Major update cockup?
They're supposed to be rolling out some serious manifarto promises that will make them sound like a serious party any time now. Best guess they've scrubbed all the silly stuff off their website and found there's nothing left.
UKIP's website is currently out of action, but the reason for its little sit-down remains a mystery given that the domain name is not set to expire until early next year. It's been suggested elsewhere that Nigel Farage and his loony pals have failed to pay their domain renewal fees for the service hosted by 123-reg. However, …
The web site of our local rag has become infested with the bastards. Almost any story has hoards of 'kipper commentards stating how all this (the subject of the article) will be fixed when (not if) they win the election.
According to them, under a 'kipper government crime, sickness, the rising cost of living, poor housing, decaying town centres, unemployment, high taxes, corruption, poor roads, poor public transport, etc, etc, will all be things of the past and we will all be living in Farageatopia. Anyone who questions their proclamations is shouted down with a torrent of abuse.
The really scary thing is how many people are being taken in by this rhetoric. They are thoroughly pissed off with "austerity" and will get more of the same from the Conservatives and "austerity lite" from Labour. Along come the 'kippers promising utopia (albeit impractical and undeliverable) and they are lapping it up.
Of course, what would actually happen if the 'kippers got any real power is the UK would wind up in deep shit along the lines of Zimbabwe (and for similar reasons).
So your local rag is full of these people you say yet you are doing exactly the same thing here. Coming on shouting down the other man with not a shred of proof. Your just calling people names in the school playground and making up Chinese whispers..
Would you care to name these people I have "shouted down". I have derided the 'kippers because I genuinely think they are dangerous and those who follow them are fools, but as nobody here has said they support them your accusation holds no credibility. You will also note that I am extremely critical of the two major parties for creating the environment in which a party like UKIP can thrive.
Just beware. In the General Election you might get the Government you vote for. Just before you put that X in the box, imagine Farage standing outside of No 10. I don't know about you, but the thought scares the shit out of me.
Would you care to name these people I have "shouted down". I have derided the 'kippers because I genuinely think they are dangerous and those who follow them are fools, but as nobody here has said they support them your accusation holds no credibility.
You have just done it again, they support a party you do not agree with, you call them dangerous and fools (the same can be said about most parties to be honest and it seems you agree) but did not provide any backup to your statement as for why.
You will also note that I am extremely critical of the two major parties for creating the environment in which a party like UKIP can thrive.
I'm glad to hear it. I don't think any of them (all parties) have a solid plan at the moment.
Just beware. In the General Election you might get the Government you vote for. Just before you put that X in the box, imagine Farage standing outside of No 10. I don't know about you, but the thought scares the shit out of me.
This is the same in every General Election, you might get the Government you vote for. Do you really feel any of them standing outside No.10 is much better? We need a better way for the people to affect the Governement. It's not like we need an MP to ride up to London on a horse to represent us any more with the instant communication we have. The problem is getting a reliable efficient and trustworthy way of doing it.
Also I never said which way my vote would go (it's been different a lot of years based on the policies, not the people), I just think the name calling is a little silly, but then I guess that's politics.
I do find it amazing how many people fear democracy. Apart from the real hard line supporters of the parties I dont know many outsiders that vote FOR a party instead of AGAINST the others. The argument currently seems to be- vote tory to keep the economic incompetence out (lab/lib) or vote labour to get the austerity pushers out (tory/lib). The libs used to have voters for their promised utopia of infinite money and dreams but that quickly shattered and with fairly good reason.
So we have 3 options to stay in the EU as few seem to believe Cameron will offer a real choice and his negotiations were gone before they started. Considering the only 2 viable main parties (lab/con) are either considered red tories or blue labour because they all chase the middle ground (small sliver of voters who by definition sit on the status quo) we now have a potentially viable party offering something different, and that is choice, and I notice choice now seems to be branded dangerous. The politics of fear, the fear of change.
I read an interesting piece ages ago (cant remember where) discussing the possibility that WW2 brought europe a fear of the right while the cold war brought a fear of the left to the US. This seems realistic when the idea of immigration controls of developed and fully functioning countries is considered racist in this country. Unlimited EU immigration is good but no brown people please? And somehow that policy is branded NOT racist.
Personally I dont tie myself to any party but vote for whoever seems to offer the best choice for the country. So I hang my head in shame when I read that people vote labour to stop tories or vote tories to stop labour but then complain they are the same. How can a country get like this? People vote for it. Because choice is dangerous. We want democracy but only if everyone is the same. I am amused that we want freedom and choice but only if it is the sanitised versions with no rough edges. Some people argue UKIP is part of the establishment because they are in politics (duh) and some argue they are not a real party. There seem so many conflicts over what UKIP is and so many different versions with varying exaggeration for and against I wonder who is trying to convince who of what.
But at the very least there has been some good. UKIP voters at least seem to vote FOR UKIP not necessarily AGAINST every other party. And if the other parties represented various groups of various views (not mudslinging) then maybe this dangerous party offering choice wouldnt exist. But then the dangerous situation of choice would... and that is what people seem to seriously fear- democracy.
This is summed up pretty well by some commenter above saying you might get the gov you voted for. Oh god no! That would be different. Just imagine if labour, tory or even lib had been the gov you voted for. Doing what they offered. Doing what they promise. Actually representing the voter.
It's strange isn't it, how these commenters always turn up and are always so loud? A little like the commenters that start buzzing around the moment a discussion touches on climate change or creationism.
