Wednesday, October 17, 2012
UKIP's Agenda - The Soundest Of Any Party Ever?
A couple of interesting remarks about UKIP today.
First James Delingpole in an article about Michael Gove compared to Cameron:
"The reason he has been haemorrhaging supporters to UKIP is that UKIP says stuff like this all the time: on Europe, on the renewable energy scam, on immigration, on the economy. I doubt there's been a political party in history which has had quite so universally sound and sensible a manifesto as UKIP does. On policies alone they deserve to be running the country by now and the only reason they're not is because they're too young and too vulnerable to the charge of being a bit weird, a bit eccentric, a bit golf club. But that image will fade, especially after next year's Euro elections when UKIP wipes the floor and becomes our largest party in the EU. The official Conservative party line on this is that this isn't a problem. (As witness the nauseating snobbery and hauteur of the respondents on this issue at Conservative Home)"
Highlighting added. That is a very high target to aim at but Delingpole, right on almost everything as he is, never knowingly understates. The ruling party of Singapore may perhaps have matched us in sense on occasion. Of course it is far easier to point out sensible reforms when the parties in power have been so universally incompetent.
If asked to improve on UKIP's manifesto I would perhaps be somewhat louder for nuclear power, for lower corporation tax rates and for allowing housebuilding, eager to make a specific growth target of at least the world average and less keen on military spending, particularly on the traditional forces. But all this is at the margins and might anyway not be electorally popular, except for the growth target.
Secondly Lord Tebbit:
"In fact, UKIP had a successful gathering too but, led by the Guardian/BBC lobby, most of the media all but ignored that event....
posts about UKIP, including a question of whether it is Left or Right. I would have said that it is smack on that "common ground" where I think that the Conservative Party should be. I know that will cause even more of you to ask why then do I not jump ship and embark with UKIP. I can say only that to be utterly realistic at present the Conservative Party is more likely to form another government before UKIP. My task is to try to get my party to adopt the UKIP agenda"
I think that, for him, that is probably a wise course. If Labour are not to win the next election he will have to succeed and get a joint Tory/UKIP deal based on those policies. If he fails the Conservative party will have no reason to exist, having proven that it cannot, under any circumstances, actually win an election and UKIP will have to sweep up the remnants. The fact that Cameron clearly wishes Tebbit would join UKIP is good reason to think he is right not to.
On one point I think Delingpole is wrong. The primary reason UKIP is not sweeping the country is because the state broadcasters control 80% of broadcast news and as Tebbit points out, sets the agenda for even the nominally free bit.
I do not think it can be honestly denied that the BBC/C4 censor, lie and slant in coverage of British party politics (among other things) to a degree not exceeded by the late Joseph Goebbels. In a free polity where issues were openly debated UKIP's policies would ensure victory.
First James Delingpole in an article about Michael Gove compared to Cameron:
"The reason he has been haemorrhaging supporters to UKIP is that UKIP says stuff like this all the time: on Europe, on the renewable energy scam, on immigration, on the economy. I doubt there's been a political party in history which has had quite so universally sound and sensible a manifesto as UKIP does. On policies alone they deserve to be running the country by now and the only reason they're not is because they're too young and too vulnerable to the charge of being a bit weird, a bit eccentric, a bit golf club. But that image will fade, especially after next year's Euro elections when UKIP wipes the floor and becomes our largest party in the EU. The official Conservative party line on this is that this isn't a problem. (As witness the nauseating snobbery and hauteur of the respondents on this issue at Conservative Home)"
Highlighting added. That is a very high target to aim at but Delingpole, right on almost everything as he is, never knowingly understates. The ruling party of Singapore may perhaps have matched us in sense on occasion. Of course it is far easier to point out sensible reforms when the parties in power have been so universally incompetent.
If asked to improve on UKIP's manifesto I would perhaps be somewhat louder for nuclear power, for lower corporation tax rates and for allowing housebuilding, eager to make a specific growth target of at least the world average and less keen on military spending, particularly on the traditional forces. But all this is at the margins and might anyway not be electorally popular, except for the growth target.
Secondly Lord Tebbit:
"In fact, UKIP had a successful gathering too but, led by the Guardian/BBC lobby, most of the media all but ignored that event....
posts about UKIP, including a question of whether it is Left or Right. I would have said that it is smack on that "common ground" where I think that the Conservative Party should be. I know that will cause even more of you to ask why then do I not jump ship and embark with UKIP. I can say only that to be utterly realistic at present the Conservative Party is more likely to form another government before UKIP. My task is to try to get my party to adopt the UKIP agenda"
I think that, for him, that is probably a wise course. If Labour are not to win the next election he will have to succeed and get a joint Tory/UKIP deal based on those policies. If he fails the Conservative party will have no reason to exist, having proven that it cannot, under any circumstances, actually win an election and UKIP will have to sweep up the remnants. The fact that Cameron clearly wishes Tebbit would join UKIP is good reason to think he is right not to.
On one point I think Delingpole is wrong. The primary reason UKIP is not sweeping the country is because the state broadcasters control 80% of broadcast news and as Tebbit points out, sets the agenda for even the nominally free bit.
I do not think it can be honestly denied that the BBC/C4 censor, lie and slant in coverage of British party politics (among other things) to a degree not exceeded by the late Joseph Goebbels. In a free polity where issues were openly debated UKIP's policies would ensure victory.
Labels: BBC, British politics, quotes, UKIP
