Simon Muir

Plenty, however I would make two points:

Firstly much of local government's issues reduce down to corruption or bureaucratic 'responsibilities creep'. There is no point in UKIP seeking to address this unless it puts its own house in order first (it sounds like the business meeting was a whitewash).

Secondly, I have resigned from UKIP and wil not seek readmission unless/until it shows some probity at the top. I have also tried consistently down the years to make suggestions, publishing papers, for example, running training on press/PR, trying to get working parties together on IT, etc., and recently surveying candidates/agents at the last GE, however it was made very clear that such was unwelcome.

The party will not succeed in urban areas until it takes a considerably more sophisticated approach, especially to policy and ideology. There is precious little sign of this.

You'll therefore forgive me if I don't engage further. It's now someone else's problem, and, with the present UKIP leadership, they're welcome!

I do care, hugely, but I can't see the point in trying to flog a dead horse.

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Soddball

Of course I respect your decision not to engage further. Please forgive my unhealthy enthusiasm - having only joined UKIP a month ago I haven't had the time to become jaded, then disillusioned, then fed up as you have.

kernow

prober

The new era of UKIP as a "proper political part" will be good at "Bromley style" fighting elections. That is not the issue.

What is needed IN ADDITION to "fighting" , on how to actually WIN elections is only partly recognized by the new UKIP ( eg now accepted that no use popping up just at election time, UKIP has to be seen well before ... hence standing in local elections purely as a means to a parliamentary election end ). UKIP has as yet not systematically thought through much of what is needed to WIN ( eg No mention at the conference of need to acertain and change public negative perception of what UKIP is or for ).

Re local elections. Candidate knocks on door.. Householder says ...

" you are the UKIP candidate. Explain to me how UKIP is relevant to local elections and why the EU is relevant to local government, the huge Council Tax I pay, post office closures, and all these stupid different rubbish collection boxes I have to fill. " What is UKIP doing about it ?"

UKIP candidate ..... Er I'm not sure , I think the answer is lots, and there is some EU directive about rubbish collection , and post offices but UKIP hasnt yet got a leaflet I can give you listing all the areas local councils have to spend on and must or cannot do because of the EU and the directives Labour & Tories have signed up to for ........ and I dont know what lobbying etc UKIP is doing about it , though I think our MEPs have said something , but I dont know what. I think there is an EU rule tking powers from Councils to Regional Assemblies , but dont know what. But never mind the EU I will be at least a good a councillor as the Lib Dem candidate on cleaning graffitti..... and anyway UKIP has said "dont mention the EU" at local elections .

Householder ..... I dont like the EU, but UKIP is a joke. Sod off and get your act together. If you cant , I'm voting Lib Dem to get the real thing.

Lewkip

What a stupid post this is!

As Chairman of UKIP Lewisham, I would never send out a canvasser as ill-prepared as this and anyone who did ought to be shot!

It is not rocket science to know that you must have thought through a local agenda before you knock on any door, before you print a single leaflet.

I sure as hell do not need UKIP National to tell me what to say in Whitefoot or New Cross or Ladywell etc etc. If I cannot determine what is relevant for my patch then why should I expect head office to help? Good grief, is it beyond the tech savvy people here to simply Google their patch and councillors and see where the wind blows? Then focus on overlooked areas and make heavy weather of it in leaflets? I don't need no damn focus group organised from Newton Abbott to tell me how to do this!

And I can do all this with as much/little of the EU as I feel. I certainly could make much reference to how council tax will rise to pay for new immigrants from Eastern Europe, on how the days of elected councils will soon be over due to regional assemblies and do this all through the prism of doorstep issues: higher bills, less public services, less ability to get action through a local government because central government dictates spending etc etc. And I'll keep it simple, using 14pt text and plenty of pictures on my leaflets because that is known to work the best, and print it as often as I can because repetition aids memory.

Unless you have forgetten, this is a war we're fighting. The time for philosophising is over, we need action!

eublues

Agreed up to a point (and obviously in very detailed local matters) but most of the "local government" issues are in fact common across the country and driven by the government/EU.

Therefore some brief authoritative guidance on how to respond on the main "local" issues from the top of UKIP would be very helpful for local activists.

Lewkip

UKIP at the top and local issues are incompatible. It is up to us to interpret the national policies and tailor them to local relevance. And we need to see how the other parties do it so well. My favourite opposition party in this respect is the LibDems: They did rubbish nationally by gaining only two net councillors but in Lewisham alone they gained ten new people. Their leaflets could have been done by any party, not a single national policy was mentioned. Yet they did not transfer this ability across the country - There's a lesson there.

Considering the LibDems are bigger than UKIP in almost every meaningful respect electorally, we should not wait until a `local' manifesto is agreed upon by UKIP National because it is doomed to fail. We, the grassroots people, must take up the cudgel and blaze our own path.

eublues

Lots of the key stuff like messing about with "recycling"/ refuse collection follows from EU directives/fines and is the same everywhere (or soon will be) - likewise the changes to local taxation being piloted in Northern Ireland (as reported in today's Telegraph) - likewise the shift of effective planning powers to regions - likewise speed cameras - likewise the limitations on the powers of local councillors by the "Standards Board".

Soddball

IMO, pointing the finger at the EU and saying 'Them furriners changed your refuse collection' won't turn heads on a local level. Spending your life pointing out the evils of the EU probably won't win you much support at a national level, either.
People will want to know why you're going to make their town better. You could point to increased accountability, more local/direct democracy, solving problems with graffiti/litter/crime/drugs, reducing council tax and so on.

mkpdavies

UKIP has to attract members and money before it can do the fight elections bit propperly.

That's where the central organisation is most important, as the local side needs something to sell.

The beebs "Have Your Say" shows there is a market for UKIP's policies, so UKIP has to show that it is going somewhere and is run professionally.

Look at the Lib Dems, they get everything handed to them on a plate from central office. They have a focused and unified strategy and effectivley us templates of success.

UKIP should have the same, only with sensible policies on a national level.

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