I’ve been thinking about UKIP and the local elections.
To be quite honest I don`t know much about local affairs or how they operate, probably because I’m not that interested in them and probably they in me. I am interested in UKIP and its establishment as a permanent political force rather than just a one trick Brexit pony.
So the first thing is to establish our reputation – why we are more reputable than the tired and lying legacy parties Con/Limpdems/Labour?
To me the answer to this is we have only to look at the Brexit result – it was essentially ‘UKIP wot won it’ and the bulk of 17.4 million people plus had placed their confidence in our message because it had become more and more evident that the elected parties had for many years been ignoring their voters – indeed hoodwinked and misled them for over 40 years to bow and scrape to their totalitarian ringmasters in Brussels.
The balance was tipped by events, particularly the false negotiations cooked up by Cameron and Osborne, supported by that maniac Obama from the States who didn’t hesitate to interfere in our affairs. The grass roots finally ‘got wise to it’ and showed they had had enough by voting for a radical change of a new life outside the EU.
It is easy to establish UKIP’s legitimacy. All the legacy parties were for ‘remain’; they were in effect content to allow the UK to forever remain under the domination of the EU, and were increasingly determined at that. They were happy to allow us to become a United States of Europe ie with a complete loss of sovereignty, unable to defend our own borders, unable to make our own laws, subject to the ECJ (European Court of Justice), probably subject eventually to Corpus Juris (our law is derived from Magna Carta and so we have Habeas Corpus and jury trials) and with the probable ceding of our permanent seat on the security council to the EU and the loss of our last independent influence on world affairs, but most of all the loss of our ability to make trade deals outside the EU without the bloc’s permission.
Oh, if you want an instance of how utterly horrible and not for us long term the EU is just think of its treatment of Greece.
So having established our legitimacy as we the only party qualified to represent the new order nationally, we now have to come up with policies that are relevant. And likely to be acceptable.
My first instinct is to keep it simple “Nick ’em.”
Where from??. All the other parties, those parties have been condemned in the voters eyes even the most their most diehard supporters cannot trust them now – remember all those ‘up there’ (Parliament) have contaminated the whole system right down to local politics. It’s rotten to the core and they have forfeited their right to even step onto the lowest ladder of politics. If the voters don’t want place men accustomed to feeding at the public trough and pretending to serve the public – then they MUST vote UKIP,
So for a start I’d take all their policies, well say 10 or a dozen of them – probably nothing wrong with the policies.
Then I watched programmes on alleviating people sleeping rough and also people who are going into penury with home loans.
UKIP is also very “forces” orientated – we must have policies about alleviating distress there.
Above all there is immigration’. I’m not going on primarily about Muslims per se, but shunted aside has been the main reason that Brexit came about.
For a number of years this country has been taking in nett figures of 250,000 to 330,000 bodies (of all shades, religions and ethnicity) with a fair load coming from the EU. Of course some of them have contributed economically and helped us with employment shortages, but they have also been responsible for low wage levels which have enabled multi nationals to rule our economic roost.
However, the greatest problem is the one that authority and government (nor the MSM and their Uncle Tom Cobley fellow travellers) will not acknowledge, that is that sheer number of bodies require gigantic ‘service’ investment, there is crisis in the National Health Service. There is crisis in the surgeries, in school positions, on the roads and on the railways.
There is crisis in the police, our armed services are so understaffed and ill equipped that they are fast becoming not fit for purpose – everywhere you look people are having to snuggle up without adequate new services being budgeted for – never mind provided.
The country is full up and politics is full of dummies doing nothing about it. In fact from what I can gauge from latest reports, immigration net numbers will not decrease substantially – we must institute a points system immediately
So UKIP, go for the jugular and make hay – we`ve nothing to be ashamed of but we have got to shout louder than those imposter pseudo political apparatchiks! And put the boot in. WE ARE IN THE RIGHT – we must get in the driving seat
Having a Ukip/Brexit/Leave means Leave candidate in every ward would be a start. Peole can only vote in there is someone to vote for… East Anglia and Lincolnshire SHOULD be covered. But is it???
