Tricky, you do make me laugh. Can’t win can I? By choosing to avoid GBNews - aka a PPB on behalf of the Right - I’m apparently ‘blinkered’, yet when I quote from a right wing think tank, guess what…that’s my fault too.
For the final time…it’s not ‘MY think tank’ and I’m not saying immigration won’t be an issue. What I am saying is that according to the findings of this particular ‘think tank’ - which did canvas opinions from the electorate - that your obsession with immigration via small boats crossing the channel is going to be fourth or fifth in the pecking order of major election issues.
So…one last go. The survey on which this report is based was called ‘The People’s Priorities’…there’s a clue there somewhere. When asked for a single priority the order was as follows. 1st Overcoming inflation 26% 2nd= NHS and Energy self sufficiency 15% 4th= Small boats and reducing taxes 12%.
When asked for their top three issues the results were; 1st= Inflation and the NHS with 48% 3rd. Energy self sufficiency 33%, 4th small boats 28% and 5th reducing taxes 26%.
Of course, for the reasons Swale pointed out earlier, such findings may well be flawed because we don’t know who was asked or how the questions were framed. All we know specifically is that, where immigration across the channel on small boats is concerned, this was particularly popular amongst older Conservative and Leave voters but did not resonate at all with younger or left leaning voters.
To close…for the umptee*th time, these are NOT MY findings. The fact that they are the findings of those on the political Right should, I would have thought, be a source of concern to you. Those you appear to support, not me, have your obsession far down the percentage pecking order in terms of voter interest with just 12% of voters regarding small boats crossing the channel as their number one priority. Doubtless this will lead to an abundance of fake photos of Muslims arriving on Margate beach or invading the Isle of Wight (remember the Brexit campaign?)…just don’t shoot the messenger!