Do you know anyone in real life who votes for UKIP?

[puddingsforsandy]

And if so, do you judge them?

If you're a UKIP supporter yourself, are you happy to declare it in public/at work?

I haven't yet (well I think!) meet anyone who votes for this party. Someone from FB linked something from UKIP FB page disagreeing with it. This lead me to their page. The supporters of this party come across as thick (going by the FB page)

I can't believe this is the same party that was lead by that talk show host. Silk something.

Anyway that's my opinion but my questions above still stand.
Thanks.

Heartbroken you sound like a very unhappy person. I hope you're okay. I think you need to start being a little less bitter about other peoples beliefs. I hope you feel better soon.

Olives - I haven't the faintest idea what you're even talking about, but do stop being so patronising. I'm perfectly happy thanks. If you're being dense and referring to my name, I picked that some 9 months back as it reflected my feelings at the time and I was posting in Relationships. It means nothing now, I just haven't got around to changing it yet

Otherwise, I'm not bitter about people's beliefs - I'm just not surprised that someone who refers to 'chavs' is also a UKIP voter. It indicates a snooty viewpoint to me, as do many of your other posts on here. You seem a bit of a Hyacinth Bucket type - looking down your nose at those 'beneath you', such as the lower classes and immigrants, while actually quite ignorant on both subjects.

Btw, when I challenged you on what you deemed to be a 'stereotypical chav', you never came back to that thread. Strange that - any chance it's because if you did so, you'd get pulled on it by people who might fit your definition?

Please elaborate.

I can't speak for others but my comparison is that back in the late twenties a fringe party the NSDAP rose to power due to voter apathy and discontent, despite questionable manifesto.

I believe similar is happening now with UKIP.

Heartbroken don't forget disability - that's boring according to Olives

Gobby - oh, I forgot about that. She'll probably be back shortly to tell us to stop with the politics because that's boring too.

Are disabilities chavvy? I never can tell...

It's like the communist USA decades ago were if you had a different opinion you got dragged off and labelled a traitor. Freedom of speech in the UK - laughable

Oh yes that period when the US vigorously embraced communism - except it never happened. In the postwar period the US was rabidly anti communist. I'm not sure if you mean the USSR or have completely misunderstood what the Mccarthy tribunals in 1950s America were about.

As for lacking freesom of expression: there are six daily newspapers that push a rightwing euroaceptic position. Please tell me when anyone has stopped you expressing you views? What you seem to dislike is anyone disagreeing with you. Freedom of speech entails other people rebutting your position, often in vigorous terms.

if you were putting the case for UKIP supporters being wilfully ignorant, then you couldn't have put it better.

But can we please stop polarising the debate between an anti-immigration stance (which Labour, Conservative and UKIP alike, although not Lib Dem) are in favour of .... vs... wanting to retain our own sovereignty and defence and monetary control etc?

There's a big difference between the two and reasons why either positions might be labelled as a bigoted one but this stupid and facile argument that UKIP =auto-anti-immgration=racist is slow and not correct? There are other and actually valid reasons for being anti-Federalist, not that this thread appears to be throwing any light on these issues.

UKIP are the only party (and just to reiterate, I won't be voting for them, no point in SE London anyway) that appears to realise that the latter issues are actually relevant or important.

One of my very best friends votes UKIP; yes, I judged her a little at first, but now I don't ~ it's her choice and her political choice is frankly, none of my business.

I have searched for this 'disabled children being put into homes', but cannot find anything?

If UKIP want to provide secure homes for the mentally ill that can injure or hurt people, then I am up for it. Many years ago Jane Zito was the first victim of 'care in the community'. She was the first of many to ask why they were allowed out? Do you all disagree then?

Boredanfridgegazing

You said so succinctly what I didn't

Why are we polarising? Do you want to pay for private medical care, that is how things are going to go if we don't save them. There has been a divide recently in Europe that everyone's benefits should be the same, the other countries voted against this, so the UK remains the best place to come!

Do you all really want this? If you do, in my mind you are crazy and giving up what our forefathers, grandfathers, grandmothers fought for!

No heartbroken, nothing to do with your name.

I often say my piece and then don't return to a thread, I don't ever really extrapolate either, what I say usually doesn't need any explaining to be honest. If people need to be educated on the very basics then I don't bother. Yes,
I am a cunt, yes I am snobby etc.

