Why I left UKIP

[SDP]

First let me compliment UKIP on their European election campaigns. These European campaigns to get UKIP MEPs elected are slick and professional, and UKIP must be given credit for that success.

But when it comes to Westminster elections there seems to be a lack of commitment. I stood as a UKIP parliamentary candidate in 2005 and 2010 and worked really hard.

In 2005 my vote was 2.2% and in 2010 received 3.5%. This was very disappointing considering all the hard work I had put into my constituency. It seemed to me that UKIP Head Office did not get as enthusiastic about Westminster elections as they did about the European elections.

I began to think that perhaps it was the name UK Independence Party that was holding the party back.

I decided to leave UKIP and find an different party, with a better party name and with more left of centre policies.

That is the reason I left UKIP in 2010.

[rjt]

Firstly well done for putting yourself out there in the last two General elections, building a base in a constitency is hard work and needs to be done at grass roots level, how do you UKIP fair in Local Government elections there?

I think UKIP spreads itself to thinly in Westminister elections, targeting of seats would be better than trying to get lots of candidates in lots of seats.

[SDP]

Firstly well done for putting yourself out there in the last two General elections, building a base in a constitency is hard work and needs to be done at grass roots level, how do you UKIP fair in Local Government elections there?

I think UKIP spreads itself to thinly in Westminister elections, targeting of seats would be better than trying to get lots of candidates in lots of seats.

rjt

As the UKIP agent for my constituency I ran about 30 local elections for the borough council over a six year period.

Of course the local UKIP party now have to manage without my help,
but they did quite well in 2011.

There were 10 UKIP candidates in my old constituency in 2011.
The average vote for UKIP was around 7%.
The UKIP top candidate received 11%.

The local UKIP organsiation is now flourishing quite well locally without my help.

[Persona non grata]

rjt

As the UKIP agent for my constituency I ran about 30 local elections for the borough council over a six year period.

Of course the local UKIP party now have to manage without my help,
but they did quite well in 2011.

There were 10 UKIP candidates in my old constituency in 2011.
The average vote for UKIP was around 7%.
The UKIP top candidate received 11%.

The local UKIP organsiation is now flourishing quite well locally without my help.

I think its really refreshing to read a poster who as left one party for another party and still speaks well of their old party. The cranks in the BNP and *** sections of this forum could learn a thing or two about common decency from reading this. Well done SDP and may I wish you well in the future.

[Squall]

Nice putting yourself out there like that for the elections, sucks that you didn't win any seats though. Best of luck with the SDP however.

[SDP]

Squall

Anti-EU Compatriots must all work together to fight the growing menace of the EU superstate.

All the newspapers in Britain are now on our side. It cannot be long now before one of the Anti-EU parties makes a breakthrough into the British parliament. The British public are already on our side, but for some reason that I dont understand they wont vote for anyone but the big three parties here in Britian.

[Jamie M]

Squall

Anti-EU Compatriots must all work together to fight the growing menace of the EU superstate.

All the newspapers in Britain are now on our side. It cannot be long now before one of the Anti-EU parties makes a breakthrough into the British parliament. The British public are already on our side, but for some reason that I dont understand they wont vote for anyone but the big three parties here in Britian.

But surely that party will be UKIP, the fourth largest country in Britain? Would you not therefore be better staying the course, even if you dislike their name and disagree slightly with their politics? I don't know the scale of your disillusionment, but I imagine that UKIP is the party of choice for most liberal anti-EU types.

[SDP]

But surely that party will be UKIP, the fourth largest country in Britain? Would you not therefore be better staying the course, even if you dislike their name and disagree slightly with their politics? I don't know the scale of your disillusionment, but I imagine that UKIP is the party of choice for most liberal anti-EU types.

Jamie M

I wish UKIP every success, and no-one would be more happy than me to see a UKIP candidate win a seat in the British Westminster Parliament.

But at the moment UKIP are not getting close. I am wondering if it is the party name that is the problem. For this reason I left UKIP and am now campaigning using the name Social Democratic Party.

I stood as an SDP council candidate in May 2010, and hope to do better in 2011 fighting the same seat. But if you are not one of the big three parties it is very hard to make a break through.

[Plutonium]

First let me compliment UKIP on their European election campaigns. These European campaigns to get UKIP MEPs elected are slick and professional, and UKIP must be given credit for that success.

But when it comes to Westminster elections there seems to be a lack of commitment. I stood as a UKIP parliamentary candidate in 2005 and 2010 and worked really hard.

In 2005 my vote was 2.2% and in 2010 received 3.5%. This was very disappointing considering all the hard work I had put into my constituency. It seemed to me that UKIP Head Office did not get as enthusiastic about Westminster elections as they did about the European elections.

I began to think that perhaps it was the name UK Independence Party that was holding the party back.

I decided to leave UKIP and find an different party, with a better party name and with more left of centre policies.

That is the reason I left UKIP in 2010.

Westminster elections are fought on FPTP. It's very difficult to get people to vote for a party that didn't come first or second last time, in their constituency, for fear of 'wasting their vote'. European elections are fought on PR, so people can vote for who they like, which is why the combined share of Labour and the Tories fell to less than 50% of the vote at the last Euro-elections, even though they continue to dominate at Westminster.

I can't see why the UKIP name should be holding it back. The party stands for UK withdrawal from the EU, so it does what it says on the tin.

[SDP]

Westminster elections are fought on FPTP. It's very difficult to get people to vote for a party that didn't come first or second last time, in their constituency, for fear of 'wasting their vote'. European elections are fought on PR, so people can vote for who they like, which is why the combined share of Labour and the Tories fell to less than 50% of the vote at the last Euro-elections, even though they continue to dominate at Westminster.

I can't see why the UKIP name should be holding it back. The party stands for UK withdrawal from the EU, so it does what it says on the tin.

Plutonium

I have spent about £5,000 on General Elections for UKIP and got 2.5% in 2005, and 3.5% in 2010. I was leafleting continually for UKIP for about 6 years nonstop.

I was gutted in 2010 to lose my deposit after leafleting the whole area twice during the lead up to the 2010 election. That is 80,000 leaflets and was a lot of hard work. This does not include the free leaflet drop from the Post Office. In both of my UKIP elections this free leaflet drop was not done very well at all. I complained to the Post Office but go nowhere.

I wish UKIP well, but their progress is slow and I think it might be the name that is the problem.
UKIP must also state its support for the working class with more specificity.