Is it time that we took a closer look at UKIP?

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The UKIP vote in Eastleigh rose from 3.6% in 2010 to 27.8% in the by-election on Thursday. It may have been because the party is mopping up the mid-term protest votes which traditionally went to the Liberal Democrats before they climbed into bed with the devil in May 2010. It may be because many people – wrongly - feel that the three main parties in Westminster are “all the same”, a feeling which the Tories have helped to create by transferring so much real power from democratic accountability to unelected and unaccountable corporations as they privatise everything on which they can lay their grubby hands. What I don’t believe is that this bubble of support for UKIP is because of the party’s reactionary, right-wing policies, which aim to take us back to the 1950s.

The one policy which everyone associates with UKIP is withdrawal from the EU. UKIP has claimed that by leaving the EU, the UK would save over £45 million a day plus £60 billion a year, conveniently ignoring any EU rebates and regional grants. I’m not sure where it gets those figures from, since the Treasury says that the UK paid £8.9 billion into EU budget in 2010/11 (out of £706 billion of public spending). The European Commission puts the UK's net contribution at £5.85 billion.

The EU is the UK's main trading partner, accounting for 52% of our total trade in goods and services; if Britain went for a clean break from the EU, its exports would be subject to EU export tariffs. Millions of jobs could be lost as global manufacturers move to low-cost countries within the EU, and Britain's foreign-owned car industry might well shift into the EU. However, withdrawal from the EU was the issue which UKIP exploited and which put it on the political map. With his half-baked promise of a referendum at some point in the future, the idiotic Cameron has increased UKIP’s credibility by showing that he’s afraid of it.

Cameron also said that UKIP is “full of fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists", and perhaps on that last point he could now be right. The Eastleigh by-election showed that UKIP is appealing to racists, causing one person on Twitter to refer to it as “the BNP for the Notting Hill set”. UKIP may be more subtle than the BNP, but it wants to freeze immigration, pandering to the Alf Garnetts who see all foreigners as problems, and has even thrown in the contentious claim that “multiculturalism has split our society”.

In December 2011, the UK had 88,179 people in prison, more per head of the population than any other country in Europe, yet UKIP wants to double the number of prison places. UKIP says that the £2 billion cost of building new prisons is negligible compared to the cost of crime, but it hasn’t factored in the cost of keeping prisoners in jail, which amounts to at least £40,000 a year for each of them. Yet UKIP would refuse to accept European Arrest Warrants, which could well mean delays for the UK in extraditing suspects from other European countries.

The NHS would be no safer with UKIP than it’s been with the Tories, since the party believes that “other models are worth considering to see whether lessons can be learned from abroad”. On education, UKIP wants to bring back grammar schools, so that we can once again tell about 80% of eleven-year-olds that they’re failures, while at the same time giving parents education vouchers, which would be a way of subsidising private school fees.

The cornerstone of UKIP’s tax policies is to roll the employee national insurance and basic rate income tax into a flat rate of income tax of 31%. There would be no higher rate tax, since UKIP perpetuates the Tory lie that the 50% income tax rate cost the economy money; it hasn’t, it has brought in £2.7 billion a year. UKIP’s policy would be a massive tax cut for the rich, far bigger than the one that’s being introduced by the Tories in April. Even greater inequality would be created by abolishing national insurance for employers.

UKIP policies, like so many Tory ones, amount to an attack on our rights. UKIP would put an end to most legislation regarding matters such as weekly working hours, holidays, overtime, redundancy and sick pay, while leaving it up to each employer to decide whether to offer parental leave. It says it would also scrap most ‘equality and discrimination’ legislation.

If you need any more reasons not to vote for UKIP, it denies climate change and would make increased defence spending “a clear priority, even in these difficult times”. It opposes equal marriage, would hold a referendum in each county on ending the hunting ban and would allow smoking in allocated rooms in public houses, clubs and hotels. It’s no wonder that UKIP has been likened to “the political wing of a Home Counties golf club”.