There are different levels of responsibility for the good of this country.
The House of Commons is the top one, and it is a pity that we are not represented there.
However, w have County, Unitary, District, and Town Council elections, and we need members on all these committees, and also working from the bottom up, and not the top down, as the other parties operate, being told what to do by the Party Hierarchy. The electorate needs a bottom up party such as our UKIP operates
PMB I’ve not read all these posts but basically I agree with what Roger Turner said. Particularly, no matter where the immigrants come from BRITAIN IS ALREADY OVERCROWDED. It seems obvious to me that local elections are where we should aim now. I continue to be a UKIP member. And I hope to hell I will be able to vote UKIP in all forthcoming elections. I’ve recently come face to face with local government downright stupidity. The ‘this is how it is, this is how it’s done’ attitude needs shaking up. Also, as I remember, haven’t new or small parties often grown, gained recognition, from the local level first.
Surely the Tommy Robinson ‘issue’ is neither here nor there. We have always been the ‘far right’ party according to M.S.M. We are the small businesses party versus huge crony capitalism conglomerates. We are the Party supporting NHS and schools. And we are best suited to sorting out local planning issues.
Also Gerrard has a lot of knoweledge about the Napoleonic Code which shaped the E.U.’s attitude to Constitutions and Law as well as a genuine belief in what an independent Britain can and should be. It has just struck me – a bit ‘way out’ this but wasn’t Magna Carta about local issues versus centralised power.
Thank you Pauline for your “outright” support I have been peddling my theory/subject of Immigration per se (i.e overall nett incoming numbers, not limited to one category – Muslims) the country being OVERCROWDED if not more pejoratively (?) FULL UP, before and since the referendum, likening the figures to having to build a city the size of my birthtown Coventry every year (spread out across the country, of course).
It seems I have been talking to deaf ears or those going la-la-la drop dead you stupid far right wing xenophobic racist old fool
Now, I am insistent that IMMIGRATION (in it`s widest sense) was and is a MAJOR issue of Brexit and that its excesses are a MAJOR part of the CRISIS we are experiencing in many of our services. Many of which are administered at LOCAL LEVEL and therefore they are of absolute RELEVANCE to the whole UKIP local level campaign. and if we can get just that one priority message across to the electorate then we have a chance of making a connection with them.
First off we`ve got to get this over to our own side and a co-ordinated policy and implementation body be established, because presently there is no national co-ordination on anything!
I despair unless UKIP gets at least ONE THING together and I prefer it`s this view on IMMIGRATION the I feel we are doomed to failure
If you are looking for a very important issue that the other parties do not seem interested in tackling, I think we could gain local votes by targeting the HS2 fiasco that has blighted so many regions. As newly appointed Transport Spokesman for UKIP I have been approaching various grass roots groups lobbying against HS2 . Early days yet (only been in the job a couple of days) but my research seems to indicate that many of the local councillors in the towns and villages affected have a vested interest in HS2 so not a lot is being done to complain at elected level. A wonderful opportunity in those area for UKIP at local or even general elections ?
It needs to be stopped. Overpriced, outdated by the time it comes into service and unwanted / unaffordable for travel. It might have been justifiable in the 1970’s but not now. Owing to the the land acquisition issues it should be easy to gain support for its cancellation. It needs to go along with the EU whose idea it was.
Reading all the different posts on here the divide is basically down to whether you support Gerard’s position with Tommy Robinson or not. It seems that those in areas which have not been effected by mass immigration are anti and those that have been are pro ….if it just one thing that is dividing the party then we really have more that binds us together on other issues ….we should live at let live in that respect ….In those areas that have been effected by immigration I can see him as a great asset,then in areas that have not been effected,would TOmmy Robinson hold much sway with the electorate anyway.
We are missing the point that UKIP is in a great position to regain momentum as the betrayal of 17.4 million voters becomes more and more obvious…..there are local elections coming up in May…do not let infighting miss this chance
This article was about UKIP generally with emphasis on local elections, and so I thought there would have been mostly comments discussing local campaigning and issues.
