To never speak to this friend again?

[ArgyMargy]

She has just outed herself on Facebook as a UKIP supporter. I always knew she was a bit racist but she lives in a backwater. What the hell do I do now?! Should I just never speak to her again?

All I will say is that my experience was radically different from yours, and I have worked in many areas on the NHS. I remember the tail end of the Thatcher years, the Major government, and the injection of cash post 97. All governments tinker with the NHS, but don't forget who introduced it in the first place. Many Tories (and their 'eccentric' UKIP cousins) are ideologically opposed to the NHS. The Health and Social Care Act (introduced despite a direct pledge to the opposite, you must remember; it was all over the posters in 2010) is an blatantly ideological attempt to privatise the NHS. Look at the interests of those involved in designing it and voting it through, they all have their mucky hands in private health concerns (often from the U.S.).

So you stop talking to someone because you disagree with their political views? Doesn't that make you as small-minded as you consider her to be? If you disagree with her, tell her and have a debate but if you otherwise like her I certainly don't think it need mean the end of the friendship (and I say this as someone who hates UKIP)

Sounds like the place where you work would collapse if UKIP policies were put into effect

That may be so and I wouldn't have any problem with that Icimoi. I'd commiserate with the employees, wherever they came from, but an employer whose business model relies on paying staff as cheaply as possible on contracts that are in his favour - no.

They can go to the wall because I don't see why my tax should subsidise them through benefits to the working poor.

It's of no benefit to the economy. As it happens, the threat to my job is not through immigrants but through the squeeze as employers become much stronger than employees.

My income has gone down and my employment status is precarious with the result that I hardly spend anything except on essentials. That doesn't help the economy but I can see how it benefits a few very rich employers.

I don't see the benefit to the economy of having a rump of cheap foreign labour working here for a short time and saving their money or sending it abroad.

I wouldn't vote UKIP - not on the grounds of racism but because I find their employment and social ideas exploitative and damaging - that's if they exist at all.

I don't understand why they oppose the immigration of cheap unskilled or semi-skilled labour which drive down wages and conditions. I'd have thought that was ideal.

My only thought is that it appeals to disaffected unskilled and semi-skilled British people who can then be exploited once we've driven out all the Romanians.

I think it's misguided of them but I can see why it's an attractive notion and calling such people racists doesn't help IMO.

Has it occurred to you that if all these people can't understand you, maybe the problem lies with you?

^^ This, IMO opinion, is an example of an unhelpful statement. It is not unreasonable in Britain to expect the people you deal with to have a good standard of English.

It's not a life-or-death situation in a sandwich bar. However in some situations it might be. I've been in hospital and have spoken to agency staff I couldn't understand and who couldn't understand me.

That is even more worrying when you consider that agency staff with poor English make home visits to the vulnerable including the elderly and those with learning difficulties who may be reluctant to complain, or if so, are called racist.

And yes, it does happen.

Globally, most women who wear the burqa don't have a choice. Afghanistan was fairly liberal in 70s until the Taliban came to power. In the UK a few may choose to wear it but others are pressured: if you want to marry me you must wear one etc.
Anyway, we digress!

"Nothing racist about UKIP anyway, if you think there is then please show us their racist policies?"

"I'm not a ukip supporter but I'm genuinely interested to learn why people say they are rascist."

UKIP's leader has explicitly said that his party would legalise racial discrimination.

Last month Trevor Phillips asked Nigel Farage (on camera) "[If UKIP were in power] Would there be a law against discrimination on the grounds or race or colour?” Farage answered "No."

This isn't some comment dredged up from years ago. It isn't something said by some minor party functionary who's since been officially ticked off. It isn't something taken out of context and twisted by UKIP's political enemies. It was five weeks ago, a very simple question with a very simple answer.

UKIP are a racist party, and I would not be friends with any supporters (although to be honest, I don't think there is any chance of this anyway amongst my friends).

Also their anti-EU stance is so one-sided, they are expecting to be able to carry on with the bits they like and ignore everything they don't!

Not the same everywhere, but round here they have really scraped the bottom of the barrel to get candidates. In the local hustings event, our local candidate didn't seem to know anything about the policy details, even a bit sketchy on the detail of immigration and leaving the EU.