It's almost as though there are people deliberately organising for this purpose. It smells funny to me, like people are being paid to shout down online opposition. I'm sure there is some interesting research to be done on where these comments are coming from and who is paying for them. I would guess there are a few agencies making a lot of money through this process, probably under a very innocuous "online marketing" name.
"There are so many local newspapers. And then there's the BBC's Have Your Say to shit mindless racism all over too."
The problems nowadays is that the word racism is so overused and abused it has lost much of it's original meaning and context. That's not to say that racism does not exist, but rather that it really holds little real meaning, or indeed relevance, in many contexts in which it is now used.
It's reached the point whereby it's impossible to have an adult conversation without the champagne socialists screaming 'racist' at the beginning and end of every sentence offered in retort to anything that offends their often fragile sensibilities.
Let's all act like grown-ups, accept that others are free to adopt a position that is contrary that of others.
Arguments and debates are never won by scweaming 'wacist' at every turn.
I agree with you!
However, a quick glance through the sadly now apparently no longer updated spEak You're bRanes clearly demonstrates that much of what you find on Have Your Say (and the Mail's comments, and many other places) is quite clearly racism, not to mention illiterate and retarded.
I think UKIP are a shame. I like the anti-EU thing because the EU is a wholly corrupt, undemocratic, porkbarrel-based money pit with very few redeeming features (note - the ECHR is entirely separate from the EU and almost entirely worthwhile so fuck you Farage) but they couldn't just stick to that.
Oh no, it had to be the eternal "immygrunts" ruining everything for hard-working whiterespectable British people. Because they are entirely to blame for austerity. Not the banks that shat the bed in 2007, not successive ludicrous amounts of unnecessary government borrowing, regulating and policing, not the tax system that seems to be entirely designed to fuck poor people in the ear while anyone who can afford to hire PwC (a deductible expense...) pays none at all, not the illegal, disastrous foreign wars, not restricting housing supply in order to create bubbles and give MPs a cheaper and more profitable ride on their Buy-To-Let schemes, not practically forcing kids to do expensive and mostly useless degrees in bullshit subjects from the University of Greater London (formerly Chelmsford B&Q)....
No, it wasn't any of the ruling classes with their protected and bailed out gravy trains. It was all "immygrunts". Let's pick on some brown people, that'lll make everything alright. And jobs for British people because after all, arbeit macht frei, nicht wahr?
I've noticed a similar trend here in the States that seems have floated over to you guys.. An election is not about electing the best person, it's about blame with lots of promises and no solutions:
1) find a problem.
2) point the finger and affix the blame.
3) Never offer a thoughtful solution
4) Goto 1 and repeat until elected.
@dogged
European parliament, like UK, is governed by conservatives ... vote for labor or commies and Europe will care for the poor. I am not saying I hope for the commies to take over, but a strong commy party makes sure the EU takes care of the poor.
The EU has always been governed by conservatives, and the UK conservatives are part of the leading fraction that governs, and have been since inception. Blame it on them.
As for corruption, all governments are corrupt, to a certain extent - corruption is how the boys and girls get into office.
'It's reached the point whereby it's impossible to have an adult conversation without the champagne socialists screaming 'racist' at the beginning and end of every sentence offered in retort to anything that offends their often fragile sensibilities.'
@I don't have a handle How many time has this situation honestly happened to you?
"How can we give £1bn [...] to Bongo Bongo land"
Now, you can write what you want, but to even consider using a derogatory word as such denotes deep sincere racism. I would never have thought of using such a term, maybe he could not remember the name of the continent ?
Besides, UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom has absolutely no clue of international trade or humanitarian aid, for that matter. Now, it is true, we have quite phenomenally improved living standards in third world countries, just look at the decline of starvation and malnutrition over the last 20 years. However, people in the 3rd world are still starving to death; we have "products" on the market called weight watchers and slim fast.
He was then referring to corrupt governments across Africa that take large chunks of the money we allotted to their country ... just how do you think we get our natural resources so cheap, Mr Bloom ?
Now, I condemn this situation, of course, but for every £1 we give these bastards (corrupt officials), we get 5 or 10 back.
Margareth Thatcher was just as blind folded when she said "We want our money back" ... she wanted "le beurre, l'argent du beurre, et le cul de la cremiere" (excuse my French). The E.U. costs a lot of money, agreed, but 80% of our exports go to EU member states, we need the EU. We do not want to go back to borders, tariffs etc ... well, EU has a price. UK is making many times more from the EU as it is than it is contributing to it.
The world is changing, we need a big market to compete with Asian giants (India, China). Can UK ban Chinese imports on its own ? What effect will it have if they threaten to do it ? What impact does it have if a market 10 times bigger threatens to ban imports ? Right.
Imagine the EU football team, the best players of all European Nations ... unbeatable, unbeatable ... a dream team. It is exactly the same economically ... together we are bigger than China or US, GDP wise. Together we can say fuck off to whichever nation we want.
These are things UKIP does NOT understand. Their miracle solutions are mirages, in France we have the same, with Le Pen wanting a return to the <jokeAlert>sesterce</jokeAlert>.
The worst of all is, the UK education system has produced a nation of bigots. I am sorry, you really need to have lived abroad to understand what EU is all about (it is not your fault, it is what you were taught). I have met numerous Brits abroad who admitted they only just discovered what this was all about. If the UK government had any common sense back in the 80's and 90's, London would have been the European Stock Exchange, not Frankfurt. Blame Maggy!
If the French had common sense, we would have had a constitution by now, the 2008/2009 global crisis would have been much smaller a problem. We are now 18 players on a pitch with each and every one of us having a different strategy ... how are we gonna score like this ?????
