Are UKIP just a 'respectable' face of the BNP?

[vivizone]

The title says it really.

1 - are they more popular than Labour and Conservative?
2 - Lib Dems are still popular?!
3 - What are UKIP all about? The Daily Mail are crazy over them (including the people who comment on the paper)
4 - What is so bad about the EU? why is the Daily Mail so against it?

I hate politics but I am Labour through and through (hate all parties actually, but I can just about stomach labour)

1. What would the country look like under UKIP leadership?

Arrgh so many questions. Thanks so much

Somebloke 123 absolutely spot on.

To add if the main stream parties persist in failing to address issues of immigration and perceived unfairness in council house allocation and preferential treatment for immigrants then large swathes of the country will vote UKIP or worse BNP..

It's not a nice thought.

Oh come on. The SWP are a total joke anyway. Bunch of middle class right-on types waving a bloody stupid, and badly proof-read, piece of rubbish on a Saturday afternoon.

UKIP and the views of some of their members, scares the life out of me.

Cantspel, that's disgraceful. Good old sexism and mysogony alive and well on the right and the left.

George Galloway is unspeakably vile anyway.

I got some charming tweets this morning from a woman ranting about how UKIP were all racists etc, after I pointed out that perhaps the people who voted for them felt their views and concerns were simply being ignored.

As it happens, I don't vote UKIP and never would, but her attitude of "what a dumb bunch of DM reading, inbred fuckwits" Eastleigh voters were to me highlights why this sort of thing happens. That kind of liberal left, patronising stance drives people mad, because it doesn't acknowledge that some people do have genuine problems with things like a mass influx of immigrants into one area. Is immigration a bad thing? No. Does it sometimes cause huge problems in some areas? Yes - and it's naive to pretend otherwise.

I think voters turn to parties like UKIP when they feel ignored or belittled by mainstream parties on issues which have a very material impact on their lives. They don't read the whole manifesto (I've never read a party manifesto in my life, and have never missed voting in a GE), they just hear a candidate say something which chimes with their own life and issues, and that is enough to get an X on the ballot paper.

Dismissing UKIP as the respectable BNP is dangerous and simplistic

YouTheCat, yes I am so so scary.

I have just found in the last hour my Mum has 'shared' a BNP photo on FB (very rarely use the account I set up for her.

I knew she was becoming more vocal in her opinions recently, I am shocked she has done this

It's pretty disgraceful that the main parties are doing everything they can to smear and vilify UKIP. It's the same method by which people use the word "racist" to shut down debate. It shows the level of their fear that rather than debate with UKIP they are merely going to use nasty smear tactics. Besides, there are plenty of racists/crazies/paedophiles/rapists/fraudsters/criminals in all the mainstream parties, so they should perhaps get their houses in order first before criticising another party.

somebloke123 your last post is spot on.

orwellian your right the main parties only want to smear UKIP as they want to stick their heads in the sand and try and ignore the issues which are important to a lot of people. Once these parties begin to smear rather than concentrate on what their policies are they loose my interest

yes, biggest problems facing us today are immigration & EU membership.

not economic meltdown. not banks creating debt through lending. not the rapid depletion of the earth's natural resources. not the total loss of antarctic sea ice during the summer months by 2015.

the parties need to focus on immigration, immigration, immigration or people will think them really out of touch & vote UKIP.

'm being sarcastic by the way.

Like the OP, I was pretty unsure what UKIP was about at first. And, I still don't know that much about them. However, based on what they say about their party's official platform, I think they are reasonable and make some good points. I have no problem with a party that is primarily concerned with UK independence from the EU. And, I am from a an American conservative background (although I'm very centrist) and so rightist rhetoric doesn't make me break out in hives.

Everything I've heard about the BNP makes my skin crawl. It is clearly a party of white nationalists/racists.

I suppose there could be some crossover in the ranks of the two parties. That is, someone who might well by sympathetic to the BNP may vote UKIP because UKIP is a more viable party and there's a chance that they could achieve something. But, that's like saying the US Republican party is racist. True, there are plenty of people who vote Republican who are also racist, but it's not at all in the party platform and I don't assume that Republican candidates are racists.

The BNP are evil. UKIP are just loons.

More importantly, the BNP are only right-wing in the sense they are nationalist. Most of their policies are left-wing in the traditionalist sense; they want to be perceived as the party for the working man. That is why they poll most strongly in Labour areas.

UKIP are more a natural repository for Tory protest votes.

Finally, a note on the Lib Dems. They will not get wiped out after this parliament. Their vote will crash outside constituencies they hold, but I think their tactic of chosing locals as MPs will serve them well.

Orwellian.

I think one can tell more about a party from its instincts and rhetoric than individual polices. I might be inclined to euroscepticism myself but I won't be voting UKIP, not least because they will probably put up an absolutely pants candidate in my constituency.

Toad, are you actually David Cameron, because you sound like him. Loons? Really? Do you want to add the swivel eyed jibe too?

Probably...

UKIP are taking over the Lib Dems spot as the protest vote as far as I can see. No one can trust the lib Dems now, not after the utter shambles they have made of their place in the coalition and people need to use the vote but not actually 'vote' IYSWIM. It happens here all the time, the Tories don't stand a chance, Labour only care about their core voters who occupy a 2 mile radius patch of the constituency so they vote LD. Only now they won't because the LD have been rumbled.
So at the next election because the BNP generally get their arse handed to them on a plate up here (publically in a robust fashion) people will vote either UKIP or Green. And Green are seen as too soft so it will be UKIP.

Sorry, I should say that up to now the Lib Dems have been the protest vote. My pp gave the impression that UKIP have been, I meant next time there is an election.

If UKIP are voted in at the next election, what can we expect to see?

If UKIP are voted in at the next election - you will see me emmigrate!

Ukip policies are indeed scary. This one in particular seems pretty unreasonable, as a lot of people on these benefits actually work as well, maybe they are required to do this on a weekend
· Require those on benefits - starting with Housing and Council Tax Benefit recipients in private rented homes - to take part in council-run local community projects called ?Workfare? schemes. The schemes will be in addition to council jobs
Their policies on nursing are totally backward in my opinion:
"Many people have expressed concern that the move to university training has changed the opportunities for those born with a vocational calling who wish to provide the crucial core nursing care. UKIP will therefore restore hospital-based vocational training, similar to the old State Enrolled Nurse (SEN) system. Whilst highly educated and higher skilled nurses are now an integral and vital part of the healthcare team, the all-important core nursing skills need to be restored."
I can't honestly say that any of their policies looks in any way progressive though!

Bye then Lucy, why though? And where do you intend to go?

LadyPessary,

Are you Nigel Farage? If so, you are a very big loon, but at I can tell your party isn't racist - its last leader was orange-coloured.

Er, we do actually need SENs again

No Toad I am myself. Are you actually a Toad?

UKIP won't ever overtake the Lib Dems because UKIP are a single-issue party. They only really care about Europe.

In that sense- and that sense alone - they are no different from the BNP, whose single issue is race.

The Greens are much greater threat to the Lib Dems but even they havn't the same organisation or resources

Toad they are not, they have a full raft of policies. Take a look.

Don't do the BNP/UKIP thing it doesn't wash.