You may not like the EU, and you may think that after 38 years it’s time to hold another referendum on our membership. However, before you vote for a party that makes that its flagship policy, look a little more closely at what else you would be voting for at the same time.

Sources used:-

http://www.ukip.org/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20448450

IVAN I dispair at the voting public when will they wake up to Ukip and realise they are worse than the Tories, plus it seems the Labour MPs are fighting among themselves regarding Eds leadership can someone bang there heads togetheer because they certainly need it let us hope tomorrow nights meeting sorts this all out.

stuart torr wrote:As a technically disabled person if I met that guy I think I would get arrested, but how can they charge me for hitting shit?

You would have to disenfect your hands after hitting a peice of SHYTE Stuart

hahahahahaha nice one redflag.

stuart torr wrote:hahahahahaha nice one redflag.

Thank you Stuart I thought you would appreciate the sentiment

Keep my sense of humour going Redflag, although the seats they win takes it away a bit.

For anyone who missed last night's 'Panorama' programme:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04lxvrd/panorama-the-farage-factor

One day, we shall look back on the current 'fashion' for UKIP and chastise ourselves for ever giving it any thought at all - aside of considering how such a slimy creep ever wasted our precious time.

This ignorant and self-important hypocritical chancer is even more vomit-inducing than Cameron...

Ivan wrote:For anyone who missed last night's 'Panorama' programme:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04lxvrd/panorama-the-farage-factor

For anyone that missed the Panorama use Ivans link and watch it, I can assure you it is well worth it and shows Farage in his TRUE COLOURS.

After the coordinated riots across the country last night the risk of social groups turning against each other is high. Tory press policy has always been to demonise the other person, to make it okay to bash the poor the disabled, the low paid, the dispossessed. Their move to get us out of Europe is to get rid of protective legislation that stops their richest backers fleecing even more from us poor saps. Brownshirts may lurk in their ranks and these are risky times. To balance out the Farage factor we also have press coverage of the funeral of the compassionate and caring cabbie whose sacrifice is bringing together groups from different faiths to mourn someone whose motivation was to care and alleviate the suffering of others.

The Tories are intent on increasing the suffering of 'others' - see http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/oct/12/conservatives-tycoons-fundraising-black-and-white-ball

Any 'others' will do to be scapegoated to divert the proles from their swipe of funds from the UK and into private pockets

There is also an article in yesterday's Guardian about what it means to feel national identity, and the sense of entitlement that goes with it. In it the writer states how Milliband has misread British unhappiness with immigration as perhaps people's need to make immigrants suffer - and so he is offering matching punitive restrictions to appease, he believes, the unkind motivations of voters.
The super rich are also feeling pushed out of the best properties by the oligarchs from Russia, China and the middle east. Their children have to sit entrance exams for schools they cannot get into, and it is not just the importation of low paid and often less qualified nurses, keen young Poles, uneducated Romanians chasing fewer low paid jobs that are causining native born Brits to lose meagre benefits which are not enough to keep a roof over their heads.

There are different attitudes to nationhood depending on whether it is emotional attachment to a shared past, or economic migration bringing skills and hunger to our shores. For myself I look at my family history and see evidence of what my family did for Britain - what they built that has lasted to benefit this generation, how they planned for a sustainable future for their children and ours, and how they worked to benefit the communities in which they lived and to which they contributed.

Immigrants from poor countries with high infant mortality have many children and their aim is to survive. sustainability and planning for future generations does not figure in their world view.

Britain is an island. It has a national identity defined by geographical boundaries, unlike eastern Europe which was overrun by Genghiz Khan, Turks and Russians, and changed rulers and dominant cultures several times.

An open discussion shouldn't be partisan but provide a basis for agreeing what is sustainable and what is best for the future of the people who live on this small island. Britain is attractive to people from less well regulated countries who see advantage first but must learn their role in contributing to its success in order for the advantage to be mutual.

We must learn from the past and be alert to being manipulated in the present. 'Nudge' is Ian Duncan Smith's favourite book. We have all been nudged towards the accomplishment of his curmudgeonly agenda

Everyone must keep an eye out for what our Iain duncan smith does all the time, just in case he sneaks anything in behind your back.