Instead I am struck by the number of postings by people obsessed with the issue of Islam and Tommy Robinson. A preponderance of contributors have half filled the comments section with their feelings on this aspect of politics.
Commenters on ID have form for this. The moment someone asks, ‘Why are we failing to get more traction with the public?’ – then a back and forth ensues with first blaming Gerard’s lovefest with Tommy Robinson, followed by ‘Oi! our kids will all be wearing burkhas!’, back and forth. I’m exaggerating the dialogue to make the point, by the way. Coupled with a narrow view of events, restricted by the passion people feel on the subject, there is a little bit of class snobbery thrown in sad to say.
One thing’s for sure, everybody. Until you all can come to some accommodation on the second most important issue in our country, UKIP has a snowball’s chance in hell of making traction with more than a limited number of the public who aren’t already onboard.
As I’ve said often, although I am no longer a party member I wish you all well, most Kippers are good and wellmeaning folks.
Maybe someone can point me in the right direction. Where, on any UKIP site, can one find a copy of May’s “deal” which is about to be voted on again? Or a condensed version of it. Where is a list of the finer points of the Lisbon Treaty which will apparently come to pass in the next couple of years and remove any illusion of self-Government ? Where is a video of the interview by Bill Cash with Steve Baker MP at the European Scrutiny Committee on 30th January – an expose of the way in which May and her cronies have hijacked Brexit and the fact that the “deal” was organised by Cabinet Office civil servants and not members of the House – which one have thought was the correct approach. This film, not shown on MSM or even commented on by them as far as I know, was forwarded to HQ because I arranged for it to be sent. On ‘My Brexit’ a list of our “spokesmen” does not inspire confidence – we hardly have any. What happened to the conference on sexual grooming which was promised? I passed on details of a unique FOI application on that subject which could have proved highly embarrassing for Parliament. It seems that nothing was done about it…….I’ve heard nothing anyway. What efforts have been made to enlist the support of Sharon Binks who spoke so eloquently and movingly on that subject at Conference? Why should I renew my membership? Maybe UKIP could win votes by doing something unique in British politicking – point voters to OUR achievements beneficial to the public rather than – like other parties – promising them the moon. To do that we HAVE to achieve such things – supported by our leaders.
UKIP members: seemingly a case of “Lions led by Donkeys” but there are a few good beasts among the donkeys.
I believe that Localism is the future for Democracy in the 21st century.
With the political power and authority brought down to ground. It can then be taken up to national level with Subsidiarity.
Although this may seem pie in the sky now, with technology, local energy generation, local businesses, local production, farming and finance, Localism can function and establish itself. This would, in turn, feed social and environmental responsibility.
First, Local Politicians must be held to account.
Who lives in a County that sees the County Council not answerable to the electorate? Planning departments who do not hold the local wishes as prime importance when granting permissions, Councils using the totally undemocratic ‘cabinet system’, and councillors who do not contact local people unless they want their vote again.
This ‘we know best’ attitude has to stop. Six figure sums for Council executives has to stop. Lack of accountability has to stop.
Bullying by central government has to stop and power taken away from them. Taxes raised locally have to be returned to communities. The party political domination of councils has to stop.
To me Local Politics is good ground for alternative parties and Independents. Yes I believe Local Governance is the future, and that UKIP will play an important part in that.
People need to be told how they are being screwed by our Local politics as well as the National pantomime. For example my Council voted to be pro-EU and that is in an above average Leave area! Work that out.
Whenever I discuss Local Politics with those who have been in it for some time I do not get ‘can’t do’ response.
So, for me, it is refreshing to read your spirit in this article, thank you.
That should have read ‘do not get a can do response’, in the penultimate para.
This is excellent Kim, you’ve found a clear way to explain your ideas on Localism.
UKIP became the chief opposition party on Norfolk County Council, and after an agreement with Labour and others, managed to abolish the cabinet system here, where the Conservatives previously forced through whatever they damn well pleased.
The tide has receded for UKIP at the local level, but it shows just what can be achieved.
Thanks for the large “turnout” on this thread, obviously I cannot comment on all the replies, but I would say I take considerable encouragement from those brave souls who realise that UKIP MUST rise again.
