Recently I received notice that I was entitled to submit what I considered to be my order of priority in UKIP forward procedure; plus any suggestions of my own.
To date I have received nothing from regional or local chairmen so I am left with using the good offices of UKIP Daily, which hopefully HO office, if they read this organ will accept as my contribution to the debate.
I will omit any order of preference because I have no intimation of what policies are officially under consideration; but I have a few ‘pets’.
Commonwealth
It should come as no surprise to regular readers of UKIPD, as I have already written a couple of articles including The Commonwealth a Burning Issue.
I see Brexit as UKIP’s means of recovery of its standing on the global stage, i.e. that its rightful position occupying a permanent founding seat on the Security Council without the drag of our present limiting partner, the EU.
The EU has for a number of years been angling for this to be ceded to their control and I am sure remaining within this ‘permanent care home for elderly failed European nations’ as so monstrously directed by Mr Obama. I’m sure he was not merely continuing normal US policy of destroying the UK as a colonial power, but also his personal reluctance to have this nation operating not as now as a subservient partner but with our full independent right to speak and act as we wished in our own interests.
The object of Brexit is to operate as an unfettered global trading nation and a re-introduction of a friendly partnership with the Commonwealth (who we so evilly treated) is a necessity. I won’t at this point go into the minutiae of logistics and practicality at this moment but I am sure an ongoing association with one-third of the world’s population and 25% of global trade does not have many more potential benefits than being tied to the moribund EU forever has (moribund? – EU percentage of world trade and therefore influence decreasing exponentially).
The fourth industrial revolution
Never heard of it! Nor had I till the other day on Radio 4 Breakfast programme – you know the home of the wreckers where all the conspiracy of Remoaners get as much ‘air time’ (oxygen of publicity) as they demand.
I was listening to a business Remoaner discussing the catastrophe that was going to hit the British North East after breakfast. “Do you know, we’ll lose 100million jobs and the jobs building the wings and engines of Airbus will disappear to the continent?” When the other in the discussion pointed out that we will then revert to building the whole planes as we used to “it’s called the fourth industrial revolution”.
A bit far-fetched I thought, but on reflection why not? We’ve had Mr. Keiser already on UKIPD forecasting the rebirth of the UK merchant shipping industry and the carriage of our increased Commonwealth and worldwide trade. I heard an executive of Rolls Royce before Brexit on Radio 4 pointing out “you ain’t heard nuttin’ yet” about the next nuclear technology they were working on.
Immigration
The Government, the establishment, the MSM and all opinion-formers must come clean and must stop dodging the issue, stop kicking the can down the road and face the truth.
This country is FULL UP.
It cannot continue to absorb the multitude of all additional comers it has endured from all sources within and without the EU into the foreseeable future when tipping point (more like crisis point) was reached five to 10 years since when Blair instituted his diversity experiment forgetting that increased mouths must be accompanied by the provision of physical services.
Year on year we need new facilities nationwide to cover something like 250,000 additional BODIES per year.
The politicians know this. I remember Mandelson admitting his party were openly touting for immigrants (remember one-legged roofer?) supposedly for some crazy idea called ‘diversity’. Blair was the mad professor conducting this mad orchestra. Yes I call it orchestra – it was indeed orchestrated! Perhaps at the behest of his masters in the EU.
But the NHS is not in continuing crisis for the reason Mrs May gives. I heard her at it the other day on the Andrew Marr programme, claiming it is solely due to the efficacy of the service and people are thus living longer. Of course that is part of the answer; the main reason however is as I have outlined above.
So policywise UKIP must not allow this to be sloughed off into the long grass – the electorate is being deliberately misled.
I have deliberately left the instance of Islamic immigration out of the of the whole saga. Their refusal to integrate into British ethos, customs and practice and their object of the imposition of Sharia law is a wide enough subject for a heading and policy initiative on its own.
Defence
I’m afraid that my views on defence may not coincide with many in UKIP and perhaps not on UKIP Daily.
