UKIP will walk it?

[speling bee]

Didn't realise all this UKIP bashing was having such a positive impact on the polls.

Right, new tactic.

Vote Monster Raving Loony Party!

Vote UKIN!

[wonderboy]

Again you completely misunderstand. People who vote UKIP do not necessarily want to leave Europe. Their problem is with Brussels.

...and possibly not only Brussels. A wider sense of disenfranchisement and malaise associated with the established parties might have opened a wider opportunity.

What with Afghan, Iraq (particularly), the hawkish attitude to Libya, the handling of the banking crisis (was anyone held to account?), indiscriminate spying, blatant reneging on election promises, mismanagement of the impact of mass immigration on the existing population, continuing sleaze (Post Office privatisation) - they haven't really been enamouring themselves to the electorate.

Lots of commentators cry about UKIP "you can't let this bunch of clowns have power". I say: many people believe the existing parties have ruled themselves out of contention through not only words but actions (they have been in positions of power to effect change). They have had their chance and it could be time for something else.

[Mich the Tester]

...and possibly not only Brussels. A wider sense of disenfranchisement and malaise associated with the established parties might have opened a wider opportunity.

What with Afghan, Iraq (particularly), the hawkish attitude to Libya, the handling of the banking crisis (was anyone held to account?), indiscriminate spying, blatant reneging on election promises, mismanagement of the impact of mass immigration on the existing population, continuing sleaze (Post Office privatisation) - they haven't really been enamouring themselves to the electorate.

I think you might be spot on in that paragraph, but that actually the things you name have less to do with the EU than with Westminster; yes, even immigration, because the EU provides for free movement of labour, not of benefit claimants, and GB under Tony B Liar did one or two very stupid things that have led to Britain recieving lots of immigrants that would otherwise probably have gone elsewhere in Europe and been spread around a lot more.

[MicrosoftBob]

...mismanagement of the impact of mass immigration on the existing population.

We're all bigots (c) Gordon Brown

[darmstadt]

A bunch of whining middle-aged xenophobes who don't give a **** about the environment. Anyway, enough about Top gear, let's get back to Ukip

[doodab]

A wider sense of disenfranchisement and malaise associated with the established parties might have opened a wider opportunity.

I think that is the fundamental problem with British politics at the moment. People are looking to UKIP because they want an alternative to the big three and UKIP offers a compelling narrative with the EU as the villain. I don't agree with that picture, I think our problems lie closer to home, which is why I won't be voting for any of the others either.

Now, if a real domestic alternative were to come on the scene that would really shake things up.

[darmstadt]

I think that is the fundamental problem with British politics at the moment. People are looking to UKIP because they want an alternative to the big three and UKIP offers a compelling narrative with the EU as the villain. I don't agree with that picture, I think our problems lie closer to home, which is why I won't be voting for any of the others either.

Now, if a real domestic alternative were to come on the scene that would really shake things up.

The majority of UKIP supporters seem to be too stupid/ill informed to realise that UKIP is a party for right-wing extremists that are too dodgy (Neil Hamilton) or too right-wing for the Tory party (most of their donors and MEPs).

Anyone that has deluded themselves into believing that UKIP is an alternative to the Lib-Lab-Con establishment order is probably way beyond reasoning with.

The amazing thing about UKIP supporters is that so many of them are left-wing, yet they support a party that is significantly more right-wing than the Tories. A recent YouGov poll showed that the average UKIP supporter is significantly more left-wing than the average Lib-Dem or Tory voter and almost as left-wing as the average Labour supporter.

It's bad enough that so many people with left-wing views continue to support New Labour, despite the fact the party has been run by a bunch of neoliberals for the last 20 years, but the fact that three quarters of the people that support a party that is way to the right of the Tories have distinctly socialist views on public ownership is absolutely incredible.

The majority of UKIP supporters believe in the renationalisation of the rail network and the energy companies, so given the extremely right-wing stance of the party leadership , UKIP is clearly not the party you they be supporting.

UKIP is a party run by Tories and bankrolled by Tories. UKIP adheres to the Tory ideology of neoliberalism (the ideology that the Lib-Lab-Cons all adhere to as well). The idea that UKIP represents any kind of "alternative" is dependent upon ignorance and political illiteracy.