We can do it if we think positively that we are in a prime position at local level to introduce the “benefits” of Brexit, at last even though everyone is doing their best to ignore it the referendum was primarily about immigration and the fact that we and our services are overstretched and thus in crisis – this affects many issues at LOCAL LEVEL particularly care in the community and school places. and immigration also affects our local quality of life such as allocation of council houses to incomers at the expense of those locals who have been on the list for years..
I joined UKIP in 2009 and there never has been much help from head office to local level. Impetus has always had to be done by the grass roots – often p*ssed on from Head Office who have acted like a shower of merchant bankers. – even they were little help in the referendum.
Nigel made good speeches, but try getting decent campaign literature – most of our came from Vote Leave
There is in my opinion a significant difference between local and national government, and sometimes both the electorate at large and UKIP fail to recognise this.
There are far too many people who are completely oblivious to how their local council is being run, and simply vote in local elections however the mood takes them with regards to whoever is in power in the national government.
A Labour supporter who loves Jeremy Corbyn or hates Theresa May will vote for a Labour councillor, even if their council is currently Labour controlled and is doing an awful job. Or likewise their council might be Tory controlled and doing a decent job.
This is the reasoning which has seen Labour maintain control of the local council in Sandwell for far too many years, and has led to a one-party state where Labour has no opposition at all. The same reasoning has also seen my local council in Birmingham shift from a Tory-LibDem coalition (ha!) to a Labour majority in the ten years I have lived there.
It is also worth noting that changes to local election rules in Birmingham mean we are now stuck with this useless Labour council for the next three years, following the local elections that took place last year.
Local elections mean campaigning on local issues, issues that affect local people the most. The councils in Sandwell and Birmingham can do nothing about Brexit or Britain leaving the EU. Local councils provide refuse collections, fix potholes in roads, fund the maintenance of local parks, and provide school places etc etc.
Local councils are also rife with corruption. If anyone is interested in standing as a councillor in the Sandwell area this year, there is a veritable goldmine of details of local government corruption that could be used as ammunition in this local blog:
http://thesandwellskidder.blogspot.com/
Good luck to any UKIP members intending to stand in local council elections this year. But when it comes to campaigning, I urge you to remember the slogan “think local, vote local”. You may get some support by mentioning Brexit, but you would do better to identify the local issues people care most about, and remind them about how the Labour/Conservative parties are failing to deliver.
Stuart : National and local are inextricably linked so why not have a bit of each? ! Here is a chance to draw atttention to the UN Global Migration Compact, which the Govt have tried to keep very quiet: which will in practice most certainly be binding and enforced on us big time by the EU if we don’t brexit, . and spell out the knock on- effect this will have on our already enormously overstretched housing stock, services , infrastructure .
On the other hand, David.
https://kippercentral.com/2019/01/26/exclusive-ukip-branches-urging-gerard-batten-to-stand-for-party-leadership-again/
Perhaps you should check around again.
Howard
Some UK voters vote Tory, others vote Labour. Some UKIP members might vote for Batten whilst I will not. I have no faith in Batten hence my UKIP membership has lapsed. I believe my actions could come under the term democracy.
In five parliamentary constituencies in Lincolnshire there are five local council candidates, therefore I assume there are very few active members. The branch I was with will probably have, at the most, on candidate and it has sufficient active members to ensure that the three offices can have officers.
D.Turgoose
David, in order to elect a new leader other than Gerard Batten you should rejoin the party as soon as possible. You cannot change the party from the sidelines here within the comments section of Independence Daily. If everybody took your view, then we will be saddled with Batten for ever and a day. We are in desperate need of a charismatic leader with a clear vision, someone who will appeal to the greater electorate.
Hello Roger
I generally agree with what you wrote. Whilst Batten may have saved UKIP from becoming a dying party to one with some hope, he has given the membership no vision on how to keep that hope alive. By now UKIP could have become an established British political party. Batten and his team seem to be totally uninterested in UKIP existing after the day the the UK leaves the EU. UKIP’s reason for existence will no longer be valid. It will be too late to establish UKIP as a serious political party as it will have lost it’s active membership outside major UK cities.
