Quote:
Originally Posted by Aardvark
In an ideal world we would be a united opposition that was not capable of being deflected by these side issues, but there are too few people prepared to be active and there is a massive shortage of people with the political nous to move forward and make us electable.
We haven't even agreed, after all these years, on which are the best elections to fight and what our manifesto should be. In some parts of the country UKIP is busy trying to win, in others (where I live) there is no real interest in winning. Certainly the lack of progress in Oxfordshire could have been the catalyst that drove Burgess to seek direct action, although the branch of which he was chairman didn't fight any seats last year. Oxford branch have no candidates in one of the most politically vibrant cities in the UK. It's not an excuse to do nothing and then say nothing is being done.
I was prepared to stand, leaflet and canvass, but am told I'm not wanted because I made a cheap joke about aarable calling me Illuminati to my face and extending that to mean I am a lizard since an American writer says so. Effectively I am not a candidate because I have a different sense of humour and aarable can't understand irony. Imagine how frustrated I am, but I'm not about to get a whole load of out of date laws and make myself look silly.
I want to win and I would like to be re-elected, but nobody around here wants my experience or knowledge. I don't want to go to the barricades, but whilst I am surrounded by people who don't want to work I often think that we should be taking to the streets. Then I realise how silly that would be since we couldn't muster more than 100 people in any event.
I actually think that until the public are ready to listen to us we should bide our time. We should be building up branches and fighting elections as I said before. There will be a few successes along the way, if we work at it, so that when the public finally realises how bad things have got there will be a local 'leadership' ready to rally behind.
These isolated actions of 'fruitcakes' will ensure that nobody joins our cause. The public are not as stupid as some people here seem to think. Most people expect their leaders to be educated and informed. The Russian revoloution was led by intellectuals not workers - men who were literate and numerate and could write political tracts. Look at Stalin (highly ediucated for his day), Lenin and Trotsky - orators, thinkers and leaders of men. Our political 'revolution' will not be led by the semi-literate or the inarticulate, these people will drag us down.
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I am not viewing this from as loftier position as you A. The point I am trying to make is that there are real issues which do enrage the ordinary people and whilst I agree that they 'expect their leaders to be educated and informed' it is for these leaders to understand what the ordinary people want and find a path whereby these concerns are addressed - the common touch. If this not done the less well educated will find expression for their pent up rage within the context of their own capacity.
Their are two important issues at present 1] immigration - MORI's monthly poll has just rated this as the most important issue for voters [44% of those polled] and 2] the Lisbon Treaty which relates not only to immigration, but also to loss of sovereignty. If it were more widely known what this treaty contains - I am sure this would also figure high in the voters ratings.
Contrast this to the next most important issues - crime 40%, the economy 23% and international terrorism and education both on 17%. To a great extent crime and education can be grouped together as the crimes that most people fear are against the person, on the streets, not the sophisticated bank robber or occasional murder who effect very few directly. Poor education coupled to undisciplined, least able, children are the source of the crimes most people fear. These have been greatly exacerbated as these young people, apart from being poorly educated and undisciplined, know that their employment prospects are dreadful because of high immigration. So with no future they turn to crime.
Bearing in mind that 15% [enough to put a candidate in the HofC in some 'peak' constituencies] no longer vote - compared to the post war average turnout - there is clearly a great need that is not being satisfied. And what choices do these working class people have? An elitist UKIP who are really only interested in disillusioned Tories, with a leader who wants to return to the policies of the hated Thatcher or BNP with a leader who is racist and wants to rid the country of anyone without white skin - even those who are second or third generation immigrants - this does not appeal to the average fair minded person.
This is not a case of ignorant individuals bringing shame on UKIP - it is a case of potential leaders not being in touch with the people.