A WIN FOR INDEPENDENCE FROM LONDON VOTE

Final Breakdown of UK vote in 2014 Euro Elections - Source: The Telegraph

Like many people I was surprised by the number of anti-EU candidates on my European Parliament election ballot paper last week. In fact, they were more numerous than those representing the main political parties, including the United Kingdom Independence Party, so I was not too surprised by the strength of the final UKIP vote, as shown in the above diagram.

One of the minority parties was called "An Independence from Europe". However, I would describe the election outcome as a win for the independence from London vote. In the capital, incidentally, UKIP secured only 11% of the vote with Labour in the lead position. Nationally, the election was a firm thumbs down amongst a minority turnout - about 33%  - who voted against the metropolitan elite.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has shown himself extremely adept at challenging the London elite, except on their home ground. The big losers, of course, are the Liberal Democrats and leader Nick Clegg, in particular. The loss of their traditional stronghold amongst England's grass roots to UKIP and the Greens does indeed represent a tectonic shift - to quote the former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott - in British politics.