I have written to Tony McInytyre about UKIP. I wrote to Batten and I received a reply from his personal assistant (not from Tommy Robinson). The reply was basically an acknowledgement and I found the reply a “why bother being a party member” answer; consequently I have not renewed my UKIP membership. Why stay in a party where grass route members have no voice. Why stay in a party where at the last hustings non of the prospective candidates had no post Brexit vision.
If there is a new leader, the leader will be leading a party where it will have no active members or bases outside cities. The new leader will have an uphill challenge to re-establish UKIP in many of the UK constituencies. The situation reminds me of EU membership where very few members are listens to. The out of touch UKIP leadership ho leads and expects the members to follow. What is democratic about that?
Regards
D.Turgoose
“… after the day the the UK leaves the EU. UKIP’s reason for existence will no longer be valid”. I think UKIP will always be needed. The root cause of all our problems is our rotten establishment especially LibLabCon. They will always be a threat and we can’t let them have carte blanche. I always beware too of fancy new parties: are some of them for example discredited Tories trying to re emerge from some other plughole ?
Roger like you my main interest lies in the big picture. Where should Great Britain be going and how do we in UKIP get it there.
However, in my view the correct place to start is local. That’s where the WORK lies.
That’s why I’m standing for Councillor. What this entails and how I should go about it is something for discussion with my branch. I certainly can’t do it on my own and I certainly won’t be discussing it in open forum.
But you are quite right. Just thinking about getting elected makes it obvious that a lot needs to happen between now and the May elections.
Post Brexit,there will be people working to get us back in.
They won’t give up. The fight will be never ending.
Here’s hoping the EUSSR goes T***s up in a couple of years, seems quite likely.
The next big danger is Islam.
Yes Harold, it is the next big thing. In the meantime, try and persuade some of your colleagues not to be too snobbish about the issue or some of the people fighting on that front outside the party.
UKIP has some very good local and national policies, if only some people looked beyond the Brexit issue for once, and took a peek at the party manifestos available to be read by anyone with the interest. However the party has lost some very good people since the referendum in 2016, and more so since Gerard Batten found it necessary to associate himself with Tommy Robinson and to a degree taking his focus off EU withdrawal situation (hate the word Brexit) and concentrate on the supposed Muslim threat. Few of us signed up to this new way of thinking. Also the party has also lost the main author to the 2015 manifesto namely Suzanne Evans, who in my opinion was a bit hasty in leaving when she did, and should have stuck it out until the impending leadership election. Another consequence to all this especially with regard to the Henry Bolton farce, the local branches have seen a marked decrease in the number of willing activists to put their heads above the parapet and stand as candidates, and plod the streets delivering campaign leaflets and knocking on doors. It is all very well having paper candidates, but the party is in desperate need of committed candidates. There is no earthly point in standing for election unless you intend to win the seat you are standing for. To do that, you need a large back up team. Also far too many in the party who think that the delivery of a leaflet is all that is required to win an election, when in fact most leaflets placed through a letter box end up in the ‘green’ recycling bin before before being read. Knocking on doors canvassing the electorate to to gain votes is the ONLY way of winning elections. All the main parties do it, and that is why they are so successful, and UKIP isn’t. First and foremost we need a new leader, then the party needs to submit itself to root and branch reform with more empahasis placed at the grass roots level, and more importantly total re-branding.
Colin, you refer to the ‘supposed Muslim threat’. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that your area is Tonbridge and Malling.
The 2011 Census informs us that Tonbridge and Malling had a population then of 120,805 of which approximately 725 were Muslims. It is hardly surprising, therefore, I suppose, that you find no perceived Sharia Law threat in your area.
However, please consider, for example, people who live in the Savile Town suburb of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and many, many, other similar areas of the country. Gerard is ahead of the curve on this, Please read the whole article.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3899540/Go-away-shouldn-t-Don-t-come-corner-Yorkshire-no-white-residents.html
It might broaden your opinion.
