I asked the readers of my monthly newsblast six questions on 21 November. Two were about their age and sex, one was about how they felt about the future of wildlife in the UK, and three were about politics.
Here are the responses of 464 people up until I closed the poll yesterday at 6pm (although almost all (79%) of the responses were from 21-23 November).
The respondents are quite like me – unsurprisingly: around my age and predominantly of my sex.
They also were strongly skewed towards voting Labour at the last general election.
But they are heading for other parties, predominantly Green in their current thoughts.
Just looking at the 199 folk who say they voted Labour in July 2024 and who indicated how they would vote in a general election tomorrow then only 28 would still vote Labour. 118 of those 199 say they would switch to the Greens (E&W), 30 to the Liberal Democrats and smaller numbers across other political parties or (not voting) but none to the Conservatives.
Recipients of my monthly newsblast are interested in nature – how do they feel about it?
And how do they think the current Westminster government is doing on the environment?
My interpretation of these results: these results are easy to interpret! This small and unrepresentative group of middle-aged or simply aged electors who are the type of people who notice the plants growing in the pavements and the fields and the birds flying overhead are hugely concerned about the state of British wildlife and think the government is doing a bad job on the environment. They voted Labour in the last general election because they were fed up with the Conservatives and gave Labour a chance. They now aren’t so much feeling buyers’ remorse but a mixture of buyers’ anger and buyers’ despair. They feel that Labour can’t be trusted any more than the Conservatives and are looking around for a political party who could do better. The Greens will be the main beneficiaries.
It’s probably a long time until the next general election and everything and anything could change. Hardly anyone votes primarily on environmental grounds alone but at a time of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change those issues loom very large in some people’s minds and those responding to this poll are some of those people. Labour has blown it with this group of people. I doubt they will win them all, us all, back, and at the moment there is no sign that they will even try.
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We seem to be in a very bleak situation politically. I dread the – apparently ever more likely – prospect of a Reform government which would make many things very much worse and, as far as I can see, nothing better. Sadly, the only tactic Labour (and the Tories) seems to have to fight the electoral threat from Reform is to ape them.
I couldn’t disagree with you more! We need a real shake up of politics in this country…..starting with a big reduction in Civil Service numbers and a 50% cut in the size of the House of Lords. I shall be supporting REFORM UK….as they appear to be brave enough to also take us out of the European Vourt of Human Rights.
A very good news blast as usual Mark. Quite frankly I feel sorely betrayed by this Labour Government. They are clearly anti nature as demonstrated by many of the statements made by Keir Starmer on the subject. One expects an out dated and landed gentry view towards nature from the Tories but down right betrayal and it’s anti nature attitude from this Labour Government is hard, very hard to accept. The current news of three white tailed sea eagles being deliberately killed just about sums up their dislike of nature.
On another point I am delighted to read your quote of Robert Kennedy about chasing certain highly regarded economic indicators which in practice mean nothing to people’s happiness and welfare. Stamer would do well to well to read some of the speeches of both John and Robert Kennedy and to be guided by them instead of chasing economic ghosts at the expense of nature.
This government is hopeless, hapless and frankly, dangerous control freaks
What I dislike about the Labour government is their straight forward attack upon the environment. They seem to believe environmentalists are responsible for holding up growth in the economy.
Big business is lobbying hard.
One of my main concerns is that any appeal against a government decision costs so much.
Locally a waste incinerator on Portland has been given the go ahead, despite the local community objecting to it. Thousands of pounds needed to be raised by council and objectors , to simply get their case heard in court. This is so often the case, businesses are able to easily find cash to bulldoze any decisions that oppose a development.
Something needs to be done about biased approach to development, allowing Big Money to easily overcome community opposition
It makes me despair to see that many people feel their best option are the Greens, at least not here in Scotland as we’ve had dealings with them already which didn’t go well, but Zack Polanski is a dangerous, Marxist idiot, they aren’t interested in green policies, only Trans ones
John F. Kennedy said “the newspaper headlines and the television screens give us the short view. Wisdom requires the long view “ He also said to the American people of political issues , “I have to tell you now there are no quick and easy solutions” .
The Reform Party would do well to pay heed to these words instead of the rubbish they propagate and put forward.
Unfortunately there does not seem to be a green agenda within the Green Party. Not a peep from the leadership regarding the most environmentaly destructive piece of legislation in decades (or possibly ever) – the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, now passed into law.