Alan Sked, a Europhile turned sour

mkpdavies · 21-08-2005, 02:52 PM

http://www.cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=A&Id=1385

Quote:

UKIP

That was the end of that chapter. We move on to Dr Sked’s own political career. In 1993 he founded UKIP, with the withdrawal of Britain from the European Union as its central policy. “I was busy turning the Tory party [the Conservatives] INTO phpbb_a Eurosceptic movement. But I didn’t think things were moving quickly enough, so I formed UKIP. If parties see their share of the vote shrink, they will adapt their policies much quicker.” Mr Sked believes he has been successful on this front. “All three main parties in Britain [Labour, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives] used to be pro-European. Now only two are.”

Yet the relationship between UKIP and its founder has deteriorated over the past few years. “They hate me now. Maybe even more than they hate Brussels”, he laughs. “The party has just become too right-wing and has completely changed its policies. We never used to want MEPs, there would just have been empty seats in the European Parliament.” This does not mean, however, that Dr Sked’s political career is over. If the Conservative party ‘dares’ to choose a pro-European leader, the academic vows, “I will probably establish a new party. I’ll probably call it the International party, because that’s what I’m for.”

I’ve heard and absorbed a lot of negativity about the whole European project. Just for a change, might it be possible for the historian to imagine a positive future for EU cooperation? “A popular Europe is feasible, but only if we have a common enemy, like Islam for instance. But I sincerely hope that doesn’t happen.”

This guy has some real delusions of grandeur me thinks. Still, at least he is honest enough to admit the reason he set UKIP up, was as a pressure group to the Tories.

Anthony Butcher · 21-08-2005, 03:46 PM

Founding a party is easy. Making it successful is very difficult. Roger Knapman has been the person in charge while UKIP has gone from obscurity to the fourth largest in British politics, not Sked.

Andrew · 21-08-2005, 05:05 PM

Anthony, although Sked may not have had much to do with UKIP’s electoral success (despite ensuring it went from nothing to 100,000 votes in 1997), Roger didn’t do much either – Only an extra 200,000 voted UKIP in 2005 and I wonder how much is really down to Roger and not the other UKIP MEPs and members.

The party really did well during Holmes / Titford when it received 300,000 extra votes in 2001, and let’s not forget the boost that RKS had during the Euro elections – I doubt you’d have done as well without him.

Anthony Butcher · 21-08-2005, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew

Anthony, although Sked may not have had much to do with UKIP’s electoral success (despite ensuring it went from nothing to 100,000 votes in 1997), Roger didn’t do much either – Only an extra 200,000 voted UKIP in 2005 and I wonder how much is really down to Roger and not the other UKIP MEPs and members.

The party really did well during Holmes / Titford when it received 300,000 extra votes in 2001, and let’s not forget the boost that RKS had during the Euro elections – I doubt you’d have done as well without him.

I agree - I wasn't really promoting Roger's term as an outstanding success, merely that Sked really didn't preside over much of UKIP's growth as far as I can tell.

SponPlague · 21-08-2005, 07:48 PM

Dr. Sked's parting gift was a £15,000 out-of-court libel payment to Michael Holmes, on a UKIP cheque... :shock: :!: :shock:

Tom Collier · 21-08-2005, 11:40 PM

Not another party. We will be called the Peoples` Front of Judea soon from that Monty python film the life of Brian. "the only people we hate more than the Romans (aka EU).....are the ******* Judean Peoples` Front/ other anti EU parties.

International Party sounds like a stab at the internationalist high ground. I`m starting to think of my self as more of a nationalist. I wish there were more men in politics who cared about building a democratic movement that they did not need to own after setting up.

UKIP is seen as rightist which shows that the left right thing still has milage as a term of abuse at least.

Lawrie Boxall · 22-08-2005, 08:03 AM

I still have a photograph somewhere of myself and the "great" man shaking hands outside Ted Huxley's front porch circa 1995-96. Earlier Sked had made a short speech to the gathering from half way up a step ladder by the side of Ted's swimming pool - slightly bizarre - and we thought UKIP would take British politics by storm.