I've heard no mention of riots last night? Where did all this happen?

Already, UKIP seems to be accumulating folk-lore stories about it.

The bogey-man is amongst us!

There were no riots the other night... bbc news page had a reflective analysis of the 2011 riots in its sidebar of most popular stories and I failed to read the date at the top...

IDS is indeed the bogeyman, his amoral unkindness knows no bounds, and he belongs with this government for his unashamed greed (Wonga pals eta al), while Gideon's agenda appears to be appropriation of the nation's wealth into the hands of the very few, who grease his palm and praise his acuity.

They have a world view however and know how to manipulate us saps using the media to turn us against each other.

In that respect Farage is a product of the time - consummate front man.

I wonder about his German wife's family background. We don't hear much about her or her political beliefs.

Sam Cam is money and sophistication.
Milliband's wife is a young mum - otherwise preoccupied from her politics for now.
Cherie Blair is a barrister with clear sight of right and wrong.
Michelle Obama is a warm-hearted activist with causes close to her heart.

Their influence is not to be overlooked.

What I think that is getting up the nose of IDS is the anger against the public for not voting for him when he was leader of the Tory party, because it only lasted ONE year I suppose he thought himself the male version of Thatcher.

Not only is IDS friends with Wonga payday loan company who charge aroung 5,000% APR, he has been reported at the recent Banquet at the most expensive hotel in London raising funds for there geneeral election chest in 2015, snuggling up to CLC Payday lender who charge 2,000% APR. So call me Dave looks like is getting the wind up for the 2015 G.E. he will be throwing everything including the kitchen sink to get back into power in 2015, partly to stop us finding out what he was doing with the people of the UK tax money & just how much they fiddled the figures from unemployment and employment and just how many people are having to work on ZERO HOUR CONTRACTS

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B0NtjWWIcAAZteB.jpg

Another UKIP idea nicked from the Tea Party, which thinks that people receiving benefits shouldn't be allowed to vote.

A government involving UKIP would validate most of the contents of George Orwell's novel, "1984". Big Brother Nigel is watching you.

An individual takes the opportunity of exploiting national fear and dissatisfaction at a time of weak alternative leadership during a country's troubles, and period of social division. Now where have we seen that before...?

So very true Phil i'm afraid, if it were back in those times i'm afraid his party would just be like old adolf's .

German dadaist party offer to save UKIP group in European Parliament

From an article by Philip Oltermann:-

The leader of German dadaist party Die Partei ('The Party') has claimed that he has been asked to enter into an alliance with UKIP in order to help Farage’s party fix their collapsed European parliamentary group. Comedian Martin Sonneborn told the German edition of news website ‘The Local’ that he had been approached by UKIP within hours of the collapse of the eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group (EFDD) due to the resignation of Latvian MEP Iveta Grigule. “Farage’s question was serious”, Sonneborn said, “several people from his group called my office manager”.

Groups in the European Parliament need at least 25 MEPs from seven different countries in order to form an official alliance, and UKIP could lose up to £1m in funding unless they can persuade another MEP to join. Sonneborn, whose Die Partei gained 0.6% in the European elections (thanks to such incisive slogans as “Merkel is stupid” and “Hands off German willies: no to the EU penis-norm”), had told ‘The Guardian’ of his desire to win over Farage’s party for an “alliance of idiots and fools” in May, and has reiterated his desire to see Britain leave the EU: “It doesn’t belong to the continent, just take a look at the map”. But he said UKIP had failed to take coalition talks to the next step.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/oct/18/german-dadaist-party-offer-to-save-ukip-group-in-european-parliament

Well Ivan I am speechless for once.

Would UKIP’s policies on immigration, tax and education work?

Extracts from an article by Jonathan Portes:-

"Beyond immigration and Europe, UKIP’s flagship policies appear to be to cut taxes: they’d like to cut the top rate to 40p, to increase the personal allowance further, and to abolish inheritance tax (which is only paid on 1 in 20 estates). To be fair, unlike the Conservative Party, who have a similar wish list, UKIP have been more specific on where at least some of the money to fund these tax cuts would come from: ending almost all development aid, and withdrawing from the EU, although, like the Conservatives, who don’t even pretend their numbers add up, they too would almost certainly end up with a very large black hole.