Besides, Greece is richer than some Lander (Germany) or richer per capita than some Regions (France) - sure there is an equivalent in the UK, now, I do not hear much uproar in France about the poorer regions who live off the back of us ... we NEED TO stand together, we all profit from it.
We need the euro, which is a blessing ... ever noticed why it was so high for so many years ? To counter balance high energy prices, which are paid in $. Now they have fallen, the euro has been allowed to lose value, which will dope our exports. How about the pound ? Well, you know what, all exports from the UK will be more expensive in euroland ... will that help your exports ?
The really scary thing is how many people are being taken in by this rhetoric. They are thoroughly pissed off with "austerity" and will get more of the same from the Conservatives and "austerity lite" from Labour. Along come the 'kippers promising utopia (albeit impractical and undeliverable) and they are lapping it up.
That should not come as a surprise - it's the same thing that kept New Labour in power even after it became clear what massive damage they were causing to the economy. In that context I am always very suspicious if politicians try to screw around with the educational system, because you you need a large volume of idiots for that to continue working. Evidently there is no supply shortage on that front :(.
In politics, "mistakes" like these are usually contrived to bring more visitors to the party's website - the photo of Farage about to bust into tears just adds to the authenticity.
Re. "It's almost as though there are people deliberately organising for this purpose."
I'm sorry that some people don't agree with you. UKIP were the largest party in the UK Euro elections so no doubt they have many activists who will find their way to any open forum discussing their party and will want to promote themselves. Given the number of people spreading disinformation about UKIP on this forum it seems only fair.
Re. "I have derided the 'kippers because I genuinely think they are dangerous and those who follow them are fools"
Thanks for your opinion, but most of the rest of the world is outside the EU and it's not dangerous for them. Moreover Britain's membership of the EU has coincided with our relative decline after reaching our zenith as an independent nation.
As for the Euro, aren't you glad we're not in it given the way things are looking right now? It was so much easier when the smaller nations could manipulate their currencies to stimulate their economy instead of being a drain on the rest of the Euro zone. I think you'd have to be unreasonably optimistic to think that joining the Euro now would be the less dangerous option.
As for blaming "immygrunts" for "ruining everything", once an area is overpopulated like many areas of Britain are, adding more immigrants reduces the standard of living for the majority. If you restrict immigration to just the beneficial ones, the effect still happens, just to a lesser degree. Any overpopulated country would benefit from freezing immigration and encouraging emigration of people who make the least contribution to society. C'est la vie!
Most of the blame for "austerity" lies with Labour for overspending in the boom years leaving the Tories to borrow even more in the lean times. The deficit will have to be paid off eventually, the longer we leave it the more debt interest there is to pay. In order to justify anti-austerity measures they have to produce more economic growth to offset not paying off debt. If you have any great suggestions I'm sure the Chancellor will love to hear them. My starter for ten would be allowing budget surpluses in government departments to be retained for the next year without having next year's budget slashed, eliminating the annual glut of wasteful spending that so often occurs. Wishful thinking....
would be allowing budget surpluses in government departments to be retained for the next year without having next year's budget slashed, eliminating the annual glut of wasteful spending that so often occurs.
It's a nice idea, but it'd take years to take effect. If they brought it in, no department would trust that it wasn't just a temporary thing, and so would still spunk the cash in case failing to do so might lead to budgets being cut a few years down the line instead (as a result of a change in Government, policies whatever).
Thanks for your opinion, but most of the rest of the world is outside the EU and it's not dangerous for them.
I don't know exactly what the OP meant, but my interpretation was that it's dangerous because UKIP seem to have no clue on a wide range of issues. Their strong focus on key areas, within a (relatively) small party comes at the cost of some of other (potentially more important) issues.
Personally, I'd hate to see UKIP get into power. I had hoped their surge in popularity might make Cameron and chums rethink a few things, but aside from small hat tips, that doesn't seem to have happened.
@ YARR
Have I ended up in a time machine ? This reads like 1932, Berlin.
>Thanks for your opinion, but most of the rest of the world is outside the EU and it's not dangerous for them.
Do 80% of their exports go to the EU ? thought not. Are the developing super powers (India, China) same size as UK (population-wise) ? UK is not even in the same league ... ouch.
What are Africa and South America trying to accomplish ?
Their implementation of EU.
Why ?
To be able to survive in the new world order which will see China and India bullying.
>Moreover Britain's membership of the EU has coincided with our relative decline after reaching our zenith as an independent nation.
Ever heard of the world wars or 1970's oil crises ? Why would UK want to join EEC, why did they try so hard, de Gaulle was vetoing UK's entry ? The steel and coal alliance was hurting UK jobs.
>As for blaming "immygrunts" for "ruining everything", once an area is overpopulated like many areas of Britain are, adding more immigrants reduces the standard of living for the majority....
The UK is not overpopulated, please see the the list of most densely populated nations. The Netherlands is one of them, they are well off ... ouch, I know.
Almost every idea UKIP convey is FUD. Almost every idea UKIP convey is FUD. Almost every idea UKIP convey is FUD....
I say "almost" though I must admit, I have yet to hear anything sensible from them ...
As for the euro, read my other comment ... ;-) Who will laugh comes 2016 ? Studied economics at Uni ? I have.
Hans, your comments were good but you had to spoil it right at the end by insisting you know better and have it all right just because you studied Economics. Whoop de do. I assume you saw all the problems and solutions of the world right away then?
