Has UKIP achieved its aim and what next for UKIP?

[Baron von Lotsov]

The party does produce national leaflets from time to time. Personally I think they are a complete waste of time and I avoid using any generic material.

Certain areas produce 4 or 8 page newspapers which have a mixture of national and local content. These are often good quality but only well off branches can afford them.

As I was saying on another thread, the web presence is pathetic. That doesn't cost any money - all it costs is a bit of someone's time and a bit of the grey matter. I often do Google searches on a topical subject using 'UKIP' in the search term in order to see what the UKIP think, and quite honestly they don't think. I'm left wondering what they are about. Policies get 'announced' from on high. There is no intellectual policy debate within the UKIP that one can observe on the web. If there were then of course the journalists would start reading it, and if there were good UKIP ideas that inspired them then they would reproduce them. Put yourself in the shoes of a journalist and ask yourself what the hell could you possibly say about the UKIP that is 'news'.

[Gothmog]

You mean the Green's targeted a seat where the demographics suited them?

What a low down dirty trick.

Obviously nothing that we in UKIP could learn from.

Ahhh so you know a seat that has more UKIP members than any other party has members?
As that is what brighton basicly is, home of the greens.

No trick, no skill, just basicly lucky that have a seat thats full of green/hippy minded people.

[Gothmog]

Can I ask forum members do they have any suggestions of particular seats that UKIP should target, a la Miss Lucas and Brighton Pavillion.

There is no seats for ukip like brighton is for greens unless we can get 20k ukip voters to all move to 1 seat...

[Gothmog]

Well ask yourself, on a rise in anti EU sentiment in this country, why UKIP branches are still closing and membership is being given away for free?

Also after 12 odd years in UKIP in various postions in the party including Branch Chairman I have first hand experience of how the centre of Nigel's EUKIP largely abandons the branches to bob around like a cork on the ocean.

where are the branches closing?
In yorkshire seem to be more opening.
membership for free, well people dont have much cash right now...

in your role as chairman, why did you not get a MP elected in your area?
You seem to know all that UKIP is doign wrong so surely with your great skill you would have got every council seat won and a MP or 2..?

[Richard Allen]

Ahhh so you know a seat that has more UKIP members than any other party has members?
As that is what brighton basicly is, home of the greens.

No trick, no skill, just basicly lucky that have a seat thats full of green/hippy minded people.

I am sorry but this post is just absurd.

When the Greens first targeted Brighton they did not have more members there than any other party. Yes the demographics were favourable for them but they still had to build a local party from very little. Just look at their vote at general elections in Brighton Pavilion

1992: 963 (2.2%)
1997: 1,249 (2.6%)
2001: 3,806 (9.3%)
2005: 9,530 (21.9%)
2010: 16,238 (31.3%)

[Independent UKIP]

Were the demographics favourable for them 20 years ago when the tories won with 46%? I believe the demographics have changed in that period which, whilst not because of the Green Party, has uniquely benefited the Green party. At the same time the Greens have put in an enormous amount of effort.

[Richard Allen]

Were the demographics favourable for them 20 years ago when the tories won with 46%? I believe the demographics have changed in that period which, whilst not because of the Green Party, has uniquely benefited the Green party. At the same time the Greens have put in an enormous amount of effort.

The demographics certainly have improved for them in that time, although probably weren't bad for them in 1992 either, but my point (which I think you accept) is that demographics may have provided potential but that they would not have won the seat without years of hard work.

[Niall Warry]

My guess, and I'm happy to be corrected, is that a seat in a SW fishing area would have been one of the places to target 18 years ago.

[Richard Allen]

My guess, and I'm happy to be corrected, is that a seat in a SW fishing area would have been one of the places to target 18 years ago.

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer but you have certainly mentioned one of the more promising areas.

[Steve Morson]

Can I ask forum members do they have any suggestions of particular seats that UKIP should target, a la Miss Lucas and Brighton Pavillion.

For very obvious reasons, seats should include those containing the Killingholme refinery (Cleethorpes), Bombardier (Derby North?), LDV (Hodge Hill), Peugeot (Coventry South), Twinings (North Tyneside), Valeo (REDDITCH!), et al.

Then, some of the most marginal seats from the 2010 election, maybe include:

Bolton West
Camborne and Redruth
Solihull
Southampton Itchen
Hampstead and Kilburn
Warwickshire North
Thurrock
Hendon
Oldham East and Saddleworth
Oxford West and Abingdon
Ashfield
Sheffield Central
Cardiff North
Sherwood
Dorset Mid and Poole North
Norwich South
Stockton South
Edinburgh South
Broxtowe
Lancaster and Fleetwood
Truro and Falmouth
Bradford East
Newton Abbot
Amber Valley
Chesterfield
Wirral South
Derby North
Swansea West
Wells
Dudley North
Morecambe and Lunesdale
Great Grimsby
Harrogate and Knaresborough
Hull North
Morley and Outwood
Rochdale
Waveney
Wolverhampton South West


All of these seats have a majority of 2% of turnout or less. Everything will depend, as Richard Allen rightly says, on the strength of the local party infrastructure. Like I say, with lessons from Bradford, a strong local candidate with an established identity, well supported, with a campaign fought with gusto.

There is absolutely no point whatsoever - IMHO - in trying to establish branches / fight elections in staunch constituencies - like my own. Forget 10 & 11,000 majorities, they're pipe dreams.