When asked why he thought that working-age Eastern Europeans were more of a drain on NHS resources than retired British pensioners in Spain he didn't actually manage to think of a reply at all

Tragically, I just read that!! Although in practice I'm not sure how enforceable race laws are because it can be difficult to prove that someone was refused a job on race grounds. And majority of people would not discriminate on race regardless of laws. But they do send out a strong message.
But I still don't think that everyone who would vote for UKIP has heard that, and is racist.
I can't quite believe Nigel Farage has a European wife though.... and I think she's now on the payroll?! What a hypocrite!!

As it happens, I got an election leaflet from UKIP through the letterbox today.
Our local UKIP candidate is black.

Erm... Poor man. How desperate to be an MP is he?

I can't wait for the GE to be over so Nigel can crawl back into the hole he came out of.

"UKIP are a racist party, and I would not be friends with any supporters"

I don't support UKIP, but I wouldn't stop being friends with someone if that is who they wanted to vote for. I might think a little less of them, but most people have redeeming qualities. Neither would I stop being friends with my Tory supporting friends either.

I'm not one for cutting my nose off to spite my face.

Why is it such a big deal for you?

UKIP are a racist party, and I would not be friends with any supporters (although to be honest, I don't think there is any chance of this anyway amongst my friends)

Yawn, UKIP want to be able to give priority for British jobs to British people and nothing more. It's hardly racist, just common sense. I must admit I would not remain friends with any Labour supporters but none of my friends are complete cunts so there's little danger of that.

British jobs for British people. Because that helps the world economy doesn't it. Maybe that rule should exist for all those expats in Spain, Australia, The Philippines, etc. Especially those who open awful, British themed pubs in a forrin country because they miss good old Blighty (but cannot be arsed paying tax in to their own country).

I like my friends because they are lovely people. We don't discuss politics with them and, quite frankly, I couldn't care less who they voted for.

richthegreatcornholio and itsnotmeitsyou1 do you really expect anyone to agree with either of you?

Your views are stunted, IMHO.

Bloody hell, looks like some DM commenters have descended on MN! Anyone who describes racist/xenophobic policies as common sense is a cunt of the highest order.

Limited, I was being somewhat sarcastic in my response to rich, although it is true that in the greater scheme of things, it's not as easy as saying only jobs for British people. How do you even govern such a policy?

I understand immigration is the key point that Ukip voters find appealing, and as rich said, they feel a British person should be prioritised for any job in this country. So how do they feel their leader can justify his German wife working for him? He apparently greatly dislikes the EU, but he and fellow MEPs have no issue being paid by them. I think the hypocrisy of Ukip annoys me as much as their small minded views to be honest. However I can see how (although trying to be ironic), my last post must have seemed in similar vain, my apologies.

nick, I'm glad its clear to you what I was trying to say. I have no issues with British expats, they can work and pay their taxes where they chose. Like I said, it's the hypocrisy that irritates me.

I wouldn't drop someone for voting UKIP unless they had other opinions I loathed.
I would want to educate them, though. :)

itsnotmeitsyou1 ISWYM. I misunderstood.

UKIP doesn't have a coherent policy on anything. Maybe it's an enormous vanity project/Ponzi scheme for Nigel Farage.

We should call that by the good old British term Pyramid Selling btw. Charles Ponzi was a feelthy eyetie as well as a crook and I hate US cultural imperialism

I maintain that it's not helpful to brand people tempted to vote UKIP as racists.

Call me naive but I don't think most people in Britain are. But I do think many people have legitimate fears about their shrinking prospects and the available resources for them and their children; the direction of the economy and the balance between employer and employee.

UKIP does not address that at all. I don't think they have a coherent policy, but their policy, such as it it is, seems to be to shaft working people of whatever creed or colour by stripping them of rights or access to any kind of welfare state.

I would just rather we concentrated on pointing this out rather than dismissing someone who is worried about jobs, wages and resources as a racist.

As I said, I don't think most British people are racist. But some people are insular and lots of people are scared and resentful after five years of Austerity Britain.