Thread: UKIP: What happens to Wales if Euro fails?

Sorry for my slow response - I've had a busy few days.

Of course Barboo is sadly correct that the leader of UKIP can make up policy with no input from the membership. I remember Douglas Denny confirming this in an earlier discussion here many months ago. I deeply regret this appallingly undemocratic situation. I imagine that the rule change was made so as to allow the party leader to respond quickly to the rapidly changing news agenda: a situation will develop, the media will be on the blower asking for UKIP's position, and the leader needs to be able to decide policy very quickly if the party is to look professional. At least, that's my guess as to how this abomination was justified, but I may be wrong. In any case, it allowed manifestly stupid policies such as the proposed burka ban to be adopted as official UKIP policy on the mere whim of Lord Pearson with no possibility of a veto or a review by other party bodies or the wider membership. Anyway, I hope the party's members will campaign for their say in policy-making to be restored and that the party's officials - recognizing how poorly this excessive concentration of policy-making power has worked in practice - will back them up.

Incidentally, many of the other UK political parties are just as bad in this respect, but not all. And smaller parties should offer more, not less, opportunity for policymaking input from their members. The Liberal Party does, for instance - all their policies are made or ratified by a vote of the members at their annual Assembly:

The Liberal Party Assembly ::

Originally Posted by Steve Morson

So what do you expect of this group in the forum, Tom? It might pay to clarify.

I enjoy political discussion and I simply hope for this to be an interesting place to discuss UKIP's actual policies. Not because I'm expecting UKIP's leadership to hang breathlessly upon our every post, but simply for it's own sake? Is that too much to ask?

Originally Posted by Tom Wilde

....I enjoy political discussion and I simply hope for this to be an interesting place to discuss UKIP's actual policies. Not because I'm expecting UKIP's leadership to hang breathlessly upon our every post, but simply for it's own sake? Is that too much to ask?

I agree with what you've written to a large extent. One of the things I wanted to do was bring in was an "expert system" in to the party, so that by natural language interrogation, you could get the latest party policy brief, or as the big boys call it, "The line to take" on any issue, instantly. We couldn't afford an office with manned phone, so I saw this as a solution, especially if it was provided online from the party's servers, through some decent security (VPN's etc). An invaluable tool at election times.

However, the emphatic autocracy - as much discussed - renders any discussion of such policy as largely pointless, does it not? Which is why Niall and others petition for change, for a more collegiate, responsive and democratic party. How many times have Niall, myself or others posted that the party needs a set of core beliefs and a future strategy?; aren't these foundation stones for policies?

The party members can campaign for all the say in policy-making they want, but that has cost some members. And I don't even know what I did!

Too much to ask? I don't think so, and I thought it was largely what we'd been doing (that and dodging personal attacks, and such! )

Well, Gandhi said we should "be the change that we want to see in the world", so acting on that basis I reckon we should try to discuss policies as if it made any difference what we said, in that hope that one day it might! :-)

Originally Posted by Tom Wilde

Well, Gandhi said we should "be the change that we want to see in the world", so acting on that basis I reckon we should try to discuss policies as if it made any difference what we said, in that hope that one day it might! :-)

Policies imply to me 'electioneering' which I now believe is largely irrelevant.

The Euro and EU is slowly heading for self destruction so the Eurorealists MISSION should be to educate the public to the benefits of leaving the EU so that we win and In or Out Referendum if or when it is called.