The unofficial online home of the UK Independence Party
Michael Heaver
Eastern Rising.
Jan 11th
News that UKIP’s number of Councillors on Huntingdon District Council are to double after another Tory defection is fantastic news. The superb Cllr Pete Reeve will be joined by Cllr Andy Monk who has proudly proclaimed that “UKIP strongly champions the local community and is the real voice of local people”.
This is real progress as UKIP must now focus heavily on building up a presence on local councils up and down the country in order to be in a position to win constituencies when General Elections roll around. The emergence of UKIP as a domestic political force is a very encouraging sign that the Party is being taken more and more seriously as more than a single-issue outfit but a political Party with a robust, radical domestic agenda.
Pearson in the Express.
Dec 4th
If you can, buy the Daily Express today. Though Lord Pearson’s article can be viewed online, it doesn’t do it justice.
Almost a full page, the article is coherent, calm and extremely positive in terms of setting out UKIP’s stall for the General Election. The fact that Pearson spends so much time laying out UKIP’s domestic agenda must be seen as an extremely positive step. It would seem that the Daily Express definitely approve of UKIP’s new leader. In fact I can’t remember having read such a good piece from UKIP in a major newspaper ever.
More please!
I’m in UKIP for more than just withdrawal from the EU.
Nov 28th
I can quite understand where Lord Pearson, under orders from then-Party Leader Nigel Farage, was coming from. UKIP was founded on the principle of withdrawing Britain from the European Union and that has been far and away the main policy and objective of the Party ever since.
However, as a relatively new member (I joined in April 2007) and being a very young figure by political standards, I disagree with the premise that after withdrawal from the EU, UKIP would have nothing to offer. We are now beating the government in national European Elections and scoring 12% in by-elections like in Norwich North, a campaign I worked for and helped to drive full time, sleeping upstairs on the floor in Norwich HQ for over a month along with many other fantastically dedicated members.
Some may say that such results are because Britain has never been more eurosceptic and that disdain with the establishment parties has grown to such dizzy heights. But I know for a fact that UKIP, like in Norwich North, are winning votes because we are the only Party that offers a unique flank of policies aside from the EU. No to ID cards, proper immigration controls, restoring grammar schools, binding local and national referenda, increasing the defence budget by 40%, bringing the poorest out of tax together and making people better off working than people on the doll. And yes, withdrawing from the European Union, giving Britain’s Parliament back the authority envisaged by the country’s forefathers and adding many billions back each year into our coffers.
I personally joined UKIP because it was the only Party that I saw which wanted to radically shape Britain’s future. I believe this is a country which has been taken onto the wrong path by our political class who are utterly detached from reality and what it is like for ordinary people in today’s Britain. To correct that, having experienced the very worst that Britain’s state educational sector has to offer as I have, requires bold, radical vision.
If Britain withdrew from the European Union we would be a country with our democracy and some degree of prosperity back. But if UKIP disbanded, I would have nowhere to fight for all of the other things I believe in. And I find the thought of that a great shame.
The Pearson chapter.
Nov 27th
So it is Lord Pearson who is the new leader of UKIP, winning some 48% of the vote the Party’s members. What does this mean for UKIP? Well Pearson has a credible profile in Westminster as one of the top critics of the European Union. He has a lot of contacts within the Tory Party still and David Cameron’s eurosceptic wing have a lot of admiration for Pearson, as illustrated by Daniel Hannan’s endorsement of Pearson as Peer of the Year for the Spectator awards. Crucially, Pearson was far and away the best leadership candidate in terms of raising money and securing the back of large donors. Considering we’ve just been screwed by the Electoral Commission out of hundreds of thousands of pounds, that is some potential baggage that was going to come with the job.I think Pearson will do well in securing UKIP the sort of cash that it has always found lacking.
Pearson’s focus on militant Islam is one which must be treat with the utmost respect and a degree of sensitivity for those Muslims who feel their religion already unfairly used as a political football. The issue is a fair one to address but is of course sensitive and must be approached positively. I suspect the media and other parties will try and stitch UKIP up as being an anti-Muslim Party, which is tosh. Personally, I feel we should be much more focused on policies concerning the economy, education, law and order and healthcare. But Pearson has been strong in advocating direct democracy, which is a very big positive and something we need to talk about much more.
If UKIP is to progress under Pearson at the next General Election, we must realise and go further in separating ourselves from being seen to be EU obsessives. Yes, the issue of the EU is important. But to tell the story of how Brussels is robbing us of our democracy and our prosperity, we must first be seen as a viable alternative by talking about bread and butter issues. With Pearson being a close ally to my political idol Nigel Farage, I am sure this is the direction UKIP will continue to take. Pearson must now use his business savvy to improve the internal structure of UKIP and ensure that our impact in the General Election sees a unified Party making a statement and breaking into the House of Commons.