-“since Gerard Batten found it necessary to associate himself with Tommy Robinson and to a degree taking his focus off EU withdrawal situation (hate the word Brexit) and concentrate on the supposed Muslim threat. ”
I’m sorry but that is simply a falsehood being peddled by those who have recently left the party and are actively seeking to undermine UKIP as any kind of electoral threat.
As a UKIP member, I receive emails from the party as well as from Mr Batten, and it is very clear to me from Mr Batten’s communications and TV interviews over the last couple of months that his focus is firmly on Brexit, since the December march there has been no mention of Tommy Robinson, and there is certainly no concentration on Islam.
Apart from that, I do agree with the rest of your comment though.
The “supposed Muslim threat” is actually very real and the by far the greatest danger that our country has faced since WW2. I suggest a short road trip to the former cotton and woollen towns of the North as an eye-opener. Dewsbury is probably the worst in my experience.
You could also read “Your Childrens’ Future in Islamic Britain”; easily found on Amazon.
However we must first rid ourselves of the EU if we are to tackle the threat. As I have said before GB’s association with TR was ill-advised at this time.
No, Colin, the main parties are not successful because of canvassing, they are successful because of First Past The Post.
People identifying as right of centre (if such a description is still meaningful today) hold their nose and vote Tory because otherwise they will just let the local Labour candidate win. And vice versa.
There are way too many Kippers who think they can win under the current system. They should know by now, national vote share has to be way north of 25% for this to translate into even one or two actual local constituency MPs. Tory carpetbaggers don’t count BTW. Again you all should know this by now. Remember Tim Aker in Thurrock? Threw life and soul into working the constituency for years, and still never succeeded.
I wish UKIP well but hate to see so many good people determined to bash their heads against a concrete wall..
Rob, you are right and wrong here. Indeed Tim Aker was a great candidate for UKIP and I worked alongside him on many occasion. Yes, he was never successful in gaining the parliamentary seat, but in 2015 missed it by just 900 votes. However he and UKIP in general were successful in capturing Thurrock council seats, and held 17 at one time. This was achieved through canvassing, and lots of it. No doubt first past the post did play a large part in it, but things are not going to change any time soon, and UKIP will have to win through first past the post, to have any chance of changing the voting system. In 2017, he was doing very well at the doorstep, but unfortunately the voters fear of being lumbered with a Labour government conspired against him and elsewhere in the country, and those who would have voted for him instead switched their vote to the Conservative candidate to keep Labour out. Those who think that the delivery of a leaflet is going to win an election, are very much mistaken.
Well Roger, this UKIP is without doubt the peoples Party. Let us hope that the people realise that in good time and turn from Lib/Lab/Con, as they are worn out Parties, clearly tired and unable to be individual. They were all the same about the EU, only UKIP were different, and we won !
We have an excellent manifesto, and Gerard Batten, pushing for Brexit while being able to handle other items at the same time. Nigel Farage now seems to be only interested in Brexit without the ability to handle anything else at the same time, but I wish him well in his single minded, single item fight, which we all want as much as he does !
UKIP was the party of the future until it took its eye off the ball and was side tracked down the anti-Islam route and by the Tommy Robinson issue. I was a UKIP County Councillor but I could not, if I stood again, sell the party on the doorstep. People in my part of Norfolk are too moderate for the new UKIP.
David,You are entirely right there, As stated in my above comment, the party is now short on willing activists to put their heads above the parapet and and stand as candidates, and plod the streets delivering campaign leaflets and canvassing at the doorstep. The stuff that Gerard Batten is presently promoting, really does not go down well at the doorstep and even on street stalls one has to have a teflon exterior now to bat away the racist tag comments. Batten started off well in the role, but it has gone down hill since associating himself with TR . I am being told in some quarters that ok we have lost some people but we have have gained others. However, the majority of the newcomers are simply not interested in being activists. Therein lies the problem at election time, as you cannot hope to win a seat with a couple helpers.