There are many economists that know bugger all, they guess or their "forecasts" are based on flawed models. You may have a better idea where things might go having studied the subject but it does not automatically make everyone else wrong and you right just because you have.
@ Ragarath
You may need to point out the good comments made by Hans because I have read through them and I dont see it.
He mentions economics and that we do a lot of trade with the EU but I dont see the bit about the EU floundering for years and reaching deflation. Surely bad economics is to tie ourselves to a sinking ship just because its big.
He argues the UK is not overpopulated. That was it for the argument as far as I can tell. I assume he based that on available land instead of housing/public services/cultural issues.
He argues the EU is run by conservatives (not an accusation often levelled by opponents) but then he does state his desire for a 'commy' party, which is something I have heard as a concern.
He has referred to Berlin 1932 a couple of times and the wars which I feel gives clues as to why he feels the EU needs to be clung to without question or reason. However opponents of the EU used to be called eurosceptics but that word fell out of favour when the EU demonstrated itself to fail on every count the 'eurosceptics' pointed out. So much so that there is friction and rise of extreme parties due to this level of incompetence. Nationalist parties of both left and right are rising in popularity throughout Europe even with protests against Germany particularly branding them nazi's again. And Germany has recently taken a harsher view of Greece particularly for this.
I notice he even says we need the euro. It is a blessing! This is interesting economics argument as it has been a plague and doom for many people in a number of countries.
In short I dont see the good comments. With or without UKIP there is plenty argument against the EU and hans has not made one valid point in their favour that I can see
I mean good as in alternative not that they are right. Just because they are comments you do not agree with does not mean that they are automatically bad and that they should not be considered in a debate.
Different people think differently, heck it would be a much simpler world if we all did and agreed on the same thing. We would not even be having this conversation if we all agreed on if Europe was a good or bad thing for Britain.
"I mean good as in alternative not that they are right. Just because they are comments you do not agree with does not mean that they are automatically bad and that they should not be considered in a debate."
I ment it in that context. I am no fan of the EU so I am happy with an exit etc but I can appreciate another point of view if it makes sense or is a contributor to a debate. Which is why I said you would have to point out the good comments for the reasons I put in my comment. There is an argument for the EU even though I dont think it outweighs the argument to leave. He made no good argument to stay in the EU. I ripped his comments for being rubbish in every context.
So if you think he made some good ones and fancy doing so feel free to post up whatever they were because I cant find em
"Give them some credit - they've got their racists and homophobes in place."
Cut & paste from the guardian was it? FYI Ukip is currently the only party to ban former BNP members from joining. Perhaps you halfwit metro liberals should check your facts first.
'FYI Ukip is currently the only party to ban former BNP members from joining. Perhaps you halfwit metro liberals should check your facts first.'
Perhaps you right-wing loonies should, too. The Labour Party banned former BNP members from joining years ago.
"Perhaps you right-wing loonies should, too. The Labour Party banned former BNP members from joining years ago."
Sure about that? I'd double check if I were you.
And then there's this sort of thing:
http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/local/former-nazi-wins-a-labour-council-seat-1-3826439
FYI Ukip is currently the only party to ban former BNP members from joining.
This is to present a friendly front. They are BNP-lite. They know how unpopular the BNP are, so want to copy them without the bits which upset people, but as seen in "slip-ups" from members, they hold the same views. They just keep them hidden.
I (unfortunately) know of several former BNP members who now vote UKIP, and they want to join the party. UKIP know that their views appeal to the BNP crowd, because they are practically the same, but need to put distance between them to avoid alienating voters.
"This is to present a friendly front. They are BNP-lite."
And I suppose you think 60% of voters in clacton are racists/homophones/whatever?
Or just maybe there is a problem with massive immigration onto a small island with already overstretched resources and thats reflected in the rise of a party that a large proportion of the population feels reflects their views.
But then anyone with a brain knows that the london metro liberal view is no longer an intellectual viewpoint but more of a religion nowadays that must not be questioned, and anyone who thinks differently must be lambasted, vilified and generally treated as a pariah for going against the holy texts of The Guardian and Independent.
And I suppose you think 60% of voters in clacton are racists/homophones/whatever?
I would infer from the view you express that you're a UKIP supporter or at the very least sympathetic to them. You therefore probably agree with Nigel Farrage's recently expressed view that people working in the NHS should be tested to ensure that they speak English well.
With that in mind I suggest you go away and look up what "homophone" actually means!
And I suppose you think 60% of voters in Clacton are racists/homopho[b]es/whatever?
The truth is that many people do think this. The solution is to have open and free debate, but words like "racist", "loony" and "homophobe" have been used to quickly shut down discussion whenever it arises, and every time that happens, it moves us all backwards.
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@Jim 59
The problem is, arse-holes come in all colors, shapes and sizes.
When you refer to someone or a group of people by their ethnic background, sexuality, nationality, belief and give that person/group certain properties and you mean or infer that all members of the group are the same, good or bad, you are xenophobic.
White, yellow, black, red, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, Aryan, Caucasian, African, Asian ... whatever ... there is no need to be a racist ... 99% of times when somebody gets called out for being a racist, there is a reason.
I would take it even further ... as a human, why would somebody who was born in a place have more rights than somebody who was born elsewhere ? Why would somebody have more rights than another, just because he had the right parents ? (I am not talking wealth, here, I mean civil rights) Tell me !
Does the birth place, parents matter ? In the UK, it matters a lot ... look, you have lords and a monarch ... most "developed" iow "educated" countries in the world did away with that bullshit centuries ago. The people seizing all belongings of the monarch ...
