IS UKIP HALF BAKED? WRITTEN BY JOHN, LORD TAYLOR OF WARWICK
“F
ruitcakes and loons”. That is how David Cameron
the 1930s and Ukip have tapped into that human inclination to play
described the United Kingdom Independence
the “Blame Game,” pointing the finger at immigrants and Europe
Party, when he became Prime Minster in 2010.
for our problems, especially unemployment. Their effectiveness is
That could prove to be a dreadful strategic mistake, as he prepares for
the more so because of the charisma of their leader, Nigel Farage.
the next General election, in 2015. Unfortunately for Mr Cameron,
There are politicians who are “Velcro” in that everything negative
the fruitcakes are on the rise.
sticks to them, even when their intentions are good. Then there are
By labelling Ukip also as “closet racists” Mr Cameron is in danger
politicians who are Teflon, in that nothing negative seems to stick to
of insulting millons of small “c” Conservatives who have deserted
them. Their gaffes and flaws just bounce off them. Farage is definitely
his party over controversial issues such as Immigration, Europe and
non-stick Teflon... at least for now. He has managed to create his
Same Sex Marriage.
image as one of a political “outsider”, a “man of the people”, who
The recent local UK and European elections have signalled a
is passionately anti-Europe, who would have us withdraw from its
significant moment in British politics. Ukip claimed 150 Council seats
institutions. The reality is he is an ex-public school educated former
nationwide and triumphed over the Tories, Lib Dems and Labour
City trader, of French and German ancestry, married to a German
in the European polls. I personally think Ukip are scaremongers.
and who has been a Member of the European Parliament for 15
But there is no doubt they tapped into a deep concern over mass
years. He is a smoker and likes his pint. The media loves characters
immigration, with its impact on housing, hospitals and schools.
and they certainly have one in this former Tory member and son of a
They have also successfully portrayed the European parliament as
stockbroker named Guy Justus Oscar Farage.
bloated, unaccountable and riding rough shod over our sovereignty.
It is not only Cameron who should worry about the Ukip threat.
But what is Ukip? A substantial, credible political force? Or
They were once seen as a party of the Shires, of disaffected Tories.
a one man band dancing to the drum beat of new Farage Garage
But their appeal has broadened. It is clear that many working class
music?
In truth, Ukip seems to be bereft of any detailed policies
Labour supporters have also taken their votes to Ukip. It seized
and has more than its fair share of “unsavoury” candidates. One
dozens of seats in Labour as well as Tory strongholds. Significant
Ukip candidate advised black Comedian Lenny Henry to go and live
inroads were made in Essex, Lincolnshire and even Sunderland. But
in “a black country”. The irony is that Mr Henry is from the “Black
the biggest losers have been the Liberal Democrats. They were once
Country”....Dudley! My children are mixed race...so which part of
the convenient party of protest. But now they are part of a Coalition
them should leave?
Government and Ukip have replaced them as the party to lodge
My main concern about Ukip is that it could set community
protest against a Government, which has had to dispense unpleasant
against community. We are the United Kingdom, where we should
medicine to cure our economic ills. The Liberal Democrats lost more
be building bridges, not walls between the various racial and cultural
than 270 seats and two key councils. They are facing electoral
groups. We are still going through the worst economic crisis since
disaster in 2015, in the General Election.
16 | Endeavour Magazine