glasgow East Related: Battleground Britain: Nigel Farage's bid to capture Tory-held seat of South Thanet On Ukip While for some of our voters in South Thanet, a typical Ukipper would be living in a townhouse, serving British beef, for others, it would be a “run-down house in Thanet – to try to fit in with society” and a job “in a gun shop”. There’s a dislocation between the people who support Ukip and Nigel who is of a different class – I think we think that it’s more of a working-class support, but with more of an upper-class leader.” – Thanet “I think Nigel Farage [would be the best leader]. He is a snake, but like you said, he basically says what he thinks, he doesn’t try to get people on his side. I think he’s talking honestly and not just trying to get people’s votes, he’s saying what his party would like to do.” – Thanet “I wouldn’t vote for him but I can imagine going down to the pub with him.” – Dewsbury |