More important than tax cuts is whether young people have the education and skills to succeed in an increasingly competitive labour market. And here UKIP’s policy is indeed very clear, and very distinct from that of other parties. They want to bring back selection – a grammar school (and, presumably, a ‘secondary modern’) in every town, something Nigel Farage claims would be good for ‘social mobility’.

We cannot say to those who feel excluded or left behind by what has happened to the economy over the last 30 years, including the growth in immigration, that there is nothing we can or should do. But equally we should not give them false hope or easy answers. Stopping immigration won’t create jobs. Unaffordable tax cuts targeted at the better-off won’t help the poor. Segregating kids at age 11 won’t boost social mobility. The real answers are a lot harder than that."

For the whole article:-
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/would-ukips-policies-on-immigration-tax-and-education-work-9805061.html

Are we surprised that an idea like this should come from such a moron?

After all, that's what they invented morons for...!

Prior to the Representation of the People Act of 1948, you could vote in two constituencies if you had a property or a business in one and lived in another.  As there were also university constituencies, some university-educated property owners could vote in three different places!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plural_voting

I'm sure the Tories would, if in power for long enough, approve of the restoration of such malpractices. They could argue that rich people pay more tax so they should therefore have a bigger say in choosing the government. And I feel certain that Iain Duncan Smith would support an idea floated by some of his swivel-eyed comrades in the Tea Party that people receiving benefits shouldn't be allowed to vote.

Try stopping me from voting IDS, then you would have trouble in your back yard.

He's just the guy on the right but with a W?

You forgot the calypso singer

With UKIP, as with Bo-Jo, they have a disarming manner which encourages people to think that they are just a joke.

But they are earnestly intent upon seizing power. Heaven help Britain if either are successful.

God won't help us OW Unless you are a believer, just get the tablets and a decent bottle of scotch, at least they have to burn you.

they are just lying cheating buggers, and if it wasn't for the likes of you Ivan letting us know so we can spread the word they would get away with it.

Well, at least Red Cross had the integrity to refuse the (imaginary) donation

exactly boatlady

Whether they'd have had the integrity to refuse an actual donation is of course a moot point

IMHO I doubt it very much boatlady.

What we've learned today is that UKIP has support in Brussels, that would shed few tears over Britain's departure.

Should we judge politicians by the company they keep?  

UKIP does deal with far-right, racist Holocaust-denier to save EU funding

From an article by Rajeev Syal:-

UKIP has struck a deal with a Polish MEP whose party leader casually uses racial slurs and questions the Holocaust, following fears that its grouping in Europe would lose millions of pounds in taxpayers’ funds. Farage’s Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group recruited an MEP from the Congress of the New Right with the blessing of its leader Janusz Korwin-Mikke. The Polish MEP Robert Iwaszkiewicz is to join the EFDD’s ranks as an individual, which will restore the group. The deal means that the EFDD group, set up by Farage, has 25 MEPs from 7 countries, which should guarantee that UKIP maintains about £1m a year in funding. The group received £2.1m in 2013; UKIP accounts for 53.3% of the group.

In July, Korwin-Mikke, whose party has two remaining MEPs and received 7.5% support in Poland during May’s EU elections, declared that the minimum wage should be “destroyed”, adding that “4 million n*gg*rs” lost their jobs in the USA after President Kennedy signed a bill on the minimum wage in 1961. He claimed that 20 million young Europeans were being treated as “negroes” as a result of the minimum wage. Korwin-Mikke has also called for the vote to be taken away from women, has claimed that the difference between rape and consensual sex is “very subtle” and said that Hitler was “probably not aware that Jews were being exterminated”.

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the Front National, ruled out forming an alliance with the Congress of the New Right after the European elections.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/oct/20/ukip-does-deal-with-far-right-to-save-european-grouping