I see you mention imigrants some of whom pay into the economy , I would gladly keep thsoe but they pay in no where near enought to cover the scroungers or there off spiring, so I would go for removing all none benefiting to the economy as soon as we get a decnet government. However you grouped all mp’s in the same trash can, there are a few good ones whom I hope would reject there masters and join anew party, I am not sure at the moment if thats UKIP ,who I have voted for in the past
For too long recently UKIP has sat back and hoped that the electorate would vote for it away from the large established parties simply because of Brexit. Well that is not going to happen anytime soon. To have what it believes are legitimate policies does not bode well with the electorate until the party can regain its credibility.
The era of James, Nuttal and Bolton are still in peoples minds and now with what is perceived as an anti-Islam agenda the party is soiled by implication.
Recent local by-elections have done nothing to even suppose UKIP has turned the corner. How do we expect the electorate with their memories of infighting, resigning MEPs and the like convince disillusioned voters to switch to UKIP. In December alone we lost our past and most famous leader and the Honorary Life President of the party to name but two. Those are the things that people remember not detailed policy statements however well written. In addition to only now having nine out of twenty four MEPs we have also lost two of our three Piers namely David Stevens and Willoughby de Broke whilst retaining Malcolm Person to wine and dine Tommy Robinson after his Old Bailey appearances.
UKIP has lost it’s reason to exist since 2016 and has no raison d’etre that people can associate with. Rallies in London with speakers that are not even party members present a scene of hopelessness to the core membership who wonder what on earth is happening at party leadership level.
It will be some time yet with another leader before UKIP will climb back to its previous heady days.
What a shame and indictment of what could have been a very strong force in British politics but has, along with the other parties, decided to shoot itself in both feet to match both the Labour and Tory parties.
Reality check Geoffrey. ALL three main political parties have experienced bitter infighting, MASS resignations from the Tories, a failed COUP against Jeremy Corbyn, two votes of NARROWLY defeated votes of NO CONFIDENCE in Theresa May, sex and expenses scandals, ALL three main parties, without exception, are spitting in the face of democracy and the will of the people trying to overturn Brexit. ALL three main parties have facilitated MASS and UNCONTROLLED immigration causing serious socio/economic tensions and stretching our NHS, schools, housing and services to breaking point.
ALL three main parties have empowered minorities with the ability to persecute the majority – and on that note, may I predict that one day you will be grateful that someone was brave enough to give this country a voice on the contentious issue of Islam, which is a GLOBAL problem. Do your homework!
Barbara it is not doing homework that wins elections. A party needs credibility to succeed and that has evaded UKIP for sometime. As a current branch chairman and twice previous parliamentary candidate I think I know what I’m on about. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be concerned about immigration or the Muslim problem but that is always the attack mechanism used if anyone dares to say anything against St.Tommy of Luton.
UKIP has had no influence over the way Brexit has been pursued since 2016 and even with a handful of MPs we would have made no difference.
You have to look at the party from the public’s perspective rather then just have blind faith in one’s policies.
I have keep in touch with many disillusioned Tories in my area that I met during the referendum campaign and was on the verge of signing them up for UKIP membership until the TR fiasco came along.
Now what were you saying about me doing my homework ?
TR frames a class problem with Kippers.
Sad to say, but it’s true. Barbara J versus your good self Geoffrey epitomise the divide. There seem few party members with indifference towards Tommy R.
Until a compromise is reached between your two wings of the party, UKIP hasn’t a hope. For every member or supporter who feels sincerely as you do on the TR issue, there is another who is put off simply because UKIP is perceived to be afraid to tackle the big issues beyond Brexit through fear of being branded the boogeyman name, Racist. I firmly believe most members who despise TR do so not because they don’t agree with his message, but because of the class of the person expressing it coupled with morbid fear of msm condemnation.
Have no fear, the mainstream media will tear into UKIP in any event, for the same reason a lion goes after a wildebeast – because that’s what they DO.
The whole TR issue seems to have gone absolutely quiet in the last few weeks. Maybe thats for the best.
Excellent comment Barbara. Well said.
I suggest a read of the Interim Manifesto of UKIP would give plenty of reasons to vote for the party at local level.
Immigrants from many (most?) countries aside from the EU do require a visa before travelling to the UK; they will not be allowed to board a flight without one. Visas are expensive and time consuming to obtain and require many conditions to be satisfied before they are issued. Effectively that negates the need for a points system for such people.
