Tory right blame gay marriage for bad local election results

[Leftbehind]

The blamed Europe too. We just learn to ignore them.

Europe would make slightly more sense given the shift to UKIP, but even so, the shift to Labour was much larger, so I think that should tell you that the economy is a much larger issue to most people.

Well aren't UKIP opposed to gay marriage as well? I think the Tory right view their loss of votes to what they see as a break-away Monday Club-style Tory to be why they lost many seats - a splitting of their votes (to a small extent) allowing Labour in. I'm not seeing what's so incomprehensible about their stance, tbh.

[Leftbehind]

Well, I hate to play the defender of the Tory right, but from what I've seen the vast majority of Tory loss is to UKIP, and only a minority of it is going from Con > Lab*. Of course, the Liberal's loss can only be described as an exodus to Labour, but I don't imagine those Tories were worrying about this - we had that in 2011, after all.

*What I seen being Yougov crossbreaks and BBC projected changes from 2011 as Con -4 Lab +1 Lib n/c Oth +3 from last year.

[Leftbehind]

The Tories are already in danger of losing this reputation for "moderatism" they've gained under Cameron and if they make a rightward shift, it'll be the final nail in the coffin for it.

I don't know if that's the case. Does anyone listen to what the fringe Tory right says?

If Dave actually wants to remain PM, he will do or he risks making his government just Major Mark II.

I'd think Call Me Dave wishes he was Major Mark II; the Tory Right there only had the impact they did because of his precariously small majority - not that they were numerous. Dave has the opposite a - solid majority courtesy of their Liberal collaborators but a substantial - and ever-growing - number of his party being as right-wing.