I can't link to the Sky news interview with Nigel Farage but it was terrible

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It was Kay Burley. About 3pm today. She made his case for him just now and I don't even think she meant it. In fact I think she's sure she made a good job of portraying him as a mad racist while talking to him about UKIP's poster suggesting migrant workers were stealing British jobs.

He seemed quite reasonable in the face of Burley. He didn't emerge as racist - protectionist at best - xenophobic at worst. He didn't even grab anyone round the throat or ask them if they'd have given it up a bit more their husband wouldn't have been tempted to murder prostitutes.

Then she went on about a pretty young woman they're featuring as a candidate who is from her appearance, clearly of Anglo-Asian background and demanding why UKIP didn't declare her background. Burley was the one who mentioned pretty. Not me or Farage.

Farage asked why they should and to be fair I had to agree. And also, she's a pretty woman who's used a flattering picture on her literature. Wouldn't you? If you want to know more about her views then read her literature and ask her questions, rather than the party.

Oh criminy. I had to admit that Nigel seemed reasonable. They're heading for a major result in the European elections. In my mad moments I toy with voting UKIP just because I've always lived in Tory constituencies and want to crush them now more than ever.

It could happen here. I won't do it, but the temptation is fucking strong.

I'd think it was a right-wing plot if I didn't know Burley of old and realise it was incompetence.

I agree. Labelling UKIP supporters as lunatic fringe will just enrage folk and further highlight how removed career politicians are from ordinary folk.
Even if UKIP does have some nutter supporters, what party doesn't?
I can conjure up a whole host of deeply unsavoury individuals I know who proudly bost of voting for Labour.

Loving Nigel's work and as always loving Claig's work, which is an invigorating change from the usual right on MN platitudes.

I am not necessarily against proportional representation Claig.

But there are consequences - in countries which use it you get a lot more coalitions for example and governments tend to be more unstable. On the other hand you get a more representative democracy than first past the post.

First past the post leads to more stable governments but more entrenched political parties.

Am not convinced that people would vote though for UKIP in the same way in a national election.

moondog UKIP doesnt just have nutty supporters, it has totally nutty MEPs, who i have personally heard being nutty on many occasions.

As i said, against gay marriage, against environmental stuff, climate deniers..

you do know that they are against capping bankers bonuses for example as well?

plus saying really stupid stuff about women on many occasions.

I'm not aware that being opposed to gay marriage is a crime?
Neither is not wanting to erect bloody windmills on every hillside and employing armies of community workers to engage people in bike riding and goat hair weaving.

Dig a little deeper into the lifestyles of the establishment and it ain't pretty. Maria Miller, Diane Abbott, Douglas Hogg, Milliband and his huge entourage on his visit to Israel. Blair raking it in as he zips all over the world in his loaned private jets telling everyone else how to think and what to do.

Loathsome.

"He seems to be motivated by his desire to leave the EU and will ride whatever political beast necessary to get that and to get his hands on some political power."

You seem to be implying that he is a spinner, and he isn't and that is why the public vote for him and his party.

This is what he said, and the spinners almost choked on their mocchiatos

"But compared with the kids who run foreign policy in this country I have got more respect for him [Putin] than our lot."

"This is the problem with UKIP - they all have "foreign" workers in their teams, using other EU people, but yet they rail against EU immigration into the UK. It's ok for them then, right? Hypocritical is the least you could say. They say they employ the best people for the job, but would restrict that possibility for other employers.

EG Farage employs his German wife, MEP Gerard Batten has hired Pavel Stroilov, from Russia, and Kamila Zarychta, is his accredited assistant in Brussels. MEP Roger Helmer has an Italian Assistant, William Dartmouth employs a Dane."

What on earth is wrong with that? They are not anti-foreigner, they are only anti the puppets in charge of the EU who are detroying the democratic rights of European people. They believe in hiring the best people for the job.

The only hypocrites are the spinners who accuse UKIP of being anti-foreigner and then attack UKIP for employing foreigners. But spinners will resort to anything in their desperation to "stop the people's party".

Any woman who got upset by some laughable old fool making comments about cleaning is so far up her own fundament that she probably needs to be surgically removed.
The poor old Pankhursts would be horrified at our Edwardian sensibilities.

eg Roger Helmer, who is the energy spokesman is a climate denier.

He is pro shale gas (see his website: rogerhelmermep.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/shale-gas-threat-or-opportunity/).

He has stated that " future increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations from current levels will have only a marginal effect on climate". He is tied to the ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council).

he also said that "the oceans will not become acid as they absorb CO2".

lackofenvironment.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/a-letter-to-ukip-mep-roger-helmer/
here's a letter by a conservative engineer to Helmer.

he is pretty nutty in my opinion.

moondog being against gay marriage is not a crime but is an example of bigotry in my opinion. plus bloom's comments on women didnt upset me per se. Just confirmed my opinion of him as an outdated loon.

claig the stuff about employing other EU nationals just shows to me how unworkable UKIP's policies are - compare that fact with their poster about how millions of eU people want your jobs? The point being that we have reached a point where you or your children could travel to the EU and get a job and people from the EU can travel to the UK.

I think it's good that MEPs can hire people from other countries but not good if they then spout off about EU immigration.