My vision is coloured by the circumstances that led up to the Second World War. I know Churchill was reckoned by some to be a war-monger but we now all know the perils of appeasement. He warned and warned and warned but was not only not listened to but vilified.
To me the best means of defence is attack which means having the best force trained in battle readiness superior to any other forces around and for those forces to be equipped with weaponry superior and more advanced than any other forces around. I have little truck with neutrality or pacifism or capitulation.
I believe all three of our armed services must be ready ALWAYS in unison with NATO and whatever was the replacement for SEATO to put down minor conflagrations at the earliest possible moment before they become major.
So particularly our naval forces should be substantial. They are here not just to occupy and defend the waters around our island but be fully integrated with Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, Indian and others.
Unilateral disarmament must not be pursued under any circumstances and our forces must be realistic fighting forces with proper up-to-date equipment. There was no excuse for shortage of helicopters in Afghanistan; there is no excuse for lack of marine inspection aircraft; there is no excuse for inability to retake the Falklands if necessary.
1998 Barcelona declaration
As I understand it this was an instrument designed by the EU to integrate for trade purposes the mainly Muslim Southern Mediterranean nations into the practices of the EU. In other words to give them Common Market facilities without formal entry. Unfortunately the original agreement has been extended to in effect “be nice to Islam and Islamic practices” and is the basis of the unchallenged and unchallengable progress to the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate.
UKIP must make repudiation of this document on the day of Brexit.
Re immigration, following link may be of interest. as a policy, to follow Hungary’s example and unsubscribe from UN migration pact
https://on.rt.com/9alj
Regarding immigration, here’s an ecological argument to beat the other parties and especially the Greens with. The UK is grossly overpopulated, in terms of its biocapacity. The Global Footprint Network’s figures from 2012 show the population at 63m (in the meantime pushing 66 !), with the sustainable pop. at only 17m. The UK is thus 73% dependent on other countries, not least in terms of food supply. And more and more good farmland is being built over.
Jonathan Porritt took a lot of green flak a few years ago when he suggested mass immigration from countries with a lower eco-footprint should be discouraged. Poland’s dependency, for example, is only 53%.
I have long shared Sara Parkin’s sentiment of some 30 years ago: “the Green Party has become a danger to Green politics”.
I left the Scottish Green Party years ago, because they dropped their former policy of advocating a birth rate well below the replacement rate (i.e. 2.1 kids per woman)
The statistics that you quote are frightening! I have been becoming more and more angry over the last few years aboutthe amount of good arable farmland that is being used for houses! Where I live I have seen the march of bricks and mortar across land that used to produce food increase at a horrifying rate. All I hear from the local Council is that they have no choice because government has loaded them with a huge requirement for new homes. One new primary school has been built but the existing road network is now clogging up and we are in an area where drought is prevalent (especially when the weather is as it has been for the last few weeks!)
What an want to know is what will happen when the water runs out? What will happen when the need to produce more food arrives “because we are too many” (Jude the Obscure). The developers love arable land because it is so easy. I suspect the councils are getting handouts for allowing the land to be used. The farmers should be ashamed that they have sold out for the quick buck! The other thing I want to know is……who is going to live in these new homes? They are hugely expensive so if our own people cant afford to upgrade to them (as I know many who cannot) dont tell me that immigrants (particularly not the types I have seem about the place!!!!) CAN afford them! So I can only assume that speculators (and how many of them will be foreign speculators???) are buying them, housing immigrants and the bill for rentals etc is being picked up by the taxpayer. Why cannot Britain be like other countries and ban foreign investors from buying property that they are not going to live in?
Britain is FULL! Treason May and the last several PMs before her have all been complicit in selling Britain out!
One of UKIPs policies should be to stop this property speculation racket as well as closing the door to the flood of unemployable masses that are living off the backs of the taxpayer.
Unfortunately, Frederica, it seems to be a house of cards. Of course the immigrants can’t afford these new homes but whoever moves into them will leave their former homes which immigrants might just need. Perhaps there are a few more house moves down the line until we get down to rock bottom, which the immigrants might like, but that’s the way it goes.
