Yes Ecu, I am sympathetic towards them - I think they are probably the best of a bad bunch out of the big three.
I think there is a large proportion of their supporters who will realise in due course how much worse it would have been had they not been there, but I also think that they are taking a bashing because of the student fees issue - which is not really fair as they would have stopped it if they had they had the chance.
as to why the tory vote stood up as well as it did - I have absolutely no idea!