To be upset that there are 3 Ukip posters up in houses down my road :(

[LEMmingaround]

It is a pretty working class street, some council, some privately owned houses. Not sure if that is relevant but WHY the fuck would you advertise the fact that you are a fuckwit? All of the people with the notices up are older people - older than me, which is 43 (im not older!!!! - ok, maybe a bit).

Its pretty worrying really that what i would normally see as very respectable folk have been sucked in by this bullshit?

This is a conservative ward, and although dissilussioned with the previous gov i have always voted labour - i am going to have to vote bloody tory in a half beat effort to keep Ukip out of the area :(

My DD lives in a town with a ukip counsellor - its fucking dire and getting worse :(

but if the eastern europeans are coming here and claiming our benefits and taking our jobs, why would they have need of the shelters and charities? You can't have it both ways

"Has it ever occurred to anyone that actually they are appealing to people whose lives are affected by immigration?"

Very few people seem to be saying that, though; they're experiencing problems with housing or schools and, whipped up by anti-immigration rhetoric, are laying this at the door of immigrants. Housing costs are down to market failure, specifically a long-term failure to build houses at a time when demand for them has grown due to a combination of factors (immigration being one, but primarily demographic factors like people living longer, divorcing more frequently, living alone, and marrying later).

My life has been affected by immigration all day; the driver of my bus, the man who served me coffee, the cleaner at my office, my assistant at work. All contributing to the economy and doing useful work.

Oh mumsnet save me.

Someone liked a sun post on facebook about David Cameron and immigration....

And I read the bloody comments...

My blood pressure won't come down for ages!

Are people really so stupid that they think throwing immigrants out of the country will make all of their lives better?!

Grr

My Egyptian G.P. is pretty good, too, Mrs Blackthorn

I see Mrs Blackthorne so your still refusing to concede that too much immigration too quickly is a bad thing, and you are not able to separate the issue its all bound up in one. I wonder how many of those immigrants you talk of, will also be voting UKIP, because after all, they too need schools, services and so on.

I know quite a few immigrants who are disgusted with the Labour government. Being an immigrant, does not make you immune to MW shortages when your in labour, vulnerable and needing help, or getting your child into school when there are no places...

news.sky.com/story/1259558/ukip-set-for-comfortable-win-in-euro-elections

It would be interesting if not so scary.

No alliance with Europe has ever worked and this one is failing.

Has it ever occurred to anyone that actually they are appealing to people whose lives are affected by immigration? People who may never read the Mail or any papers, or watch TV but who are affected by immigration and dont need to be told by anyone, thats its good or bad because they are living it and breathing it, and they are struggling.

The number of people that UKIP appeal to who never read a paper or watch TV must be pretty tiny. The reality is that they appeal to people who think their lives are affected by immigration when that is not so - e.g. the people who blame their unemployment on immigration rather than the fact that they just don't fancy applying for the low paid jobs - and who fail to take into account those areas where immigration benefits them, such as staffing of the NHS. And one reason why people think that is the propaganda that parties like UKIP put out.

Respondents to the poll in a range of European countries showed similar sentiments to those exhibited by UK voters.

In Finland, 57% of people said they do not trust politicians; in Sweden 59%; Denmark 61% and Germany 70%.

Voter dissatisfaction is strongest in France, where 78% of people said they do not trust politicians, leading to record levels of support for Marine le Pen's Front National.

In short, the European elections are likely to result in a wave of success for minority and protest parties; and a massive slap in the face for Europe's political leaders.

Viviennemary, I'm all for complacent politicians being woken up too. I just don't understand why anyone would want to wake them up for voting for a party like UKIP, especially in the EU elections. All that that will achieve, as has been pointed out, is a weakening of our position in Europe because we will have a number of MEPs whose primary interest in taking part in the EU Parliament is turning up to collect their allowances. Protest vote by all means, but make it a valid protest. Consider standing as a candidate yourself, for instance.

I know quite a few immigrants who are disgusted with the Labour government

Have they noticed that we haven't got a Labour government?

and who fail to take into account those areas where immigration benefits them

Was there any immigration into the country pre 2004?

We seem to be a pretty multi cultural nation already? I think I remember a wide diversity of people already living here pre 2004?

I think the UK is by and large a very diverse and multi cultural and culturally rich nation, and most people appreciate that and indeed enjoy it and love it.

I think it was pre 2004.