Ever heard of communicating vessels ? That is planet earth. The best way to describe it would be to look at earth from outer space, no borders, no nations, no bullshit.
Gods and religions
Civilization wars
Arms, flags, countries and nations
Always make us cannon fodder
"You therefore probably agree with Nigel Farrage's recently expressed view that people working in the NHS should be tested to ensure that they speak English well."
Given that medical misunderstandings can mean the difference between life and death I'd have thought anyone with an ounce of common sense would agree with it.
"With that in mind I suggest you go away and look up what "homophone" actually means!"
Picking up on typos really is the last resort of the someone who has nothing to add to a debate.
>I would infer from the view you express that you're a UKIP supporter or at the very least sympathetic to them. You therefore probably agree with Nigel Farrage's recently expressed view that people working in the NHS should be tested to ensure that they speak English well.<
Well I'm certainly not a UKIP supporter; for the record, my political views are rather to the left of any of the mainstream parties. However the ability to speak English to a reasonable level of proficiency seems like a basic requirement in any role where miscommunication can have major consequences. What's racist about that?
Yes, damn those homophones and their same-sounding words with differing meanings, taking over our dictionaries and our thesauruses, they're not as bad as the Synonyms but at least *they* make a decent curry !
(Coat, before Lenny Henry accuses me of ripping off "Go home Cone")
That massive throng of foreign sorts, yes... I feel so overwhelmed tell me when we get to sending back all those bastard Americans, Germans, French, Australians, South Africans, Irish and Canadians. Or are they okay...? They tend to be, I remember the great anecdotal comment of a Canadian when a UKIP person asks them if they support sending the immigrants back, she goes "I am an immigrant, I'm from Canada" to whit the response was "Oh we don't mean your sort" anyway probably an apocryphal tale anyway, but it does tend to highlight the mindset.
Just look at the abuse the Chinese get and they represent a tiny slither of the UK population (almost all of which are either students, employed in good roles or small business owners)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign-born_population_of_the_United_Kingdom
I don't think it's apocryphal - I had a conversation with a UKIP supporter who kindly exempted me from the deportation order, as although 3 of my 4 grandparents were 'foreign' my pale skin and received BBC pronunciation meant that I 'wasn't the sort of person we are talking about'.
And I suppose you think 60% of voters in clacton are racists/homophones/whatever?Or just maybe there is a problem with massive immigration onto a small island with already overstretched resources and thats reflected in the rise of a party that a large proportion of the population feels reflects their views.
I do not say that all UKIP voters are racist (although I do believe a significant number are, just like my father-in-law and my wife's grandfather, although they kid themselves that they are not). But I believe the party, itself, to be such.
There is a problem with mass migration, although I do not believe it is as big a problem as some make out.
But then anyone with a brain knows that the london metro liberal view is no longer an intellectual viewpoint but more of a religion nowadays that must not be questioned, and anyone who thinks differently must be lambasted, vilified and generally treated as a pariah for going against the holy texts of The Guardian and Independent.
My views are my own, and quite open to change given a persuasive argument. I do not read any newspapers. To put it succinctly, I do believe mass migration is causing a problem, but I do not agree with UKIP's solution, policies, agenda, or principals. And I think there is plenty of evidence that UKIP, the political party, and many of it's members are bigoted, in one way or another.
"And I suppose you think 60% of voters in clacton are racists/homophones(sic)/whatever?"
No, actually I don't.
I think the 'kippers, themselves are those things. I hope the people who voted for them did it as a protest.
If they vote kipper in the Gneeral election I will count them as gullible fools rather than racist homophobes.
The problem is the two major parties are promising to pile shit on the electorate if they win, while the 'kippers are promising everything they desire and people are too blind to see, and too pissed off with Labour and the Tories to understand or even care about the mountain of shit the 'kippers would actually bury them under.
>Or just maybe there is a problem with massive immigration onto a small island with already overstretched resources and thats reflected in the rise of a party that a large proportion of the population feels reflects their views.
And what 'massive immigration' would that be, exactly? Got figures? Got *accurate* figures?
Last time I checked the 'massive immigration' tops out at less than 190k people per year, once you subtract the people who emigrate at the same time.
What kind of moron thinks 190k people make all the difference to an economy of 64 million people?
How about the same kind of moron who thinks a fringe party polling at 14% is getting a 'large proportion' of voter interest?
"And I suppose you think 60% of voters in clacton are racists/homophones/whatever?
Or just maybe there is a problem with massive immigration onto a small island with already overstretched resources and thats reflected in the rise of a party that a large proportion of the population feels reflects their views."
During the by-elections there were several newspaper reports of UKIP supported complaining how their previous Tory MP "had done nothing for us" and that the "new" UKIP MP would be so much better. I'm not sure how seriously we should take someone who can't even work out that it was **actually the same person**.
I think massive immigration is really a bit of a British tradition,
On my mother's side of the family we are fairly purebred Normans with a few County Sherrifs and whatnot, on my father's side the family goes all the way back to the Jutes. The first lot were a bunch of viking types with a French accent and the second lot were...viking types, the rest of the British are Gaels, Celts, Beaker Folk ( not sure where they came from but not indigenous ) Angles, Saxons, AngloSaxons, Romans, Danes, etc, etc right up to West Indians, Indians, Cypriots, Czechs, Poles and the rest, all of them have contributed to Britain and Britishness in some way.
There are no true blue Brits only immigrants, just some have more generations of incumbency than others.
Now I'm an immigrant in Spain.
"all of them have contributed to Britain and Britishness in some way."
Be that as it may, times do change, don't they?
