When discussing the party with friends, the same comment keeps coming up - "isn't UKIP just a bunch of racists?".
This image, which I sincerely hope is incorrect, isn't helped by the constant focus on immigration and asylum issues. Obviously this is a strong point of the party, but it also puts many other potential supporters off.
If the party is to continue to grow, I think that it has to rid itself of the racist image. No party can become mainstream without also being respectable and showing respect to all British citizens. I would think that some public criticism of the BNP would go some way to helping repair the party's image.
An example of how serious this is can be seen on
this page. If they can compile such a list, then the party really does need to purge itself of all links with the BNP and put some distance between the two parties.