Britannist

Today – 12th September, 2007 – is the first Anniversary of the election of Mr. Nigel Farage MEP as leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP).

How do you think his first year as UKIP leader has gone? Which of Mr. Farage's political aims and objectives (which he set out in the 2006 UKIP leadership contest) have been achieved?

The following – from my file – I publish to mark Mr. Farage’s first Anniversary as UKIP leader:

The result of the contest to elect a new leader of the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) was declared on 12.9.2006. There were four candidates who receive the following numbers of votes each: David Campbell-Bannerman (UKIP Chairman) 1443 (19.05%), Nigel Farage MEP (UKIP leader in Brussels) 3329 (43.95%), David Noakes 851 (11.23%), and Richard Suchorzewski 1782 (23.52%). Spoilt ballot papers 169 (2.23%). Total number of votes 7574. Turnout 45.5%.

Mr. Nigel Farage MEP on his future plans for UKIP (from a statement issued by Mr. Farage MEP during the 2006 UKIP leadership contest):

“In 2009 there will be another set of elections to the European ‘parliament’, and if you elect me this year I will still be leader then. From 1994 to 1999 we in UKIP doubled our percentage of the vote in the European elections. From 1999 to 2004 we doubled it again to over 16%. We only have to double it once more in 2009, and the chances are we will become the largest UK party in the parliament. If that happens then the UK’s continued membership of the EU will be put in great doubt. My aim is to make that happen and I hope you can support me in this endeavour by voting for me in the Leadership election. The job of the leader is to give a political lead and to be as available as possible to the media. Our leader must be capable of putting over strong messages and be able to attract high level support. He or she must work closely with the Party Chairman, but not do the job of the Chairman. We have been through an unsettled time recently with the move from Birmingham to Devon. It must be our ambition to have London headquarters for UKIP. Our political centre must be where the national media are located. UKIP is a nationally known party with brand recognition. People know what we stand for regarding the EU but this is not enough for us to make a breakthrough at Westminster. We are a national political party and we must begin to act like one. The Scottish National Party tried until the 1970’s to be a single issue group but it was not until they became serious about local elections that they made the breakthrough into Parliament (the House of Commons). UKIP is not hidebound by over a century of ‘left’/’right dogma - .our proposals for local referendums, local policing and local democracy set us apart from the traditional parties. We should not see local elections as an opportunity to put out leaflets about the EU but must fight on local issues. UKIP must fight General Elections as a genuine party on a full manifesto (and not just concentrate on the EU in far-away Brussels) – we are already the real voice of opposition, the only party standing up against the cosy consensus of the Lib/Lab/Cons. We are a unique brand. Nationalist with a small ‘n’, libertarian, and in favour of small government and Parliamentary sovereignty. We are opposed to unlimited immigration, high taxes and bureaucracy. But what we lack is an overall vision. My task as leader would be to provide this vision. I would, as leader of UKIP, continue the process started earlier this year (2006) when we started focusing on five policy areas with our ‘the right thing to do’ initiative. I have been with UKIP from the very beginning. I have watched our party grow from a rag-tag army of political rookies into the UK’s 4th largest political party in just over a decade. This process of growth must continue, and to do this we need a leader with the experience and political vision to make it happen. I believe I am the only candidate who can do this."

The political views of Mr. Nigel Farage MEP (from a statement issued by Mr. Farage MEP during the 2006 UKIP leadership contest):

“If the UK is to have any proper future as an independent nation then we must leave the European Union as soon as possible. Successive British governments have, without the permission of the British electorate, continued to ignore public opinion in driving forward to sign up to a European Superstate. I am a libertarian, opposed to EU fraud and waste and committed to honest politics. EU rules and regulations should be rolled back. My vision is a free people in a free country. For all of our history we resisted invasion and our people resisted tyranny. Our country is the home of modern democracy and a major exporter of liberty to the rest of the world. It is intolerable that after all our forebears have done for us, today’s political leaders should be replacing national independence with subservience to the EU, and individual liberty with an authoritarian collective state. I will fight both of these tooth and nail. If the UK is to have any proper future as an independent nation then we must leave the European Union as soon as possible.”

Mr. Nigel Farage MEP issued the following statement of thanks on 12.9.2006 immediately after the declaration of the result of the 2006 UK Independence Party (UKIP) leadership election result in which it was announced that he was the winner (and would assume the responsibilities of leader formally at the October 2006 UKIP annual Party Conference):

“May I firstly thank the Party membership for electing me as their new Leader. I am honoured by their confidence in me. My major aims as Party Leader are straightforward: - I want to see UKIP achieve elected representation at all levels. - I want UKIP to be the largest Party in the country at the 2009 European Election. In terms of the organisation of the Party itself, I want a total re-prioritisation of our efforts, concentrating on fighting elections. We need candidates selected and approved in large numbers for local and national elections. Under my leadership, the Party is going to become much more professional in everything it does and to achieve this, I will be picking a team to work with me. Another of my major priorities will be to deal with the small element we have in the Party who are totally undisciplined. Disunited parties don’t succeed. UKIP must become the real voice of opposition, not a single issue campaigning group. We will be the only Party campaigning for Britain to have: - a low tax economy - real immigration controls - its own trade policy to allow deals with third world countries - selective education. Above all, UKIP will campaign for Britain to be an independent self-governing and self-confident nation. There is a huge vacuum in British politics because the three traditional parties do not offer the electorate a real choice. UKIP is now the only Party saying what most people think. We will fill the void. I look forward to working with my team and the membership as a whole, to make this Party a major force in British politics.”