The elephant in the room Debbie, the mass mainly white exodus from many cities, to the smaller shire towns and villages, for ‘ quality of life reasons’ , yes right!
Agree Norman.
Absolutely, Frederica. Land speculation has to stop, and the way to do it is to stop letting land values land in private pockets (I say that, BTW, as a “serial” landlord). As in the past, these values should be the main source of government finance, with taxes on work, capital formation and trading being abolished if possible. See among others http://www.landvaluetax.org I’ve been campaigning for 35 years for such a land reform, based on the views, among others, of the 19th century American social reformer Henry George (his “Progress and Poverty” was a bestseller.)
Sky News report.
David Davis resigned
Hooray, glad spmebody has at last found the guts to tell Saint Theresa that 17.4 million (plus) didn
t vote for a Brexit in name only.ve got to go from here.Apparently she meets 22 Committee 6pm today,
Hope she gets her marching orders, as well as that little sh*t Gove who broke ranks and said you
As a branch chairman in Kent, I received an e-mail sometime back in June from head office detailing the future policies of UKIP. The same day I e-mailed this out to the 56 members of ours who have e-mail addresses, but so far have only received eight replies, which is nothing short of abysmal. Why the response should be so low I am not sure, but I am afraid to say that quite a few think that the job of UKIP is done and some think we are irrelevant. I live in hope that after the events of Friday last, that these others members will see the error of their ways and finally wake up and realise that the Brexit they voted for in June 2016 is not a done deal after all, and what they are likely to get from Theresa May unless she dismissed beforehand and replaced, is a very much watered down and very pale version of Brexit What has borne out from the eight responses I have received so far is that there is very little interest in electoral reform and that the abolition of the House of Lords should be a separate policy altogether.
Actually, I have only just received this policy survey form by post on Saturday (7th). I shall be filling it in and returning it asap. I will also be updating my details (as I am assuming that the latest GDPR rules mean that they can’t use my e-mail any more without my express permission!! I think that BREXIT (or the lack of it!) has knocked people off their perches. We all wanted to believe that the politicians would, for once, a bide by the wishes of the majority and be impressed by the largest turnout ever. But…..instead, we have had to endure The never ending ear bashings from the disgruntled ‘remoaners’ along with their esteemed ‘remoaner in chief’ who has now kicked us in the teeth for the umpteenth time!
Weren’t you contacted for GDPR consent by email, already?
No and I couldn’t understand why. I kept meaning to contact Head Office about it but, I am my husband’s carer so I dont have a lot of spare time for chasing up political things!!
Share yiur email address and membership number via Viv and I can investigate…
UKIP stopped being heroes and became a bit of an embarrassment.
Why would volunteers put themselves on the line when well paid leaders were either punching each other, resigning the leadership after 18 days, factions on the NEC infighting before flouncing off, Nigel slagging off members, another abysmal leader appears from nowhere and dissappears back to obscurity and funders falling away.
From experience, good volunteers spent years increasing UKIP vote share and helped Leave win but watching the herd vote LibLabCon after their constant moaning about LibLabCon mismanagement of our country makes you wonder if volunteering is worth the sacrifice.
A lot of us work long hours and have families. We’ve been doing our bit for years and won a UK election and Brexit. We will not stand in High Streets pushing a brand that was led by idiots, egotists or abysmal chancers.
Give us leaders, vision and confidence and your volunteers will return.
Bryan, I hear what you say and agree with much of what you have said. However, what is the alternative here. Sitting on our backsides moaning from the comfort of our armchairs behind a computer screen, is most definitely NOT the answer. I am afraid, we have got to get back out onto the streets to push for the Brexit that we voted for on the 23rd June 2016. I for one, am not going to let Theresa May nor my local ‘Remainer’ MP get away with this total farce. If there was ever a ministry for farce and inaction Theresa May would surely be the best person by far to head it up. She is a totally useless individual, and why she was entrusted with the position of prime minister I will never know I cannot see too many conservative party members getting off their backsides to walk the streets and knocking on doors to spread the word. They didn’t do it during the referendum campaign and nor will they do it now. It will be down to the much depleted army of Kippers to do this as per usual.
