UKIP and
the Local Election in Hull 2015
UKIP achieved a
sizeable vote in the city and many wards in 2014.
People voted UKIP not
because of their programme but as a vote against the establishment be
it the council, MPs or authority in general.
The working class are
becoming alienated by the three mainstream political parties.
In many wards Drypool
included many traditional Labour voters voted UKIP.
People voting UKIP have
no idea of their programme.
UKIP were seen as
breaking the mould of politics and the political class. “the're all
the same”.
The traditional working
class feel let down by Labour.
Whilst the Labour Party
has moved to the right the working class are moving to the left.
The Labour Party is not
seen as being a left party.
Working people feel
alienated and protested by voting UKIP.
For many voting UKIP is
a protest vote i.e. “non of the above.”
There is a real mood of
anger looking to be expressed, looking for radical ideas, anger at
the mainstream and the constant scandals, anger at capitalism and the
visible greed of the 1%.
The neo liberal ideas
coming from the Labour Party supporting counter reforms makes the
Labour party and the Tory party sound the same.
We should not over
estimate importance of UKIP. Far Far more people did not vote in the
election than voted UKIP.
It will be much
different when the General Election comes around.
UKIP is being hyped up
by the media to create stories for journalists. It is getting
publicity far beyond its strength or support. It has few full time
staff and is incapable of running a large-scale campaign in a general
election. Its councillors and MEP s do not have a whip and vote
differently on issues. Councillors, MEP s and supporters are often
quoted making daft or bizarre comments.
The more responsibility
they get the more they can and will be exposed.
UKIP support is not
just about immigration, it is about all the problems which people
face immigration is being used as a scapegoat for other problems.
Ukips policies are
often hidden, voters have no idea what programme UKIP stand on.
The real question is
how should we fight UKIP.
The last thing we
should do is mirror UKIP and start to put forward anti immigrant or
racist views.
The correct way to
expose UKIP and fight them from the left is to expose their policies
and programme.
- Force the unemployed welfare claimants onto community schemes or workfare programmes.
- Scrap HS2, all green taxes and wind turbine subsidies.
- Develop shale gas and supports fracking.
- UKIP will abolish inheritance tax.
- Introduce charges into the NHS
- Make cuts to foreign aid.
- The party has the laziest MEP s in Europe
- UKIP’s attendance record in the European Parliament is worse than that of their counterparts from the three major parties.
- UKIP is largely funded by one individual Paul Sykes.
It is difficult for the
Labour Party to attack the Tories austerity programme if the Labour
Party programme is a watered down version. We need to campaign on a
socialist programme.