UKIP are not an alternative to the neoliberal orthodoxy of the three establishment parties, in fact they offer nothing but an even more fanatical version of the same warped ideology. As a conclusion I'll list some of the political parties and organisations that do offer a genuine alternative to the neoliberal consensus of the Lib-Lab-Cons and UKIP.

[DodgyAgent]

The majority of UKIP supporters seem to be too stupid/ill informed to realise that UKIP is a party for right-wing extremists that are too dodgy (Neil Hamilton) or too right-wing for the Tory party (most of their donors and MEPs).

Anyone that has deluded themselves into believing that UKIP is an alternative to the Lib-Lab-Con establishment order is probably way beyond reasoning with.

The amazing thing about UKIP supporters is that so many of them are left-wing, yet they support a party that is significantly more right-wing than the Tories. A recent YouGov poll showed that the average UKIP supporter is significantly more left-wing than the average Lib-Dem or Tory voter and almost as left-wing as the average Labour supporter.

It's bad enough that so many people with left-wing views continue to support New Labour, despite the fact the party has been run by a bunch of neoliberals for the last 20 years, but the fact that three quarters of the people that support a party that is way to the right of the Tories have distinctly socialist views on public ownership is absolutely incredible.

The majority of UKIP supporters believe in the renationalisation of the rail network and the energy companies, so given the extremely right-wing stance of the party leadership , UKIP is clearly not the party you they be supporting.

UKIP is a party run by Tories and bankrolled by Tories. UKIP adheres to the Tory ideology of neoliberalism (the ideology that the Lib-Lab-Cons all adhere to as well). The idea that UKIP represents any kind of "alternative" is dependent upon ignorance and political illiteracy.

UKIP are not an alternative to the neoliberal orthodoxy of the three establishment parties, in fact they offer nothing but an even more fanatical version of the same warped ideology. As a conclusion I'll list some of the political parties and organisations that do offer a genuine alternative to the neoliberal consensus of the Lib-Lab-Cons and UKIP.

Helmet you don't half talk a load of contradictory drivel. Why don't you simply admit that the EU serves your personal Euro trotting high money earning agenda and that anyone who threatens to undermine this privileged position is stupid?

[TheFaQQer]

I think that is the fundamental problem with British politics at the moment. People are looking to UKIP because they want an alternative to the big three and UKIP offers a compelling narrative with the EU as the villain. I don't agree with that picture, I think our problems lie closer to home, which is why I won't be voting for any of the others either.

Now, if a real domestic alternative were to come on the scene that would really shake things up.

The UKIP appeal is that they can always say "we're not like other parties" and can't be called to book on it because they have no policy apart from the EU. With the other parties, you can at least look at what they have said about other things, and look at their past manifestos to try to get some idea of where they stand on many other issues, but that's not an option with UKIP because they have no manifesto.

The press have been accused in the past of giving UKIP an easy ride, but if they have no policies that you can discuss with them, then how can you debate anything other than the one policy they have? Farage has described the last manifesto as drivel and admitted that he didn't read it, so there is nothing else that you can even try to hold them to account on.

If Nigel likes it, then it's something that he says; if it's not then he falls back on the line "that's old nonsense, it was nothing to do with me".

[doodab]

The UKIP appeal is that they can always say "we're not like other parties" and can't be called to book on it because they have no policy apart from the EU. With the other parties, you can at least look at what they have said about other things, and look at their past manifestos to try to get some idea of where they stand on many other issues, but that's not an option with UKIP because they have no manifesto.

The press have been accused in the past of giving UKIP an easy ride, but if they have no policies that you can discuss with them, then how can you debate anything other than the one policy they have? Farage has described the last manifesto as drivel and admitted that he didn't read it, so there is nothing else that you can even try to hold them to account on.

If Nigel likes it, then it's something that he says; if it's not then he falls back on the line "that's old nonsense, it was nothing to do with me".

Exactly, you can't take them seriously as a domestic party at all. They have a lot of work to do if they expect to be taken seriously in a General Election.