Clearly the problem lies with immigration, legal and illegal (mostly I suggest), from the countries of the EU as the previous stopping off point. Immigration control never works unless it is properly implemented which it is not.
Dear Roger, I agree with every word you say, and then some. We ARE in the right, we SHOULD put the boot in, we SHOULD go for the jugular and we SHOULD be in the driving seat and make hay but what is the REALITY? Although being passionately loyal to the only principled Political Party in Britain, I am becoming increasingly depressed at the lack of a determined, coherent and powerful strategy to get out there in every possible way to make the public aware that we are a force to be reckoned with and can have an influence on the future of this country, not jut for Brexit but beyond.
Apart from one or two terrific efforts initiated by a courageous Russell Hicks and supporters (NOT from directives from headquarters!) to invade Bath and London with those excellent Promo Trucks to challenge the deranged Remainers, we have no significant presence and NO VOICE at present.
We need directives and strategies from our powers that be to GET OUT THERE doing something EVERY DAY, AND EVERY WEEK to create a SUSTAINED MOMENTUM which cannot be ignored: – demos, placards with powerful messages and facts emblazoned on them. MORE demo truck events taking place regularly to numerous locations: – I am sure supporters would become involved in the latter and crowdfund them if necessary. Our random and disparate table top events, whilst laudable and commendable and manned by loyal Kippers, including me, are tantamount to parochial pinpricks in comparison to what we CAN and SHOULD be doing!!
We appear insular and isolated and should be UNITING with other genuine pro-Brexiteer organisations to increase our potency – STRENGTH IN UNITY. EXASPERATED!!
Some of the points you have raised I agree with but some not. However you are right about the poster trucks and its potential outreach to the electorate. Unfortunately, absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the national party who seem to have their heads permanently stuck in the sand, and more to do with Russell Hicks who put together and financed the post truck. He has more to offer the party than some of the existing leaders, and should have a place at the top table when deciding policy. However it all seems to fall on deaf ears……
I wish to remind re UN Global Migration Pact:
https://independencedaily.co.uk/part-ii-marrakesh-what-is-it-all-about
Jack, your assumptions are so wrong I don’t know where to begin. But let’s take Turkey as an example. I suppose you think people from Turkey need a visa to settle here (I’m not talking about visiting, I am talking about settling as an immigrant) and that visa is hard to get. WRONG. All anyone from Turkey needs to do to come and settle in the UK is to apply for a ‘Turkish Businessperson’s Visa’, you can google it. If you have a business plan for a barber shop or kebab shop or restaurant then you can get this visa, which is automatically extended when the first year expires, and bring the family. And you don’t even need to be the person owning the business, you can be anyone working in the business. I don’t know where you live, but if you visit London please try to find an english barber any more, or ask yourself how there are so many Turkish restaurants and kebab shops in every town and village when Turkey is not even in the EU?
I pointed this out on a local Facebook page, the ‘high street’ in nearby Shirley (Solihull) now boasts a mind-boggling 8 Turkish barbershops. Yes, 8!
https://www.facebook.com/pg/ShirleyParkgateDiary/photos/?tab=album&album_id=982046195252927
And it’s not just in Shirley, there are Turkish barbershops and kebab houses popping up all over Birmingham.
Yet so many people are unaware of this particular visa. It is in my mind being exploited for malicious purposes, as you always notice these new businesses never last long. When you think about it, a barbershop is an inexpensive way to run a ‘front’ for illegitimate business, and a nice way to launder illicit proceeds (drug money?) as well as a way to employ ‘cash-in-hand’ illegal immigrants.
Tacitus:
I did say most countries and my comment was based on direct experience,not something which I read about or assumed.
Perhaps I should add that Turkey has been courted by the EU for years so its exception from normal visa requirements is not surprising. We must ensure that such arrangements cease along with our membership of the EU.
Had you bothered to check then you would not have found it necessary to call facts assumptions:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/740080/UK_Visa_requirements_Sept_2018.pdf