Should UKIP not stand against anti-EU MPs?
Nov 18th
The Better Off Out pledge requires that sitting MPs who publicly endorse the fact that Britain would be better outside of the EU, require a free run from UKIP in their constituencies.
I have changed my stance on this, from being a firm supporter of the BOO pledge to more of a sceptic. After all, where were all of these MPs – largely Tory – in the media when Cameron turned tail on his referendum pledge? Only Bill Cash really spoke out, and he isn’t even one of the BOO set. The argument is that UKIP shoudn’t cost these people their seats so they can make the anti-EU argument in the Commons, but if they are going to be partisan to the point of not being critical, then it seems a bit of an empty pledge.
There is also the question as to whether we want UKIP to be seen as a one issue Party. An MP like Bob Spink may be anti-EU, but disagree with UKIP on a whole range of other policies. Is UKIP right as a Party to simply care about that MPs stance on that one issue if they are happy to vote for 42 days? I’m not convinced.
Zero legitimacy.
Oct 29th
One thing I think people are missing regarding the likely appointment of Tony Blair as the permanent President of the European Union: forget who is going to take the role for a minute, just where is the scrutiny for such a role even existing?
If Blair does get the post as I believe he will, it will have had exactly zero endorsement from the electorate as virtually nobody in the continent, let alone our country, has even had a say on whether there should be a President of the EU.
Even the most rabid europhile who has any interest whatsoever in this thing have even an whiff of democratic legitimacy cannot defend that fact. It blows my mind that we are debating who should be President, and not that it is a national scandal and disgrace that nobody has ever had a say on this post, as is the case with so many other aspects of the EU.
And it is important to remember that the self-amending Lisbon Treaty will also mean that we will never again get a referendum on further power grabs. The EU elite are now perfectly entitled, according to the rules they set, to go now as far as they want because people’s “elected representatives” (read: Gordon Brown) have decided as much.
Blair not europhile enough to be EU President?
Oct 22nd
Yes you heard it here first; there are moves underway by several MEPs to block a Tony Blair EU Presidency because the man just isn’t committed to the EU as they are.
Five MEPs, Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, Robert Goebbels, Jo Leinen, Klaus-Heiner Lehne and Herbert Reul don’t want Blair as the President of 27 countries because Blair is from a country that “is not part of the eurozone, is not a member of Schengen and has opted out of the charter of fundamental rights.”
So, there you have it. Blair is not the most nutty, hardcore europhile out there. He is simply the tip of the iceberg. Whudda thunk it?
Nigel mixing it up.
Oct 13th
As the battle of Lisbon looks to be drawing to a close, Nigel Farage has been mixing it up on behalf of UKIP in a round-table BBC debate with MEPs from the three other main parties. Say what you will but Nigel is the best in the business at this sort of thing.
Watch for the LibDem who squirms like a good ‘un under any sort of scrutiny and the odious Richard Howitt who I know very well as he represents my neck of the words, East Anglia, in the European Parliament and is widely regarded as an obnoxious wannabe bully boy.
A mature look at the current situation in The Times.
Oct 5th
William Rees-Mogg today pens a piece in The Times which poses, probes, and is a damn good read for all who are interested in the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union. Even those who are pro-EU would get something out of reading it, to my mind.
What a contrast to the immature, cowardly politics of David Cameron’s Conservative party as they begin their Conference today, Cameron having already outlined any announcements on the EU as if the issue is an afterthought.
Lisbon Treaty business debate.
Sep 28th
A very interesting debate held between Michael O’Leary and Declan Ganley on Irish TV can be viewed here.
How refreshing it is to see issues revolving around the EU being debating on television. Wouldn’t it be great to see the same in this country?
Irish Lisbon coverage heavily favouring “yes” side.
Sep 24th
A company by the name of TNS has covered out an assessment of the press coverage given to the “yes” and “no” sides of the Lisbon Treaty referendum campaign.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, their findings show that the “yes” side are being given far more exposure.
46% of Lisbon-related articles in the past week have been in favour of the Treaty, while the percentage of articles favouring the ‘no’ campaign is on 23%. The remaining 31% of articles in the past week were assessed as neutral.
In what is good news, the return of Declan Ganley and Libertas to the battlefield has garnered the “no” side some decent press coverage recently, though after their calamitous Euro Election campaign Ganley’s influence has diminished.
Another UKIP Councillor.
