UKIP a one trick Pony

[Dcdrac]

I have long thought UKIP would eventually fall apart, its only effective member is Nigel Farage who does a good job of acting as the man of the people, he is far from that, private school educated ex banker failed conservative parliamentary candidate, take him out the equation and you see them for what they are, monomanic obsessives who do not deserve the attention they are getting.

Incidentally some one wrote the same thoughts but far better than I can:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/26/nigel-farage-phoney-scrutinise-him-ukip

Allow me to sketch you a portrait of a political leader. Even by the lax standards of the powerful, he is England's greatest living hypocrite. He courts popularity by warning that tens of millions from the dole queues of Europe are coming to take British jobs, while employing his German wife as his secretary. He denounces "the political class" for living like princes at the taxpayers' expense while pocketing every taxpayer-funded allowance he can claim for himself, his wife and his colleagues.

He says he represents "ordinary people". But he is a public school-educated former banker, whose policies will help him and his kind. He claims he is the voice of "common sense", while allying with every variety of gay-hater, conspiracy crackpot, racist, chauvinist and pillock. The only sense he and his followers have in common is a fear of anyone who is not like them.

 

[The Don]

Apparently a recent prominent story in the media about a UKIP candidate releasing a tweet suggesting that Lenny Henry (a much beloved black comedian) go to live in a black country in response to Lenny Henry's suggestion that there should be more black people in creative industries is a result of a witch hunt against UKIP and not as a result of them fielding nutters for candidates:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27176803


Going back to the OP, Farage, like George W Bush plays the part of the ordinary fellow very well despite their background. In the case of Farage, IMO people dislike the traditional parties enough not to look behind the curtain.

 

[Blue Bubble]

Apparently a recent prominent story in the media about a UKIP candidate releasing a tweet suggesting that Lenny Henry (a much beloved black comedian) go to live in a black country in response to Lenny Henry's suggestion that there should be more black people in creative industries is a result of a witch hunt against UKIP and not as a result of them fielding nutters for candidates:

I thought Lenny Henry already lives in a Black Country^WP. He was certainly born there.

 

[Professor Yaffle]

I thought Lenny Henry already lives in a Black Country^WP. He was certainly born there.

I think he lives in London, actually. At least he's doing a PhD at Royal Holloway on the role of black people in the media.

 

[Agatha]

I hope UKIP implode soon.

Nigel Farage in punk gear - he wanted this photo banned.

 

[Blue Bubble]

I think he lives in London, actually. At least he's doing a PhD at Royal Holloway on the role of black people in the media.

Ah, thanks for the correction. So maybe they want him to be repatriated to Dudley

 

[angrysoba]

I hope UKIP implode soon.

Nigel Farage in punk gear - he wanted this photo banned.

Good photoshop! I was taken in for a few seconds.

Thing is, if that were a real photo it would probably increase his popularity.

The three main parties have a chronic credibility problem largely of their own making, and their desperate attempts to find something to damage Farage with have landed like very pathetic and dainty blows to which he just raises his two fingers like in that picture of the punk above.

 

[The Don]

Good photoshop! I was taken in for a few seconds.

Thing is, if that were a real photo it would probably increase his popularity.

The three main parties have a chronic credibility problem largely of their own making, and their desperate attempts to find something to damage Farage with have landed like very pathetic and dainty blows to which he just raises his two fingers like in that picture of the punk above.

I agree. Part of the problem is that the only way to point out the flaws in UKIP policy or with Farage is to actually go into detail. This is precisely what Farage does not want, he wants to keep in his "chap down the pub" persona and talk in vague generalities and soundbites. The thing is that to get to the detail, you have to turn into a hectoring pedant - exactly the sort of thing to turn off the populace.

Here's an example for UK posters (not sure if the video works elsewhere) where the BBC's Nick Robinson attempts to take Farage to task over his employment of his own (German) wife in preference to British workers:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27115043

Farage just waves it off and IMO Nick Robinson is in danger of becoming the "baddie".

 

[angrysoba]

I agree. Part of the problem is that the only way to point out the flaws in UKIP policy or with Farage is to actually go into detail. This is precisely what Farage does not want, he wants to keep in his "chap down the pub" persona and talk in vague generalities and soundbites. The thing is that to get to the detail, you have to turn into a hectoring pedant - exactly the sort of thing to turn off the populace.

Here's an example for UK posters (not sure if the video works elsewhere) where the BBC's Nick Robinson attempts to take Farage to task over his employment of his own (German) wife in preference to British workers:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27115043

Farage just waves it off and IMO Nick Robinson is in danger of becoming the "baddie".

Maybe it's this video:

 

[The Don]

Maybe it's this video:

Yes it is thanks.

 

[Wudang]

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/t...-photos-the-politicians-dont-want-you-to-see/ Includes a link to the iconic original photo.

