Andrew Constantine

I am standing in the Richmond Borough Council elections for the Riverside ward, and outline two key themes that kept occuring to me this week as I canvassed and leafletted.

1. I think every UKIP member and official should have a large banner in their home/office saying, in a take on the Clinton approach, "It's the internet, stupid". For a party like UKIP with few resources, no professional agents (?), but an election winning message, the internet is the obvious choice for the main media to get support, details of sympathisers, donations etc.

2. My views on a range of domestic issues are traditional Tory and would be seen by many in the centre / left as beyond the pale. Yet some of UKIP's policies in this local election were too right wing even for me. I honestly feel that I could win a Parliamentary seat if I was free to build an alliance over the next 4 years with those local electors interested in full Parliamentary democracy. I got feedback on the streets this week that ordinary mums and dads fully realise what the EU is doing to our Westminster Parliament. I believe that if UKIP stood just for the UK exit from the EU and the return to a proper functioning democracy, we would be able to give out some very attractive messages and be able to call on a much wider section of the electorate. Those who would otherwise support New Labour, Liberal Democrats etc as part of their tribal identity, might cast their vote if UKIP stood solely on the issue of restoring democracy. I think we could win seats on this stance, using the internet fully. Recall the truism "Nothing is so powerful as an idea whose time has come".

C_steam

Apart from the fact that Roger (Knapman - remember him?) used the phrase ad nauseum prior to the last GE.