Sitting comfy while attacking our opponents via social media is a massive part of the answer.
You can do that at work, visiting family, in the pub or anywhere else you carry your phone.
You can preach Brexit from dawn to midnight. You can deliver a thousand leaflets in a day while I can comment on the Guardian and reach 100,000s, some of whom have never had any Brexit education in their lives.
Well done on your commitment to UKIP but I have to question if you followed up the non-responders and explained the importance of UKIP policy derived from grassroot’s direction.
Google search UKIP and you see constant anti-UKIP propaganda across the MSM and LibLabConUnion funded websites and blogs.
Miniscule amount of positive information for Brexit and the UKIP website seems to post only one post per month.
I hope your branch website is more welcoming as possible supporters will read the leaflet at home and then look on the web for confirmation. Then they are lost.
Your members in your branch need direction and an arm around their shoulders. They probably are like the rest of us mushrooms.
Kept in the dark and fed on shit.
Bryan, Haha, I like the bit about about mushrooms in the dark etc etc. Very funny. OK I am open to to be convinced about social media, but it has to be tightly controlled and managed within a political party. You can’t have umpteen people saying silly things or briefing against the leadership view because it is counter productive. Somebody has to be in overall charge of it. This is where we have come unstuck before. You will never ever convince me that an election can be won through social media. This can only be done by speaking with the electorate at their doorstep by knocking on their door. Its what all organised political parties do, and UKIP HAS to grasp the concept as well. Also it sounds to me as if you are not a member of UKIP. I strongly urge that you join or rejoin UKIP, so that wee can all work together as one. Better to be part of an organisation, rather than a lone individual, sniping from the sidelines.
Well said Bryan. Our MEPs should have been a store of wealth for the Party. With exception of Nigel and half a dozen more very hardworking, loyal and effective MEPs they have been a liability and as you say ‘chancers’. I can’t wait for next March when (hopefully) they all have to stand down. You are absolutely correct in suggesting that good people who have busy lives cannot and will not give time to an organisation where a group of incompetents receive enormous remuneration and produce so little when they are flogging themselves to promote the Party and getting nowhere.
Let us hope Gerard can shape the Party for that time and in the meantime get UKIP back in the game.
As the position of NEC member is of vital importance to the effectiveness of the Party, why not arrange a day of “Meet your prospective NEC members” when all applicants can be questioned by interested members who so wish. The day might be split into segments (3 or 4 applicants per one hour slot). In addition to the obvious benefits of such a meeting it would also provide a welcome opportunity for members to meet to discuss politics, the Party, and forge friendships. North and South and Central days could be held. Sending a “2nd in command” – as happened (disastrously) at the last leader’s hustings I attended – would be frowned upon and an absence would require a verified ‘sick note’ from Nurse – or members could draw their own conclusions.
Maybe you can utilize your standing in our community Debbie by determining if Conference begins at 9am (as per ticket site) or 10am (‘Independence’)
Haven’t got my copy of Independence yet, Roger, but when it comes I shall make a few enquiries. Another cock-up! We don’t do ourselves any favours, do we?
Thanks Debbie but you, of all people, should have been given your copy by now !
Usually starts 10am with a welcome by local mayor, to allow everyone time to assemble, natter etc. And it’s quite a ealk from the train station!
Maybe the ticket site are on GMT? ⏰
Tickets certainly say it starts at 9am Friday 21 September, Rob. Perhaps that’s because it’ll take some time to get us all in, checked, vetted, labelled, wristbanded and sat in the hall.
The venue is a 10-minute walk away from New Street train station.
Currently UKIP policies are incoherent. Supporting “one law for all” and simultaneously supporting Halal and Kosher animal slaughter (i.e. supporting religious exceptions from the law which non-religious abattoirs have to obey) makes no coherent sense. Even if you do not care about animal cruelty this policy combination makes no logical sense.
At least LibLabCon are coherent – they do not want one law for all, and they are perfectly fine with animal cruelty.