Good article here
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/26/nigel-farage-phoney-scrutinise-him-ukip

Also the poster with the labourer worrying about UK jobs features an Irish actor.

 

[zooterkin]

I think he lives in London, actually. At least he's doing a PhD at Royal Holloway on the role of black people in the media.

He used to live near me; I saw him with Dawn French and their child at a local country fair a few years ago.


Apparently the UKIP candidate who tweeted about Lenny Henry was himself born in Africa (South Africa, to be precise).

 

[Seismosaurus]

The reason Farrage and UKIP won't "go away" is that their fundamental point is a valid one. The EU is in a political union that nobody in the country has ever been consulted over. Nor does such a consultation ever seem likely to happen - and judging from other countries, if we were asked and gave the "wrong" answer, then the answer would simply be ignored.

A lot of people don't like this, and that's a perfectly valid reaction. If you view UKIP as a bunch of clowns then fair enough... but they are right on this issue.

 

[Wudang]

The EU is in a political union that nobody in the country has ever been consulted over.

Apart from the odd referendum with 67% approval
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/6/newsid_2499000/2499297.stm

 

[The Don]

The reason Farrage and UKIP won't "go away" is that their fundamental point is a valid one. The EU is in a political union that nobody in the country has ever been consulted over. Nor does such a consultation ever seem likely to happen - and judging from other countries, if we were asked and gave the "wrong" answer, then the answer would simply be ignored.

A lot of people don't like this, and that's a perfectly valid reaction. If you view UKIP as a bunch of clowns then fair enough... but they are right on this issue.

My highlighting.

The UKIP is protesting against a caricature of the EU. The problem for those, like myself, who are pro-EU are that the anti-EU points are simplistic (the UK is full, foreigners telling us what to do, waste of money) and easy to communicate (not least because they play to the popular stereotypes of foreigners in the UK) whereas the counterpoint is more nuanced and complex.

 

[NWO Sentryman]

The EU has pissed away any credibility they had with their handling of the Euro Crisis (Hi there Spain and Greece) and mainstream politics is utterly discredited between the Iraq War (Labour), Austerity (Tories & Lib Dems), the broken promises in their manifestos (EVERYONE) and the fact that Politicians are utterly out of touch with their constituents' interests and abuse their trust.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/apr/27/ukip-mps-stricter-rules-fabian-research

In short, UKIP are gaining because the politicians have lost credibility.

 

[Seismosaurus]

Apart from the odd referendum with 67% approval
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/6/newsid_2499000/2499297.stm

You'll notice that that referendum was to join something called the "European Economic Community", aka "The Common Market" - a trading bloc that included very little in the way of political union. The "European Union" which we have now is a very different animal. And the changes that have been made all along the way have been done without any consultation or approval.

The only choices the mainstream parties have ever offered on Europe is a faster or slower rate of integration. Nobody has ever asked the public whether they want that integration at all.

And when mainstream politics ignores a large chunk of the population on an issue they care about, you can hardly complain too much when that chunk opts for non-mainstream politics.

 

[Seismosaurus]

My highlighting.

The UKIP is protesting against a caricature of the EU. The problem for those, like myself, who are pro-EU are that the anti-EU points are simplistic (the UK is full, foreigners telling us what to do, waste of money) and easy to communicate (not least because they play to the popular stereotypes of foreigners in the UK) whereas the counterpoint is more nuanced and complex.

That happens in pretty much all areas of politics. Politicians always look to simply issues into slogans - "Labour isn't working", "Mr Boom and Mr Bust", "Vote for Change", "Yes we can!"

But I'm afraid the sentiment of "The public doesn't understand the issues, so we will refuse to ask them and instead do it over their objections" really doesn't work in a democratic country.

The EU could guarantee massive economic success, full employment, the eradication of poverty, an end to crime, and rain joy and happiness on every person in the country from birth to death on top - it would still be fundamentally wrong to commit us to it without asking those people if that is what they want.

 

[Rolfe]

The reason Farrage and UKIP won't "go away" is that their fundamental point is a valid one. The EU is in a political union that nobody in the country has ever been consulted over. Nor does such a consultation ever seem likely to happen - and judging from other countries, if we were asked and gave the "wrong" answer, then the answer would simply be ignored.

A lot of people don't like this, and that's a perfectly valid reaction. If you view UKIP as a bunch of clowns then fair enough... but they are right on this issue.

That is a really, really intriguing comment, and I'm wondering if anyone else is viewing it in the same way I am.

Rolfe.

 

[Giz]

That is a really, really intriguing comment, and I'm wondering if anyone else is viewing it in the same way I am.

Rolfe.

You've made me curious. I'd read it as simply "The British public have never given their consent to be part of an EU superstate (merely a trade zone). The people want their say".

How are you reading it?