VERSION|0.5.1|NAME|HarryR|DATE|1367677532|CONTENT|All this breathless [i]Sturm und Drang[/i] about the historic turning point the success of UKIP in the democratic test of the local elections represents is just hot air. 

The media pundits are there to breathlessly talk about politics so that&#039;s what they do. There&#039;s lots of mention of the % gains and losses of each party, what this would mean if those %s were to be the same at the next general election but little mention that the turn out for local elections is dismal for a country supposedly proud of its democratic credentials. 

Assuming the usual 30% +/- for a local poll, with only the most committed party enthusiasts voting, minus the angry or disillusioned pointedly joining the indifferent majority and not voting small numbers can make big swings and changes to the party composition to local councils - most of whose powers are defined by statute rather than open to significant change by council vote.

Come the general election and a still dismal 60-70% typical turnout to elect MPs will swamp the local election results. The difference will be that the voters realise that they have to make a choice from what&#039;s on offer rather than from the options they&#039;d prefer and are increasingly voting tactically rather than tribally.

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