Within UKIP there are appeasers. If UKIP is to have a future then these appeasers must be over-ridden.
See:
https://independencedaily.co.uk/anti-sharia-pro-halal/
In the section headed Commonwealth, there is a presumption that UKIP and Brexiters want to be part of the Commonwealth and wish the UK to be grand standing globally.
Not me.
Put all efforts in to improving the life opportunities and living standards of all Britons.
If there’s anything left, send Hilary Sealy-Farquahar for tea to the White House every now and then to keep him sweet. Probably a good idea to keep those Muppets out of the country. Definitely supported by their wives and their tennis coaches.
What has a UN Security Council seat ever done for us ?
Safer ? Laughable.
Better off ? Ridiculous.
Standing in the world ? Nil Pointe.
There’s a lot of countries not on the UN Security Council whose people are not burdened with weak minded politicians fighting the world’s problems to boost their egos.
Good pet projects Roger but all will come to nought unless we can rid ourselves of the present corrupt government and secure a clean exit from the EU.
As a recent new member to UKIP, I received my first copy of Independence magazine in the post yesterday. Included were the NEC election ballot paper, as well as the UKIP Policy Survey form, which is to be completed, and a scanned copy emailed to policysurvey@ukipmail.net
So if you haven’t already, you should get something in the post in the next couple of days, I would imagine.
Don’t forget to vote for your favourite NEC candidate Stuart! If elected, I will certainly make my voice heard.
Debbie, unfortunately the NEC candidates didn’t appear to have been permitted very much space to present their “manifesto” (Any comment, Piers?) and whilst we know something about yourself from your regular contributions to UKIP Daily, some of the other candidates gave us no guidance at all as to their preferred policies, or whether they are on the right or left wing of the party, as they only talked about their life in business/commerce or that they were married with children etc, which was utterly useless when trying to assess their merits as a potential NEC Member.
You can find more about me on my website debbielemay.co.uk
Electronic ballot papers would have rectified that problem! There is virtually unlimited soace when they’re used.
😡
What do you hope to achieve on the NEC, Debbie?
My main concern is the lack of communications with members and with the outside world, Rob.
I believe the party should be sending e-mails to all its members who have the facility and encouraging e-mail contact with those members who do not. And not just ‘give us money’ either. I’m sure there’s a lot going on behind the scenes that could be reported to members and if that happens, they start thinking they’re part of a cohesive group rather than being out on their own. I believe most Kippers are keen on roughly the same things and could and should be encouraged to think of themselves as part of an organisation.
There is also the question of contact with the outside world. I’m sure the PR department is run as efficiently as it can be at the moment but the website is updated very rarely and with copy that could be considered less than enthralling! There are ways to write a good, interesting news story and that doesn’t seem to have filtered down to the site. I know it’s being updated at the moment but the update seems to be taking a lot of time and with the events of the last few days, I’m sure that there are many, many voters who are looking to join us. Will they do so if they have a look at the website? I don’t know.
Well, that’s one box ticked on my ballot paper then! 😉
On the subject of the ‘Independence’ magazine do you think it would be more cost-effective if it could be distributed ‘electronically’, ie via email as a PDF, and then just send printed copies out to those members who specifically request it? (ie those who don’t have access to a computer)
I agree with you on improving communications and ‘joining’ things up better. With regards to the Policy Survey, I found it bizarre that I received a printed form, which I will then have to complete by hand, only to then have to submit it by scanning a copy and then emailing it! There are various online solutions for carrying out surveys like this, and then there should have been a postal address for those completing the form by hand to send them to.
And I do look forward to seeing the completed ‘new’ website, but as we’ve all discussed here before, it is no good having a ‘flashy’ new website, if there is no good content/material for it.
There are some who don’t have the facility to scan a document Stuart. That’s something that needs to be looked at. And yes, a pdf would cost a lot less than a printed copy.
PS Thanks for the vote!
Lots of people prefer a printed mag to a PDF, but I agree PDF should be the default. This issue has to be printed, the argument goes, because we’re including ballot papers.
