Lafayette

I think the reason there is a shortage of ethnic people naturally promoting UKIP is because of the atmosphere of debate concerning integration that at least seems as much of a concern as the UK out of the EU. Of all the forums and lists to which I belong, this one is alone in having an predominately positive attitude regarding different cultures. So many of the others have come to UKIP or unfortunately the BNP with the thought of fully restored British sovereignty of second most importance to them. They worry most about the effect that immigrants have on the traditional British way of life, I guess the term would be "British-ness", and see the opened borders of the EU as being an abettor of this. If the European Union said that it was willing to preserve the culture of Britain, hunting, etc., and place limits on immigration in return for Britons handing over self-government to the superstate, you might find some people willing to take them up on their offer. It is this worry about British-ness that so often leads discussion down the road of accusations about racism and the like. British society is far older than mine and I know I cannot begin to either appreciate or understand how much it means to the average Briton, the history and tradition of it, but if it means letting go of it as an issue to gain momentum for the overall cause of British independence, then so be it. I would say it is more exploitative than insulting to use people as a publicity token, but sometimes that is necessary. I fully believe that the UKIP is non-racist and applaud it for being so, but as long as it exists solely in the realm of white Britons, then the small-minded people with hidden agendas will keep turning the debate away from the EU and the future of Britain and making everything INTO phpbb_a charge of racism. Diversify the party and you take from them that weapon. You keep the focus on self-rule for Britons of all colors, religions, and cultures. You can say that your oppostion to the EU is based on an original promise of free trade being broken and replaced with the idea of European unity and federal government in Brussels, not that you fear free and open contact with other people. And for those who worry about the loss of British identity, I am not saying that it isn't a valid concern. We have a similar debate in my own country regarding immigrants. We take in around 1,000,000 immigrants a year and in some estimates even more than that enter illegally. By the year 2040, some say that the US will be mostly Hispanic with white Americans as a minority. This has people fretting about the future of the country, but I am of the opinion that as long as the country survives, I don't care if it is populated by blue people, much less Latin Americans. Again, Americans have nowhere near the history that you do, but if it means the survival of Britain, it may eventually become valid to exploit people for the sake of opening the party to them with sincere good intentions. Britain has in the past been hurt by an unwillingness in such areas. Britain gave some measure of self-rule to various parts of the empire, but if they had been willing to give seats in Parliament to some of the colonies, a part of the empire might still exist. Why weren't those seats given? Because those in the colonies weren't from Britain, properly British, and Britons were unwilling to believe that they shared a common interest with foreigners.

You have the right to be whatever you wish to be and I salute you for it. You have a great deal for which to be proud in being an Islander. I'm not even an Anglophile and I can clearly see and respect your rich heritage. If any of my posts have been offensive to you, I offer my apologies. I may have said it in my introduction to the forum, but in case I didn't, I shall repeat that it is my desire to help, not offend, even if that desire is motivated by no small amount of self-interest.