The problem now, as I perceive it, is that Europe has moved on. There are less jobs in manufacturing and we are mostly left with jobs that require quite a bit of education. In addition we have developed an expensive social welfare system that takes care of those who do not fit in. So expensive that some economists are defending taxation around 80%, making some of us wish that we too should receive social benefits rather than contribute to it.
Importing heaps of people who have no realistic chance of getting a job and who will indeed end up being provided for by the welfare system strikes me as a recipe for disaster.
In Norway, after years of thumb-twiddling, the government finally coughed up some hard numbers a few years back. Roughly £400k per immigrant (that does not hail from the west) is the price to pay. (http://www.hegnar.no/okonomi/artikkel325140.ece)
One would think that there is a limit somewhere on the number of immigrants that any given country is able to afford.
I am not familiar with the kippers, but I do notice that the unwillingness among the established political parties to even discuss such issues are driving away the voters. That is hardly what democracy is about, now is it?
Get the facts straight and then figure out if there are better ways of dealing with the phenomena at hand. Inventing silly reasons for not even having the debate is not very constructive.
Importing heaps of people who have no realistic chance of getting a job and who will indeed end up being provided for by the welfare system strikes me as a recipe for disaster.
Actually, all the statistics I have seen on the matter show that those who come to this country want to and do work. They find jobs, doing whatever they can for whatever money they can, work hard and provide for themselves and their families.
The problem caused by this is lower employment opportunities and wage deflation for existing workers, particularly at the lower end of the skills range. I still don't believe it is as massive a problem as the 'kippers say. Europe and Immigration are being used as a scapegoat.
They aren't a serious party because they only have one public policy (not to say they couldn't come up with more, more on that a bit later..). There's nothing racist or extreme right about wanting out of the EU. Now they might not be serious but they are a major player because they're the only party interested in talking about probably the one thing that bothers people most of all - the UK's membership of the EU. Both Labour and the Tories could pretty much end UKIP's existence over night with a single sentence - and the longer it goes on the more likely UKIP are to become a legitimate party (by defining policy related to what happens *after* the UK leaves the EU).
Some of their members on the other hand.. Wow.
The things that the 'kippers conveniently forget to mention when spouting their anti- EU rhetoric are the EU rulings and regulations that actually protect us from the worse depredations of our own government.
Looking in particular at a certain Home Secretaries, here.....
"kippers conveniently forget to mention when spouting their anti- EU rhetoric are the EU rulings and regulations that actually protect us from the worse depredations of our own government"
Conflating wildly different issues, but more than that the more silly stuff gets stomped on by British courts than European ones without generally even having to look at EU law, European courts don't generally take cases at all and that the ECHR is full of the terminally convenient "other than such as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others".
The ECHR nor any other EU law protects you from anything. How does one define morals or national security or anything else that allows workarounds. On top of that if it really came down to it government would derogate regardless.
This idea that the EU is some sort of last bastion of freedom in EU member states is *nonsense*. Proof is in the pudding here, they're not interested in dealing with GCHQ, the end - even changing position from their own rulings on the subject. QED my friend.
Even if all that wasn't true the ECHR and ECJ are overworked and have no time for dealing with even a small percentage of cases sent to them, they'd much rather piss about arguing over rights of prisoners to vote knowing full well in the end the government is going to *ignore them* anyway.
they are a major player because they're the only party interested in talking about probably the one thing that bothers people most of all - the UK's membership of the EU.
I don't know about you, but I hear very few people talking about this.
What people do seem to be bothered about are things like the rising cost of living, the poor being squeezed by having their benefits cut, people being forced into 'employment' in zero-hours contracts, whilst politicians feast from the pork barrel, people with long-term and serious illnesses being assessed as 'fit for work' (including those with Alzheimer's syndrome, and people in comas). The cost of fuel. The cost of housing. Working long and unsociable hours in order to survive, etc. etc.
Only a very few people honestly believe that the root of these problems lies with anything to do with the EU, rather than the corruption and venality of our home-grown politicians.
Case-in-point; Iain Duncan-Smith: He berates 'scoungers' whilst never having done what many people consider a real days work. Okay, he was in the army and in Northern Ireland, which at first glance sounds impressive, until you find out that his role there was as a glorified secretary, in a largely honorary position. He lives off the fortunes of his wife's family, and draws down a nice sum from the tax-payer, while vilifying the poor. Sounds like a scrounger to me...
The UK needs immigration, nobody with any sense (including Farage) has denied that. UK membership of the EU allows any low hanging fruit that decides to just show up to take a chunk of the wealth the country has accumulated and walk away. Doesn't apply to everybody but to call people asking the question either racist or "extreme right" is utterly absurd; it's the centrist position on immigration in the UK, today. That isn't healthy in any way shape or form either economically or politically - it pretty *clearly* sows seeds of discontent, which could easily turn into who knows what.
The UK should be able to control its immigration, be it wide open or essentially closed borders, based on the needs and wants of the country and the people who live there. Anything less can only lead to people quoting Powell, as we have seen.
"I don't know about you, but I hear very few people talking about this"
I live in London but I'm from the north and any time I return it's basically *all* I hear about.
Surely Chris Morris is responsible for the state of modern news broadcasting. He can't be the template for politics too can he? That's just too scary.
If I start seeing attacks by suicide crows, then we'll know that even the jihadis are taking his satire and using it as training material... It all gives me a pain in my shatner's basoon.
I see the perfectly reasonable comment pointing out the glaring error in this article was deleted within 5 mins. WTF is going on with this site these days?