Gobby having a disability isn't boring, how could it be?! However the same threads over and over are getting boring.

MN @ 4.30 in the morning. I need to get a life. In my defence I am doing a nightfeed.

I will get flamed I'm sure but I am a member of UKIP, I used to be Libdem. I was pro EU until I read more into it, I don't like the fact we are signed up to the Lisbon Treaty and no one in any EU country actually casts one vote for our EU president. EU is not a democracy and its accounts have never been signed off.

I think the European Arrest Warrant is disgusting, even if the UK use it doesn't make it right.

I realise most people I know couldn't give a shit about treaties and EU accounts, but I don't think I should be made to feel ashamed about my reasons for joining.

UKIP are anti-HS2 and support grammar schools and no tuition fees. This also appealed to me.

I spent long time deliberating whether to join, met some local members, Muslims and mixed race members made me feel positive they not racist. We don't accept anyone who has been in the BNP. Our local secretary and chairman are pretty good at telling these types to 'get lost'.

So glad Bloom got kicked out. Our membership has grown and lots of ordinary folk, but its probably down to HS2 issue here. There are also a lot of liberals and old labour in UKIP.

There are nutjobs in any political party, I was a libdem before they exist there too.

I am not a racist, I dont want zero immigration but controlled immigration, I worry about the pressure on local housing, schools and hospitals. I believe there is a difference between a refugee and an economic migrant.

I'm not interested in getting into personal attacks with anyone about my political beliefs I just wanted to let you know we are not all OAP ex tories, who hate foreigners.

Not4turning - why would anyone who was not homophobic oppose to gay marriage?

I've provided links to the UKIP manifesto that states congregate communities for disabled PEOPLE. Not specifically children, all if them.

Oh and not4 whilst mh services are in crisis and not enough inpatient places are available it's hideous to suggest that incarceration on the basis of mh issues or LDs is routinely best practice.

It isn't. The community is by far the best place unless a danger to yourself or others in which case inpatient treatment short term is required. Not life in an asylum.

boredandfridgegazing >>>>bows

Olives you'll fall from that social climbing ladder you know. Somebody will notice, just as a starter for ten, voting UKIP is a dead giveaway.

I've been reading this with interest, and while I've never voted UKIP, I haven't seen a reason to not even consider voting for them at the next election.

This thing about 'congregate' communities. What does that actually mean? It has been brought up a couple of times, so it seems worth looking into more. I'm not trying to goad, or be at all offensive, but if it's going to be used as a single reason not to vote for a party that has a few other appealing ideas, then I want to understand exactly what it means.

Gobby, in the link you provided to the UKIP site, all it says is

Re-examine community care and support congregate communities for people with learning disabilities

That on its own isn't enough for me to form an opinion one way or another, and the other link doesn't provide and actual information either, it's just an opinion.

Saying they are going to reexamine something doesn't mean anything except it's something that will be thought about.

I don't live with disability in my life, and the only experience I have of a community for people with learning disabilities is a very positive one through a voluntary thing I do. It's not at all like an asylum where people are incarcerated, it's this place! which although great, is religious and presumably therefore not available to everyone. This is what I think of when I think of a community for disabled people, and if I'm wrong then I'm prepared to accept that, but until I know otherwise I cannot use a place like this as a reason to discredit an entire political party.

Like I said, I don't know enough about all the issues surrounding families who have to cope with learning disabilities, and my experience of the place I linked to is limited, but my immediate thought is that if there are going to be more places like this available to everyone who would benefit, then that's got to be a good thing. Of course I don't think that every family who has a family member with a learning disability should have to use one of these places, but no one has said that they will be forced.

Turkey's coming

It really isn't. It would spark an immediate referendum in definitely France and Austria (constitutional commitments, and although there is some wiggle-room it's not likely to be available to any government of the next twenty years) and probably Germany. All of those referendums would be lost, and would be absolute political bloodbaths. Which is why Turkish accession has been stalled for the last ten years, and likely to remain that way. No EU core country would dare put it in front of its electorate: referendums would be lost, and parties which attempted to sign up for it without a referendum would be electorally annihilated.

If you think they're so great put your kids in one?

Thanks gobby, that really helps us to have an informed debate.

No really - if they're suitable for mine they'll be suitable for yours.

Or are my children somehow lesser or inferior somehow?