'he is pretty nutty in my opinion'

Your opinion is fine, but it is the public's opinion that counts.

Helmer sounds switched on to me about climate change, but to be honest, I don't like his over enthusiatic view of fracking, but no party matches every person's views and at the end of the day it is for the public to decide.

claig if you believe helmer on climate change you are truly deluded. he is beyond inaccurate.

i was just backing up my claim that various UKIP MEPs are nutty, and that is not just spin.

the reason he is in favour of fracking is the same reason he is a climate denier anyway Claig - because he denies environmental impacts of industry and potentially disastrous impacts of climate change, and believes the economic gains are worth it.

' The point being that we have reached a point where you or your children could travel to the EU and get a job and people from the EU can travel to the UK. '

British people worked in Europe and foreigners worked in the UK before the European Union existed. Farage wanst a work permit system and does not want to discriminate against skilled Indian workers and in favour of unskilled European Union workers.

'I think it's good that MEPs can hire people from other countries but not good if they then spout off about EU immigration.'

But what you are missing is that UKIP believe in hiring the best people for the job, and often that will be foreign people. They aren't going to stop all foreign bankers or foreign CEOs or foreign healthworkers and doctors and nurses working in the UK. But they want to protect the ability of the unemployed and low-skilled workers in the UK to gain employment and to earn a living wage from the competition of potentially millions of unskilled EU workers in the UK labour market.

by the way most UKIP is in favour of fracking. They voted against environmental impact assessments for fracking.

of course people worked abroad before claig, but not with the same protections. or with the same ease. the same would apply for UK nationals in europe as other Europeans in the UK.

plus it the UKIP posters on numbers are scaremongering because there is no way that all of Europe wants UK jobs. it's just ridiculous.

'i was just backing up my claim that various UKIP MEPs are nutty'

You are entitled to think that they are nutty, but I believe that the climate change activists are nutty, spinners and some are even scammers.

That's democracy. We all have different views. At the end of the day, it is for the electorate to decide. The electorate has an innate common sense and that has been made evident by UKIP's lead position in the polls and the electorate's refutation of the spinners.

We have nothing to fear from democracy. Only the spinners fear democracy.

"the reason he is in favour of fracking is the same reason he is a climate denier anyway Claig - because he denies environmental impacts of industry and potentially disastrous impacts of climate change, and believes the economic gains are worth it."

Yes, well I disagree with him about the potential environmental impacts of fracking on our water table and environment and I hope that over time, the common sense ordinary people of UKIP will ask many more questions about the potential health and environmental risks involved. That again is part of the democratic process and open debate.

'by the way most UKIP is in favour of fracking. They voted against environmental impact assessments for fracking.'

I know. I don't like that. But I am not in charge, unfortunately.

It is extremely dangerous Xpat to assume that only your views count, or the views of folk like you.

xpatmama, we are a free tading nation that has always embraced talent from all over teh world and UKIP won't end that. They will negotiate deals with Europe to ensure that our workers get the same rights to work in Europe as we have always given to their workers to work in the City and everywhere else in the country.

'plus it the UKIP posters on numbers are scaremongering because there is no way that all of Europe wants UK jobs. it's just ridiculous.'

The reason they do that is to highlight the absurdity of the situation where there are no controls on the potential movement of workers and where the UK government is powerless to do anything about it. Cleggy does not want to talk about things like that and spinners would rather it was not mentioned, but UKIP highlight it in order to embarrass the spinners.

since when did I say only my views count Moondog?

i am making an argument here to say that I believe UKIP are bigoted, often nutty and electing them in great numbers to the EU Parliament will be damaging for the UK.

I am also of the view that since they have such a vague legislative platform they have hoovered up people of many persuasions, and would hope that if people knew all the facts they might reconsider whether it's a good idea to vote for them.

But it is not just spinning to say that they have nutty MEPs, I can provide you with plenty of proof!

the telegraph on UKIP and women:
www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-politics/10691999/Nigel-Farage-may-be-a-cheeky-chappy-but-Ukips-sexism-is-no-laughing-matter.html

liveraf.wordpress.com/2014/03/29/nigel-farage-has-a-violent-temper-claims-female-mep-nikki-sinclaire-a-former-ukip-mep-claims-nigel-farage-threatened-her-with-his-fist-during-an-outburst/

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/7881559/British-MEPs-have-worst-European-Parliament-attendance-record.html

"The three British MEPs with the worst attendance record are the Ukip MEPs David Campbell Bannerman, Paul Nuttall and Godfrey Bloom, each averaging under 63 per cent.
.....
Stephen Booth, of the Open Europe think tank, said: "British MEPs are paid an awful lot of money to defend the interests of UK voters in Europe but it's pretty difficult to do that if they don't turn up to vote. Helping to fight the general election campaign is all very well but MEPs' first duty is to make sure that EU laws coming out of the European Parliament are good for the UK.

ah, someone has done all the research on the different bigotry:
liveraf.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/is-ukip-a-party-of-bigots-lets-look-at-the-evidence-their-manifesto-might-just-look-like-a-list-of-things-that-annoy-people-but-party-members-hold-some-views-that-should-concern-us-says-alex-and/

• brings together all the different nasty stuff being said on multiculturalism, the less able, women, etc. etc.