People know immigration benefits the country, they also know that millions of people coming into one place in a short space of time with no extra budgets for them, no provisions, already struggling maternity wards....
does not benefit them.

Its all or nothing with you guys isnt it, there is no middle way.

Vertec: the police confirmed the tweeter had no case to answer, legally. But they paid him a visit after a UKIP councillor made a complaint.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/12/police-ask-blogger-remove-legitimate-tweet-ukip

Why are UKIP councillors trying to stifle criticism of or debate about their manifesto?

All that that will achieve, as has been pointed out, is a weakening of our position in Europe because we will have a number of MEPs whose primary interest in taking part in the EU Parliament is turning up to collect their allowances

I guess we shall see after the Elections but it looks like other countries are not happy with the status quo either.

Its all or nothing with you guys isnt it, there is no middle way

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black? . UKIP appear to be campaining on one single issue. Is there anything more "all or nothing" out there in the political arena than that?

I am not the pot or the kettle I have no interest in UKIP bar the fact I am worried about the sentiment of feeling that is driving people to vote for them and its people with a black and white view who are driving people to vote for them.

I am 47, apart from a brief period living in a small Bedfordshire Town, I have always lived with a high proportion of immigrants.
I went to school in the 70s and my class was so mixed there were only 3 white children. One of them was first generation Irish.

The majority at that time were Cypriot and those fleeing Idi Amin.
All that has changed is the place people come from.
I have not noticed more or mass or influxes or floods.

Just changing skin tones and languages as people come and go.

But ^^^ this is always brushed off as me being delusional, lying about how I really feel or the words of a privileged person (hah)
For every person called a racist for dislikeing immigration there are 10 being told the are foolish and deluded for not caring.

Talk about being muzzled or shut down? Look around at the words used to describe those who are not jumping up and down about it.

Stupid, insane, unaware, unpatriotic, deluded blah blah.

Has it ever occurred to anyone that actually they are appealing to people whose lives are affected by immigration

Has it every occurred to YOU that they are frightening the hell out of people whose lives are affected by immigration?

There are people out there who don't need an excuse to be hateful and violent towards people they see as different. UKIP are there to provide that little nudge to those who want to be sure before they stick their head above the parapet.

Have you thought about families like mine for example? Mixed couple with kids. Disabled OH, disabled child. How do you think we feel when get a leaflet though our door? Knowing what I know?

We are one of those hard working decent families politicians like to bang on about. Just not quite decent enough for some hey?

Plenty of people - on here, and in the political debate - have presented the facts, about the net contribution immigrants make to the economy, about the numbers coming here, and about the impacts, and the response from UKIP supporters is misinformation, accusations of manipulation by some kind of shadowy liberal elite, and suggestions that all domestic ills are somehow the fault of immigrants.

Frankly, most UKIP supporters on here are actively trying not to engage with facts at all, rather that they want simple solutions (eg getting out of Europe) or to "send a message", regardless how self-defeating both of those things are.

It has been shown that immigrants take less out than they put in.

YABU

They can vote for who they want. they might think the same about anyone else in the street having labour/Conservative/liberal posters up.

"But this is always brushed off as me being delusional, lying about how I really feel or the words of a privileged person (hah)
For every person called a racist for dislikeing immigration there are 10 being told the are foolish and deluded for not caring."

Exactly this. When I was at school in the 80s there was not a single person in my class with two British parents. This was well before the mass EU immigration we see today - then, as now, when times are tough people like to blame "the other" for their own hardship. Because that's easier than demanding complex solutions to complex problems from our politicians.

"It has been shown that immigrants take less out than they put in."

Even when presented with the facts on this issue, UKIP supporters point-blank refuse to believe this - see posts, passim.

YABU. We live in a democracy with freedom of speech.

I listened on a train this morning to two middle-aged men discussing why they were going to vote UKIP. I heard nothing offensive from them - just a feeling that Farage can bring back the good old days when people weren't forever on the phone, when pubs were affordable, when you heard more English than foreign voices on the High Street, when TV ads didn't force you to go a website, when you had a "family doctor" etc etc

They just wanted to stop the modern world and get off. It was rather sad really.

alwaysblonde, I think the thread has moved on massively from the OP!

Sorry Beyond, I had assumed from your posts that you were a UKIP supporter. Will you ever forgive me?

I need to shut MN down and get on with a job application so I can get out of my low paid, zero hours contract job and make way for another three EE immigrants...

I would like to know how they think Farage is going to achieve it grovel!