ETA: And now I see the article has been edited so that it now actually makes some sense, without any reference to thank the commentard who pointed out the basics of IT to the journalist.
But it would be nice if you could acknowledge corrections publicly.
Some public recognition would be nice, but I'd say about 75% of the time I, at least, get a reply back saying thank you from a sub-editor. (It would be nice if that was closer to 100%) The public recognition doesn't have to be a name anywhere. Maybe some extra up-votes? If we ask for too much El Reg will think we're biting the hand that bites the hand...
"See that great big "send tips and corrections" link at the bottom of the article? "
Ah, I'm guessing that this is the link that doesn't actually do anything if you're browsing from a PC or device which doesn't have an email client installed because you use webmail.
If only the technology existed to send correction emails directly from within a website using a form or something...
The Beeb reckon they're scratching their pointy little heads trying to work out what went wrong.
On two unrelated networks here, on the first www.ukip.org resolves to 81.21.72.62 (the 123 holding page) and 190.93.247.205 on the second. The second network displays a valid UKIP web site for www.ukip.org, but not if you go the IP directly (host header processing in there, at a guess).
Curious, there doesn't seem to be an A record in place at the moment for www:
ukip.org. NS IN 600 137ms ns2.hosteurope.com.
ukip.org. NS IN 600 137ms ns.hosteurope.com.
ukip.org. SOA IN 600 137ms
Minimum/NegTTL: 600
Expire: 1209600
Retry: 3600
Refresh: 86400
Serial: 2012053001
Responsible Name: hostmaster.ukip.org.
Primary DNS server: ns.hosteurope.com.
ukip.org. MX IN 600 137ms mx0.123-reg.co.uk. [Preference = 10]
ukip.org. MX IN 600 137ms mx1.123-reg.co.uk. [Preference = 20]
ns.hosteurope.com. A IN 300 137ms 212.67.202.2
mx1.123-reg.co.uk. A IN 300 137ms 94.136.40.150
mx0.123-reg.co.uk. A IN 300 137ms 94.136.40.151
mx1.123-reg.co.uk. A IN 300 137ms 94.136.40.153
mx1.123-reg.co.uk. A IN 300 137ms 94.136.40.152
mx0.123-reg.co.uk. A IN 300 137ms 94.136.40.154
mx0.123-reg.co.uk. A IN 300 137ms 94.136.40.61
ns2.hosteurope.com. A IN 300 137ms 92.51.159.40
www.ukip.org is CNAMEd back to ukipdev.nationbuilder.com...
which is CNAMEd back to atl-proxy4.nationbuilder.com ...
which is CNAMEd back to mcname.nationbuilder.com.cdn.cloudflare.net ...
which does have an A record.
Yes, adding an A record to the ukip.org domain would probably have been easier...
"UKIP did not fail to renew its domain name and in fact has a long term registration with 123-reg. This morning we have helped UKIP to restore its website to normal service."
I'm sure what you meant is "we can't possibly comment on the billing status of a customer's account, you should contact them" - right? Can we get the ICO up in here?
Ummm... the ICO deals with Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information Act matters.
UKIP isn't a government department, local authority or other public body and so FOIA doesn't apply here
The DPA relates to personal data. I would struggle to see how a domain registration is personal data when it is registered to an organisation not an individual. Even if the registration is in an individual's name then it is in the public domain anyway as the domain registration is a public record.
Don't really see anything here for the ICO to do.
Nice one. No we wont have a majority in May, but we may well hold the balance of power.
And as far as making an impact on the political agenda goes UKIP have already won.
The big 2 are being forced to talk about immigration levels, about European membership, about energy policy.
Serious peole in he City are examining the case for and implications of British exit from Brussels.
No. I am satisfied that half the job is already dine. Political correctness, EU membership, immigration, Al;l these are under the spotlight and are being discussed, not dismissed.
UKIP have picked up on the general feeling that a lot of people have (no, not just people that read the Daily Mail) that this country is going to the dogs and we have to do SOMETHING. It is not all because of immigration, but you have to face the fact that too long has this country bent over backwards to help people who should really be helping themselves and we're paying the price now.
The solution is not to simply scream 'send the buggers back' but we need to be able to talk about the problems without being branded "racist" or "mental". Lets have an adult discussion about what we need to do to fix this country before it's too late. UKIP doing well at the election will help start that discussion.
The two main political parties will basically do everything they can to maintain the status quo, keep their cushy jobs and at all costs avoid having to answer for their past mistakes. UKIP are trying to change this. You may not agree with their methods, or their policies and you might think they are all loony right wing mentalists but have to agree that the huge support they are receiving is a sign that British people feel they have been shat on for too long by the political elite and they want change.
Farage comes across as a normal drinking, smoking, straight talking bloke that a lot of people can relate too much more easily that the CAMBot 3000 or Ed Millipede and this is playing massively into the hands of UKIP.
Good luck to them, we need something to shake up politics and make MP's remember that they work for the people and not for their own self serving agenda and UKIP are the only party capable of doing this at the next election.
@AC
>The two main political parties will basically do everything they can to maintain the status quo, keep their cushy jobs and at all costs avoid having to answer for their past mistakes. UKIP are trying to change this. You may not agree with their methods, or their policies and you might think they are all loony right wing mentalists but have to agree that the huge support they are receiving is a sign that British people feel they have been shat on for too long by the political elite and they want change.
