I have watched the video recorded on the day of David Campbell-Bannerman’s lacklustre defection to the Conservative Party twice now and both times it made me seethe with anger, not just the words he is using but also that we have let him make this claim. This is the claim he made that UKIP is just a pressure group.
You can fly the party flag and you can get defensive but take a step back like I have and take a look at this party as it stands. We have MEP’s defecting, other MEP’s threatening the leader with legal action, yes that’s right Miss Andreassen. We have no clear leadership are spokespeople are all over the place and we lack a clear consistency in policy external to EU, I know we are going through a policy review and we have the able hands of Lord Moncton at the helm of that ship so I have faith.
I am not a member of UKIP just to make friends and I don’t take any prisoners so I have no qualms about getting this off of my chest. We are in a bit of a mess at the moment on almost every front. I know this is not the main reason why DCB upsticks and sold out but it would have been playing on his mind. He is a blatant careerist and goes where the streets are paved with Euro’s… whoops, I meant gold.
It has been said time and time again and likely will not happen for a while put this party needs a top down overhaul. I don’t mean for one second to replace the Chairman Steve Crowther and our illustrious leader Nigel Farage MEP, I think they are a very good partnership and offer us a strong leadership. I also feel for them as they are being constantly scapegoated.
No, I feel that many of our MEP’s are out there defending their own interests and not for the good and strength of the party. I do feel there are some MEP’s in the party that want to see UKIP as just a pressure group. I have blogged on this before but in the advent of selection lists that transpired as genuine positions in politics we have given many supporters and members an elevated position that comes with a hideous salary, a lot of free time and expenses you could druel over. We have given them toffee to scoff and many don’t share it out.
No, I feel that we need a radical revolution otherwise I think this party will stagnate. I fear that this may already be happening what with disappointing local elections. The first thing we should do is strip out the dead wood that is weighing our party down. There are many people in paid positions and also one or two MEP’s who are not pulling their weight. When you are put on the selection list for the European Elections it does not mean that you can’t be tipexxed off. Many have got into this arrogant position where they feel that the party needs them more than they need the party. I’ve got news for these people, we really don’t.
There are many, many bright lights shining through this party. I already wrote an article stating that Harry Aldridge should be an MEP, click here to read more. There are budding, innovative and above all else extremely dedicated members who could do a brilliant job in lieu of existing members. I feel it important for the future of the party that we are seen to change adapt and give genuine talent a fair chance of shining through.
We need to be beacon of honesty, transparency to the political class. I believe, among many of my peers that being a politician should not be a career and a job for life. If you are genuinely creating an impact and be seen as an inspiration to the party and to politics nation and often continent wide then there is a justification in long servitude, but if you are seen to go with the flow then sorry but there are better people equipped to do the job.
A regular adaption and change should not however upset the order and stability within the party. It should be at the discretion of the branches and members. When they cry for change then give it to them. Its part of my obession with localism that the local and regional branches have a positive voice on the central organisation of the party.
I think and hope that the next European Elections are going to bring a massive in terms of who is representing us and Britain in the European Parliament. I also think its going to bring a huge change to the attitude and composition of the party. I predict that we are going be deselecting at least three of our MEP’s, providing we get an equivalent share by the electorate they will be replaced by far more dedicated and competent members.
Another thing that I think will help us to shake the pressure group stigma is to sort out a good list of party spokesman on certain topics. One of our more heavily used taglines, said many a time by his Farageness is ‘we are the real opposition’. Well I am sure even the most politically illerate readers would understand the party opposite always creates a shadow cabinet. I think we should do the same.
We should create a UKIP healthcare spokesman, UKIP finance expert etc. These should be visible and job titles should be awarded. I also think it is a fair case for saying that these don’t necessarily have to be people directly employed by the party or MEP’s. If you are seen to have vast knowledge or experience in a certain policy area then providing a good share of the membership agrees you should become the spokesperson. This will allow our dedicated team of press officers to have these highly qualified spokespeople to sell to the media.
If UKIP are seen to have a wealth of talent and not just a bunch of old anti EU cranks then this will help us commensurately. Of course we all know that media outlets like the BBC are institutionally biased against us. This doesn’t mean that we should be rolling over and giving up, no, we have to be wiser, stronger and more professional. We have the power and ability to do that. If I didn’t think we did, I wouldn’t be a member.
I think another thing that will help us out is if we release the shackles around Young Independence and allow us to roam free. I am very proud to be accepted into Young Independence and I feel it is in absolutely superb shape with its captaincy led by Harry Aldridge. If I am perfectly honest Young Independence is in better shape than not only the party but the Conservative Future.
We are a well organised, very well networked bunch of warm blooded young political activists. I do not agree with a lot of the policy within the party and I do not treasure many of the views held by the elders in the party, and I can comfortably say nor do most of Young Independence.
We are not just a conservative collective. There is a strong libertarian feeling bubbling over the walls of Young Independence towers and it is thrilling and exciting to be part of. I will give you an example of the thoughts coming from our group. Providing that there is no welfare state then people should be free to immigrate and migrate at their will. This is a libertarian idea and I am sure that many of you reading this do not agree.
I think we should still be affiliated but I do think that we should become far more independent and seen to be visibly different. UKIP is the party of today and Young Independence is the party of tomorrow.
But this is politics and this is democracy. We don’t all have to agree, and with the inherent freedoms we have within the party you can speak your mind. Although I do think that we should be seeing what the membership believes and what they want the party to do or to be seen to be doing.
This may be costly but I think we should send a questionairre to everyone who holds UKIP membership and furthermore a second to Young Independence. We should then use the data we get in return to feed into the policy review and it also shows us where we are on the political spectrum. It may throw up information we might not expect. We may very well be a largely libertarian party or centrist. I am fairly sure the results will not be showing that we are left wing (I indeed seriously hope not).
This then allows us to work out a battle strategy and it allows the leadership to show the membership that they are listening and they are incorporating the grass-roots support.
We need to be identifying branch by branch and region by region big future contenders and giving them projects, responsibilities and keeping them enticed and active. UKIP in my own experience are very good at going quiet at times and as a erratic soul by character I tend to get very restless.
We need to embrace direct democracy, we need to embrace localism and we need to be seen to regard liberty and democracy as an integral part of our parties policy. Harry Aldridge has already argued the case for UKIP becoming a libertarian party and I quite agree, click here to read more.
These are just my humble opinions. Please comment on it and get a lively debate going. I don’t believe anyone is entirely happy with where this party is at, at present.
At last someone says that which I have for ages!
Well it needed to be said.
I make you right about most of the points that you made, UKIP needs to sort it’s self out and start acting like a real political party with a proper structure that has got some radical idea’s for the nations future , not standing outside Parliment holding buckets singing childish nursery rythms who on earth thought of a stunt like that !
to DCB ….so..you are going to fight a one man band ? you know as well as we all do the conservatives will bleed you dry of information and anything else they feel worth while and then spit you out. I can only perceive you to be more naive than we thought if you think you can achieve anything by aiding and abetting a party which has openly stated…’we must work with the EU if we are to achieve our aims’. This is nothing less than treason and by your action you have made yourself complicit in this heinous act. shame on you DAVID.