The sooner the NEC gets its act together and runs an electronic election, the better!
Doing my best on that one Rob.
Hope you like http://www.ukip-online.info/online_ev_voter_pov.html and http://www.ukip-online.info/online_ev_ro_pov.html (which also showcases the new Lexdrum uniforms 😂)
Interesting!
If the Independence magazine was sent via email could it be sent monthly to members for those that don’t have access to a computer and or the internet maybe branch secretaries could print them out on request.
The communications from the party are diabolical and seriously needs to be looked at. Having a dedicated social media team is the way forward preferably people who know the social media scene. We have members that have various skills that are not been utilised by the party.
Tell me about it John! I have been screaming for some time that our communications need a lot of updating, see my website (debbielemay.co.uk). Most people have computers and e-mail nowadays and, as you say, if there are some dinosaurs as members of the party, their branch will know about them and may be able to print off copies of the magazine.
I’m an old fashioned print hack – social media is not my scene, but we certainly need one or two experts in that field to advise us.
Debbie, I avoid social media like the plague but appreciate its potential use as a communication vehicle. However it is a double edged sword and extreme care is needed in its management.
I agree Jack. I am not a social media expert but am willing to learn from someone who knows about it.
I agree, far too many UKIP politicians in the past have come unstuck through their ridiculously stupid comments on Social Media. To me, Facebook and Twitter are far too dangerous to even contemplate having.
Yes, I forgot to mention that I don’t actually have a scanner at home! I do have one at work, but your point is equally valid.
I expect many might be in the same position but surely a photo would be acceptable?
Debbie, why wasn’t it suggested in the Independence magazine, to cut that page out and send it by post to UKIP head office. That would be the obvious thing to do, but as per usual everything is made way too difficult to do. Not every member has a computer. In fact 23 members of my branch do not have access to a computer, and some of those who do, are not interested in scanning etc etc. By the way I know who I am voting for in in the NEC elections and you are most definitely one of them.
Thanks Colin.
I don’t know why it wasn’t suggested that the page be cut out of the Independence magazine and sent back. If I’m elected, all I can do is ask.
Surely the membership database allows the recording of members (single) preferred method of communication or is that hoping for too much?
I don’t know, Jack, but if I am elected to the NEC, I’ll find out.
Hello Debbie.
Our website gets minimal updates. Surely it needs more support to update all Brexiters, which wil alsol attract new members.
Could UKIP Daily become the official UKIP site ?
Thanks for the recommendation, Bryan, but we at Daily feel it is better to be at arms length from the party management. That way, if criticism is needed, we’re not having a pop at our employers. The party hierarchy tolerates us and we are definitely supportive of UKIP as a whole. It’s just that some of the decisions the party makes are questionable.
And yes, of course the party website should be update regularly. If I am elected to the NEC, I’ll push for that very hard.
Thanks for replying Debbie. I’ve had a look on your website just about made my mind up who to vote for the NEC.
The party website needs someone working on it full time updating the press releases regularly and to be shared to the social media platforms UKIP is using.
If you are elected to the NEC can you put pressure on the other UKIP MEP’s who are silent to put out videos once a week as they’ve been missing in action for quite some time. It’s good to see GB is releasing videos and that needs to be done on a regular basis that way we are bypassing the mainstream media.
Of course I can put pressure on the MEPs from the NEC if I’m elected but I can’t guarantee success. It could be said that some of our MEPs have ‘gone native’ – GB excepted, of course – and may need a bit more than a prod to work on behalf of the party, but yes, I’d certainly give them that prod if elected.
I was testing your reaction to harmonisation and new ideas.
Sadly it’s the usual answer that it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond than to unite and help UKIP offer a better online experience.
PS;
“If I am elected to the NEC, I’ll push for that very hard”.
Why aren’t you doing this already ?
I ticked your box yesterday! Good luck.
Thanks Frederica.
Debbie, you have my vote if I can get it back in time. Hopefully the papers are waiting for me when I return to the UK next week.
Thanks Jack.
Done, Debbie.
Thanks J.