Mr. Farage also stated after his election as UKIP leader “David Cameron has abandoned Conservatism and abandoned millions of voters and we need to show those voters that UKIP has matured. There is a huge vacuum in British politics because the three traditional parties do not offer the electorate any real choice. UKIP is now the only party saying what most people think. We will fill the void.”

Mr. Farage’s win was described as “convincing” by the Daily Telegraph edition of 13.9.2006 which reported that Mr. Farage “pledged to champion a raft of traditional Tory policies that he clamed Mr. Cameron had jettisoned.” The newspaper said that Mr. Farage wanted to give a voice to people who no longer voted for the Conservatives and that low tax, tough immigration controls and selective education would be “at the core” of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) ‘blueprint for the UK’. The Daily Telegraph said that UKIP intended to fight Conservative candidates “who had failed to declare their support for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.”

rjt

Speaking as a ex member.

Mr Farage has many qualitys I always enjoy listening to him, but |I feel he might have been aiming just a bit high when he talked of UKIP becoming the largest UK party in the EP and filling the percieved void due to the change in leadership and policy of the Tory party.

He is right to say UKIP should be a real voice of opposition, you need good domestic policys to get anywhere in politics in this country.

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prober

And...... where is the plan ?

Anthony Butcher

That hasn't happened yet, as far as I know.

I am not sure that if a general election was called in October that UKIP would really be any better prepared than it was in 2005 in terms of a manifesto. That one was so poor that candidates were inventing their own policies on a range of issues.

I don't think that we have seen that?

As far as I know, membership has been static.... which actually isn't that bad in a political landscape of reducing party memberships.

I don't think that anyone has been elected under his leadership to any notable positions, but he has managed to bring in two peers to the party.

That has certainly been the case; from what I have seen most of the funds have gone towards fighting elections, hence the large budget in Wales.

Do we know how many approved PPCs there are?

I think that it is fair to say that he has failed on this score. The party is no more professional now than it has ever been.

I agree, except that I don't see what he has done to build bridges and build some party spirit up. Unless he meant that he wanted to drive all opposition out of the party... in which case he was partially successful having had numerous resignations under his watch. The existence of Grassroots Democracy is evidence that his policy hasn't worked.

I am not sure that this has been achieved yet. Taking a quick look at the UKIP website. 9 out of 16 stories are EU related. That's better than it used to be, but a long way off a British-centric party.

I may be biased, but I don't think that UKIP has made any progress in terms of improving its public image. Indeed the Tom Wise, Ashley Mote and the flying pasty incidents have had a negative impact if anything. I certainly don't see any evidence of UKIP being a "major force".

In conversations I have with people I usually end up defending UKIP, (believe it or not!) because people so frequently have a false impression of what it stands for and what its policies are.

I think that NF squandered his honeymoon period and instead of rebuilding the brand just allowed it to fester. There was a real opportunity for him to prove his critics wrong and create something exciting with some momentum and spirit in it. A year later and UKIP is in exactly the same position it was in when he took over.

Anyway, that is my assessment and I don't think that I have been unfair. Does anyone think that his first 12 months have been a success?

prober

One measure is the passive and by election ward vote, which measures the effect of Nigel's key aim of media publicity minus bad media publicity. Unfortunately it seems the net vote effect is negative. Another measure is public awareness of the implications of the EU & consitution. It seems over 40% of the public "dont know enough about it to decide " despite media publicity a website and repeated candidates standing under UKIP label. Another measure is young people's identification that UKIP or its argument is relevant to them . Polls show minimal intention to vote UKIP by the young and far exceeded by the BNP. Another is how its message is impacting on voter versus other small parties. BNP seem to be nearly consistently beating UKIP in elections. Another is relevant literature to pre election convince public . there is none but policy group may have some by next elections. Another is definable progress by MEPs in rolling back the EU. It is unclear what they do or have achieved and how any more will make any difference ( apart from £) . The conference gives the leader an opportunity to present added value "progress audit" of both his stated intentions ( including his "professionalism" plans) and UKIP advance as a whole. It will be an important occasion as his words on that will define how he sees it versus reality and what members will know what UKIP will and wont be doing in material and campaign terms by the next election.

Alex McKee

I think it's been a disappointing 12 months, but not bad.

C_steam

No, it's been bad. It can only be 'good' when UKIP make a positive contribution to assuring England gets out of the EU.

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Petrina

Nigel said in his election address " my election as leader would ,I am sure ,increase our coverage considerably " -true but it ain`t got us anywhere.
Our results are bordering on pathetic .We are not cutting the mustard .

At the moment there is a hugh opportunity to make contact with the voters .
The man in the street does not like the EU ,he is fed to the teeth of the rules and regs ,and the power grabs .
But not one MEP ,as far as I know ,is travelling around the country garnering support for UKIP ,Nigel has not rallied our troops ,we are frankly leaving it to the Tories to make the running .

Why ?

RTSTN

To be fair to NF I think he took over a ship badly leaking, no matter who had become leader it's hard to see if it would have been any different for UKIP in the last 12 months.

The Euro election will be the decider if the UKIP ship finally sinks under his leadership.

Alex McKee

We've never been very effective at that, so in the grand scheme of things the party hasn't moved - backwards or forwards.