Originally Posted by Stephen Booth

These are fair criticisms of the leadership, but external factors also affect this situation too.

The Lisbon Treaty is in the public focus, but what opportunities have there been for the electorate to express a view on this? - The May local council elections might be one place, but unless a lot of UKIP candidates stood, the party would have only a small effect on this. You'd need a big media profile and build up on the issue (something which the BBC etc aren't likely to help UKIP with). The many local issues tend to confuse things, and not every council area was voting. Perhaps only a small proportion of places were holding local elections.

Part of this is the lack of money, part of this is the lack of people, the self-confidence, the skills necessary. Some, but not all of this can be laid at the door of the leaders.

The membership declining, the low poll ratings and poor election results tend to combine together as factors in a vicious circle.

I think one of the big problems for UKIP (typing as an outsider) is the way that it has these MEPs, and perhaps the focus is too much on this, rather than the local areas. If Nigel Farage is so embroiled in the European Parliament, how can he focus on the local level, the real place where UKIP needs to organise and start to gain results?

This is a major misjudgement on the part of the leadership. I don't think the European Parliament really matters so much as trying to overturn Europe in every way possible in your local area. If the UKIP leadership is to pull its weight, (on a UK level) it needs to be getting in amongst them in London. Newsnight, and the tabloid newspapers. Something bad about Europe every day - plus the UKIP answer to this, a positive alternative, a way out.

Do you remember the Wetherspoons pub chain having no Euro beermats? What about UKIP beer-mats?