All happened before, in a time of crisis (1930's, Berlin):
The two main political parties will basically do everything they can to maintain the status quo, keep their cushy jobs and at all costs avoid having to answer for their past mistakes. NSDAP are trying to change this. You may not agree with their methods, or their policies and you might think they are all loony right wing mentalists but have to agree that the huge support they are receiving is a sign that German people feel they have been shat on for too long by the political elite and they want change.
If you tolerate this, then your children will be next.
The party I belong to bears no resemblance to the party described by posters. Now how has that happened?
It is staffed by Oxford and Cambridge graduates at the top with real world experience. Not just a PPE and a couple of years as a spad.
A party is more than a couple of posters. And a smear campaign target.
DYOR . UKIP is not what you have been encouraged to think it is.
Its damn sight more serious and honest than either of its opposition parties. (I think one can safely ignore the Liberal Democrats: everybody else seems to be)
You may not like it, but for heavens sake dislike it for a valid reason, not because you have been exposed to political campaigns against it that are far more odious than the party is.
@AC (original poster)
>Its damn sight more serious and honest than either of its opposition parties.
I can debunk anything in their agenda for you (from the low level BS I have heard so far, btw, some of which I have debunked above). They are lying, dishonest, have a reality distortion field. The NSDAP had some highly qualified execs as well, means nothing.
The one thing you and your friends do not understand is economics - it is what makes our world go round, sadly, but so it is. How are you supposed to govern a country when you do not even understand the basics. Go read/listen to what the French nobel prize winner (2015) wrote/has to say - quite the opposite of what Nigel says, right ? Who is nobel prize winner in economics ? Go read up on www.oecd.org the benefits of immigration. I could go on ... seriously, you are being cheated.
Accept that you could be wrong, go read up on neutral websites, neutral books ...
Down-vote ? Truth hurts ? I am sorry, sincerely. I understand that you or close friends of yours, like mine, are in a difficult situation. You have to understand that, as much as I hate [New ]Labour, the economic downturn was not their fault ... proof, and I will get a lot of downvotes for giving facts, a lot of countries suffered the same fate. No amount of savings beforehand could have relieved the UK, OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY, from this global event, worse, it would have diminished economic growth during the good years, which would have made the downturn even worse.
Buying 1% of growth during a crisis costs exponentially more than during a time of growth, such are the laws of economics. Public spending drives jobs, the economy ...
Those who claim the harsh down turn was Blair's or Brown's fault are mistaken, and I despise fibbers in parliament, New Labour, the conservatives (and equivalents in all countries). The conservatives have wrecked both UK and Europe (to be fair, not just UK cons, I mean the cons Europe-wide, excuse my French [look up the English translation of "cons"]).
If you think for a minute, stop being a bigot [the same holds in France, Germany, Belgium, wherever], why would Blair, Cameron, or Brown say the EU has too much power over the UK ? MEP's have been elected by citizens of all member states, they control the commission [commission members are elected by the parliament], just like the British gov (except that the head of commission is chosen by Cameron, Merkel and Hollande (the other heads of state do not really have a say, well, I guess they could veto, maybe), then parliament votes him/her in or out).
So, why do gov's keep scaring the shit out of the Brits about EU ? Because if the EU gets too much power, they will be out of work - as easy as that.
Would you like a big portion of a small cake, or a small portion of a humongous cake ? The French are not morons, nor are the Germans, we are the same ... OK, some of the French (barbarians) eat horse meat, but we, like the Germans, eat jelly (some French [a majority, but I managed to convert a few ;-)] cannot even stand the look of it).
Do you really think we would be better off without the French and German economy on our side ? We are so much stronger together, think about it.
The politicians we have are the best we have to offer, don't like them, want economic growth ? Vote green, green is the future. Nobody does, coz AGW is untrue and my child's asthma is due to bad luck, I could go on forever.
Building up a deficit during the boom years was not mismanagement of the country's finances? I suspect you are guilty of not understanding economics. France and Germany are economic competitors, their economies are not "on our side". Irrespective of your feelings against UKIP your arguments are not particularly coherent.
>>The party I belong to bears no resemblance to the party described by posters.<<
Quite right !!
Round my way, the party regulars are now mostly former LibDems with a smattering of ex-Cons and ex-Labs. Back in the bad old days, they were mostly ex-Cons but there was a major reshuffle a number of years ago and they all kind of disappeared into the woodwork.
I look at the characterizations thrown around by those that have chugged the anti-UKIP koolaid and then I look at the folks in the local party and I see two entirely different pictures. Bear in mind these are not just simply people who have been hoodwinked into voting UKIP, these are the people that stump round delivering leaflets; travel great distances to go to regional gatherings and policy meetings. These are the life-blood of UKIP and the ones who ultimately will be responsible for the formation, or at least approval of policies. They *are* UKIP.
>>Now how has that happened?<<
Oh that's an easy one. The political strategists who owe their seat on the gravy train to the EU and would do anything to keep their seat, had a good long thunk, and came up with a strategy. If you scream "RACIST" loud and often enough, it sticks. It is on a well know list of "Sticky" accusations; ones that don't really need too much justification, the accusation is enough. Once the label has started to adhere, others looking in from the outside will only see that and will feel reluctant to listen to anything they have to say for fear of the racist taint rubbing off on them as well. Furthermore they will justify their reluctance to have a sensible conversation on the subject on the "fact" that the party are racists; which just adds to the effect. ... recurse.
It has happened because of nasty, cynical social engineering by people with no interest in the well being of anyone except themselves.
The fact that a large number of people are falling for it, seemingly with gusto, is just very very disappointing.
[Edit: PS try http://www.ukip.org/ ]
jira.domain.com
, now offers something.jira.domain.com