Sep 10th
The Conservative party have their eyes fixated on Number 10, but they have just as much reason to fear UKIP as the Labour party do.
News today that another Tory Councillor has defected to UKIP in Preston is a welcome boost to the party who have been making considerable inroads in local elections. David Duxbury has made the move after becoming “totally disillusioned”. A warm welcome to David.
Tellingly, Duxbury’s reasoning for crossing the floor were that he agreed “with UKIP’s policy in withdrawal from the EU and in small government”, a sure sign that the party is now effectively spreading its message on issues outside of the European Union, which is going to be absolutely vital if we are to have a strong General Election showing.
East Anglia Conference Coverage
Sep 10th
Tremendous coverage for the UKIP team here in East Anglia of which I am lucky enough to be a part of.
Notice how seriously we are now being taken in regards to taking Westminster seats, only because we are now getting success at a local level with people like the brilliant Pete Reeve.
Watch the coverage here, fast forwarding to 1:50. Look carefully enough and you’ll even be able to spot me!
Irish no “not an option”?
Sep 10th
The many hordes of pro-”yes” politicians are getting very worried. Irish European Minister Dick Roche accused UKIP of coming from a neo-fascist genepool, and today pro-Lisbon Irish MEPs warn that ” a no vote is not an option”.
Interesting. This is, after all, what they said first time round. But no, no! This time it could be so much worse! In fact they say that Ireland could “sink without trace” if the people’s of Ireland see through the EU’s attempted power grab for a second consecutive time.
UKIP were once targetted by this ragtag bunch of pro-EU politicos, led by Socialist MEP Proinsias De Rossa.
“Ukip have declared their intention to campaign in Ireland against the Lisbon treaty. Why? Because they want to create the circumstances that the Conservatives can renegotiate their relationship with the European Union on the basis of a free trade agreement”.
Well that would be fine and dandy if it wasn’t for the fact that Nigel Farage hadn’t made the point during the recent Lisbon Treaty debate that UKIP wouldn’t be putting a single penny into the campaign, but that the money would be coming from the European Parliamentary group he leads, the European of Freedom and Democracy.
In a most disgusting display, one Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness even said that:
“There are a lot of people who don’t know [how to vote]. And they want to be persuaded.”
Just how can this pathetic woman and her supporters totally ignore the fact that the Irish people already had a referendum and made their decision then. Utter contempt for democracy that I very much hope the Irish see through and vote against.
No north/south split for UKIP.
Sep 7th
The news that David Cameron is failing to make strides in the north of England is very interesting, as it shows yet again why UKIP is uniue in British politics. While the Green party and BNP have tiny hotspots of support (as demonstrated by the fact they only have two MEPs a piece), the Tories and Labour are generally regarded to be a party of the south and a party of the north, in general terms.
That certainly cannot be said for UKIP, especially if one is looking at potential target seats for the party at the next General Election. In the north of England the party will be eyeballing Bootle, Newcastle Under Lyme, Hartlepool. The Midlands has an array of seats we finished first in in the European Elections including Dudley, while the traditional UKIP stronghold in the South West features seats like Plymouth where we are set to do well.
Also in the south, Nigel Farage will be pushing John Bercow to the limit in Buckingham.
This is another sign of the development of a new, grassroots party which is spreading in popularity up and down the country, not pigeon-holed as being attractive to one particular voter by previous voting preference nor by geographic area.
The message of independence is truly freeflowing across the United Kingdom, as I believe will be demonstrated in the next General Election.
Thank you Nigel.
Sep 6th
Harry has already done an amazingly good job of putting forth my own feelings on Nigel Farage stepping down as Leader, but I felt I need to do a short piece myself regardless.
Nigel is the guy that made me want to be actively involved in politics. What he says, and how he says it, is what inspired me to become active and do whatever I can for the UKIP cause. His style, both as a politician and a man, are unique in British politics and I’m sure are going to win over many thousands of voters in Buckinghamshire.
It does not surprise me that Nigel is being big enough to realise his work load has now become too huge and that he has stood down for someone else to take up the reigns as Leader. It is a sign of him as a man compared to our woeful Prime Minster Gordon Brown. Nigel has done amazing things for UKIP, leading us to beating Labour in a national election, while Brown leads his party to destruction and selfishly continues doing what is best for him and not his country, let alone his party.
This is no time to be sad, but to be excited. Because come next year, I predict that Nigel will finally be on the stage he was born to be on. Rising in the House of Commons and delivering devastating attacks on those that are running our country into the ground, defending our Parliament from the inside.
Be afraid Mr. Speaker. Be very afraid.
