Ukip voters explain their support for the party – and why they’re happy to spend time arguing in its favour on a site not ideologically supportive of Ukip’s aims and policies

There are more Ukip-friendly corners of the internet than the web pages of the Guardian. Nevertheless, a decent proportion of comments left on our politics articles come from those sympathetic to Ukip.

In some ways, this is unsurprising. We have a diverse band of commenters, and it is satisfying to seek out those with whom you disagree. That said, the Telegraph’s commenting threads do not seem to be similarly filled with Green party supporters beseeching its readership to consider the full consequences of climate change.

We asked some regular Ukip supporting – or, at least, sympathising – commenters to tell us why they’re thinking of voting for the party and their experiences espousing the party’s views on the Guardian website. You can add your own views in the comments section below.



‘Ukip are more rightwing than I would like’



I guess I’ve been a supporter for a couple of years, following total disillusionment with Labour and the Lib Dems, who had previously gained my vote (Labour from 1983 to 2001 and the Lib Dems in 2010). In 2005 I spoiled my ballot paper, with a “none of the above” protest vote against Blair.

Voting Tory has never been an option for me. I suppose voting Ukip is as close as I’ll ever get to that. [Nick] Clegg fooled me into voting Lib Dem last time with his pledge to offer a referendum on electoral reform (PR not the AV fudge, which I voted against) and scrapping tuition fees.



My reasons for supporting Ukip are basic: I want to have a vote in an in/out referendum on Europe and I want to vote out. I don’t like or trust what the EU is and what it aims to be. It is undemocratic and corrupt and serves the multinational agendas first and foremost. Plus I believe it is going to crash and burn and I don’t want Britain to be in it when that happens. I support a points-based immigration policy. Obviously, without leaving the EU that is impossible. The opportunity to leave the EU is reason enough for me to keep putting my cross in the Ukip box until further notice.

Ukip are more rightwing than I would like but they cannot be all things to all people and don’t pretend to be which is refreshing in itself. I like their proposal to put a stop to any new PFI contracts, their opposition to the bedroom tax and HS2 but I’m a bit wary about their foreign aid policy. It is bemusing though that we send money to countries that have better space programmes than us. I also think Ukip don’t value the arts enough.



I don’t honestly see Ukip as ever being the majority party in Westminster. What I do see is a party able to force a referendum and a party that will force both the Tories and Labour to re-examine their own reasons for existing. Both have badly lost their way, but Labour more so. Tony Benn’s views on the EU should have been listened to and taken more seriously. It’s too late now.

I’ve tended to comment on more rightwing publications like the Telegraph to try and persuade the wavering Tory voters to vote Ukip.

It’s certainly more hostile on the Guardian and I am surprised and rather disappointed by the juvenile nature of many comments. It gets very tiresome to keep reading cries of Nazi, fascist, brownshirts, racist, xenophobe, etc. Just lazy generalisations and ignorant slurs and abuse. It’s impossible to have any reasoned discussion as they believe what they believe and cannot even consider their view might be skewed or misinformed. The pure, hysterical hatred though from some towards anyone supporting Ukip is very alarming and it seems there is a concerted effort by some groups to try and tar and feather us with a BNP/EDL brush.

MrMopp

‘As a traditional Labour voter I abhor its abandonment of its traditional voters’

I have been a Labour voter for 30 years, but will be voting for Ukip in the forthcoming general election. I do not necessarily see myself as a long-term Ukip voter. Neither do I consider it my opportunity of giving the “Westminster elite” a kick up their backsides, but I do think the addition of Ukip as a third/fourth party, the rise of the Greens and the SNP, to be good for democracy, and hopefully one day we will see the completely undemocratic first-past-the-post system abandoned.

I think the UK is more than capable of holding its own on the world stage. The eurozone has stagnated while the UK is growing. London is the world’s financial hub. The theory that businesses would queue to leave is a myth – they would assess their business model before deciding. They would be enticed to stay. The scaremongering on this issue is completely baseless. I actually find almost all the pro-EU economic arguments to be a little insulting to the quality of people and industry we have in this country.



Unlike many of the electorate I have mixed feelings about European migration. I like the fact that an area of Southampton has been rejuvenated by a Polish community, but I sympathise with people who have experienced problems with the overstretched public services. This has been conflated by similar immigration from the world’s poorer nations, which of course has nothing to do with being in or out of Europe. The UK’s population has grown faster in the past decade or so than at any time in its history, which has left little time for community cohesion, spirit or the advancement of British culture as many of the population recognise it. It has instead created racial and cultural issues way beyond the control of politicians. I do not believe leaving the European Union would do anything to tackle this – employers will still need cheap labour and work permits would presumably be granted for fear of the related backlash. Sadly, it is not possible to have a debate because anything said that does not side with the exponential growth of the UK population is considered racist by a large section of society.

I don’t comment on other sites and the only reason I comment on the Guardian blogs is because I fear for our electorate when they do not question their politicians or their motives. It often appears that Guardian readers have taken the Labour whip. As a traditional Labour voter I abhor its abandonment of its traditional voters.



I am sure Ukip will fully back privatisation, which I do not agree with. Similarly, I would like to see fully funded and resourced public services. There was a time the Labour party would stand for the values I consider most important. However, as the electorate no longer have a party to oppose privatisation or promote better public services, I regularly search for the reasons why other Labour voters do not seem bothered.

ChipsandCrisps

‘I previously voted Conservative’



I have followed Ukip since the early 2000s but became seriously interested in 2010-11. I previously voted Conservative.



The main UK policies that appeal are: independence from EU/ECHR, controlled immigration, fully resourcing the military, abolishing inheritance tax, scrapping HS2, protecting the green belt, and keeping the NHS free at point of delivery.



I also comment on the Telegraph. I was attracted to the Guardian in recent years since the coverage seems to have become broader and, in my opinion, less biased politically. Other than the odd abusive reply, I find that much of the debate in the comments section is fairly well reasoned and many of the commenters, while holding strong views, seem open to alternate points of view.

ShipitDog

‘Hostile comments are just water off a duck’s back’



I’ve been a Ukip supporter for approximately two years now. I took some time to decide they were the best option for the key issues. I doubt they will be the full answer, even if they received sufficient votes to form a government but the represent an important change in direction and [Britain’s exit from the EU] is a vital prerequisite to addressing many problems the UK faces. The change of mindset as well as regaining full sovereignty will be crucial here.



On immigration, I am quite comfortable with the Ukip policy of only allowing in the few people we need to address skills deficits. The economic case for immigration is massively overstated, especially since it normally fails to differentiate between different types of immigrant and the relative economic benefit or otherwise that they bring. The uncomfortable truth is that far from immigration being economically beneficial, there is a strong case that it is contributing to our growing deficit through the costs outlined above and the depression of tax receipts due to wages being depressed by a plentiful labour supply.

I don’t have any problem with other commenters. Hostile comments are mostly of the “yah boo sucks” abuse variety which are just water off a duck’s back.

lancastrian1