Back then even I thought UKIP should be a single issue party. In the years since, it became clear (at least to me), that the British political system itself is rotten to the core and needs to be reformed. Let's hope UKIP can become the party that will set that process underway.

nyorks-patriot · 23-08-2005, 08:38 PM

Tom I would I have thought the "Line my own pockets party" would be more apt.

johnwest · 24-08-2005, 02:35 PM

For anyone interested you can catch Mr Sked is his hit show 'Father Ted' on Channel 4.

Stephen Booth · 27-08-2005, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lawrie Boxall

... In the years since, it became clear (at least to me), that the British political system itself is rotten to the core and needs to be reformed. Let's hope UKIP can become the party that will set that process underway.

The best way to do this, I think, is to create strong links with grass roots public opinion. So long as UKIP depends on a handful of figureheads like Kilroy Silk or the other people in the past, they will always turn out to have feet of clay.

Bliar and the others like him have to hide behind security fences, because their policies are not really supported. People know that the big parties don't meet the need. What they need is something solid with integrity and strong local links / immediate accountability.

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21-08-2005, 03:46 PM	#2 (permalink)
Anthony Butcher Administrator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Long Ashton, Bristol Posts: 10,192 Party: None	Founding a party is easy. Making it successful is very difficult. Roger Knapman has been the person in charge while UKIP has gone from obscurity to the fourth largest in British politics, not Sked.

21-08-2005, 05:05 PM	#3 (permalink)
Andrew Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 109	Anthony, although Sked may not have had much to do with UKIP’s electoral success (despite ensuring it went from nothing to 100,000 votes in 1997), Roger didn’t do much either – Only an extra 200,000 voted UKIP in 2005 and I wonder how much is really down to Roger and not the other UKIP MEPs and members. The party really did well during Holmes / Titford when it received 300,000 extra votes in 2001, and let’s not forget the boost that RKS had during the Euro elections – I doubt you’d have done as well without him.

21-08-2005, 07:48 PM	#5 (permalink)
SponPlague Uber Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Zurich Posts: 3,157	Dr. Sked's parting gift was a £15,000 out-of-court libel payment to Michael Holmes, on a UKIP cheque... :shock: :!: :shock:

21-08-2005, 11:40 PM	#6 (permalink)
Tom Collier Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Bournemouth Posts: 359	Not another party. We will be called the Peoples` Front of Judea soon from that Monty python film the life of Brian. "the only people we hate more than the Romans (aka EU).....are the ******* Judean Peoples` Front/ other anti EU parties. International Party sounds like a stab at the internationalist high ground. I`m starting to think of my self as more of a nationalist. I wish there were more men in politics who cared about building a democratic movement that they did not need to own after setting up. UKIP is seen as rightist which shows that the left right thing still has milage as a term of abuse at least.

22-08-2005, 08:03 AM	#7 (permalink)
Lawrie Boxall Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Sandhurst Posts: 1,015	I still have a photograph somewhere of myself and the "great" man shaking hands outside Ted Huxley's front porch circa 1995-96. Earlier Sked had made a short speech to the gathering from half way up a step ladder by the side of Ted's swimming pool - slightly bizarre - and we thought UKIP would take British politics by storm. Back then even I thought UKIP should be a single issue party. In the years since, it became clear (at least to me), that the British political system itself is rotten to the core and needs to be reformed. Let's hope UKIP can become the party that will set that process underway.

23-08-2005, 08:38 PM	#8 (permalink)
nyorks-patriot Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 653	Tom I would I have thought the "Line my own pockets party" would be more apt.

24-08-2005, 02:35 PM	#9 (permalink)
johnwest Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Suffolk Posts: 827 Party: UKIP	For anyone interested you can catch Mr Sked is his hit show 'Father Ted' on Channel 4.