The British Conservative Party

[WMS]

Is the UKIP socially conservative on issues like abortion and the like? If so, Im rooting for them.

I've no idea. There are a lot of pro-life Labour M.P's though

Like the U.S. Democrats used to be before the bloody social liberals hijacked the party in the 1960's...

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I think he's adding social issues to the mix, although I would say that parts of Labour, from what you've indicated, Al, match the econ left social right category...but I admit I'm not sure how the socially liberal U.K. handles these issues, if at all.

Why, all of you Europeans are so leftist that Ralph Nader would have to run as a conservative over there...[/English bait]

[WMS]

I think he's adding social issues to the mix, although I would say that parts of Labour, from what you've indicated, Al, match the econ left social right category...but I admit I'm not sure how the socially liberal U.K. handles these issues, if at all.

Very few people in the U.K vote on social/wedge issues (the main voting indicator is Class)... certain unscrupulous candidates have played the race card (infamously in Smethwick, 1964: "If you want a n*gger neighbour, vote Liberal or Labour") and recently homophobia (not gay marriage. The fact that candidate x is gay) has been used (unsuccessfully) against Labour candidates in Exeter and also in the Rhondda (the euphamism used was "exotic candidate"... the "exotic candidate" went on to win with 67% of the vote).
Abortion has never been a major issue, because it was legalised to stop backstreet abortions (which had reached disturbing levels in inner cities) and not as a "right".
One ever-present wedge issue is crime, with the Tories and LibDems taking predictable stances (ie: Traditionalist and Libertarian) while Labour has something of a "militant communitarian" viewpoint which was noticable in the recent Hartlepool By-election especially over it's pet project "ASBO's" (Anti Social Behavior Orders).

Very interesting...would you agree that in the U.S., we vote more on social/wedge issues and less on Class than in the U.K.? You certainly get some...interesting groups voting together here!

[WMS]

Very interesting...would you agree that in the U.S., we vote more on social/wedge issues and less on Class than in the U.K.? You certainly get some...interesting groups voting together here!

Pretty much every countries politics is less class-orientated than ours

Ouch! You gotta get some wedge issues going on so you can have the same enjoyable bitter debates the rest of us do!

[WMS]

Very interesting...would you agree that in the U.S., we vote more on social/wedge issues and less on Class than in the U.K.? You certainly get some...interesting groups voting together here!

Pretty much every countries politics is less class-orientated than ours

Ouch! You gotta get some wedge issues going on so you can have the same enjoyable bitter debates the rest of us do!

There are wedge issues, but they tend to be local

Yes, we in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area have more than our share of those this election...heck, I'll be following those more closely than the Presidential race! (Otherwise known as: 'We're Screwed No Matter Who Wins') I'm awaiting action by King Bill Governor Richardson on one of them to make any predictions on how those wedge issues might affect either the Presidential race or NM-1...but that's for another thread.

It's fun to have all you posters from the U.K., as I've gotten an interesting look at things there.