Why are Ukip so strong?

I can understand the Clacton result with them having the last MP for that seat, but they nearly took Heywood last night.

I appreciate many of the electorate (that bother to vote) are disillusioned with the main parties but consistently turning to Ukip???

It seems to be the faze throughout Europe with the Front National in France gaining in popularity and they are already winning seats.

What is making so many people vote for them that they will have an impact on the elections next year?

Because most people who vote are thick.

blueboy wrote:Because most people who vote are thick.

I prefer the term, "impressionable" 

I personally think there's three factors involved in all of this (and I can already sense everyone thinking, "Oh, god, here we go, Leo's off on another rant!) so I'll keep it short:

• At the last general election, everyone was fed up of Labour, but most were still deeply fed up of the last Tory stint, hence the rise in the popularity of the Lib Dems.  Their getting into bed with the Tories killed them off, but everyone is still fed up of the other two, hence the room for another party.
  
• UKIP are promising to fix the country at a time when jobs are scarce, money is tight and more and more people are close to the breadline.  Many people are buying into the propaganda because they don't see any respite from the more mainstream parties.
  
• More and more voters are just not bothering.
  

The reason UKIP are apparently gaining popularity is because most voters can't trust the other three, so they either vote for UKIP or just don't vote at all.  Those not voting clearly don't care one way or another, but the ones voting for UKIP are swallowing the propaganda and, sadly, they are part of a growing minority of people who still turn up at the poll booths.

What we need to have happen is to get people out of voter apathy.  Make it a legal requirement to vote.  That way, the non-voters who don't realise their apathy is enabling the likes of UKIP to fuck up our country will be forced to do something about it.

Of course, it would help if politicians didn't come off as slimy, self serving arseholes...

Of course, it would help if politicians didn't come off as slimy, self serving arseholes...
....................

I watched Question Time last night and the UKIP representative actually called people 'stupid and not thinking for themselves' when referring to an audience member.

There are also 'massive' campaigns on FB, by Britain First. These are a subversive political group who post things like:

Let's Remember Lee Rigby...share if you like. (thousands then share)

next

Old Woman Beaten by Thugs...share if you like (again thousands share the link)

then....

Britain MUST close our borders to Immigrants taking our jobs VOTE UKIP to stop this....share if you like (by now, people are drawn into these campaigns as they touch the normal person at a level that 'most' would agree with)...however, Britain First has close ties to the BNP....and now UKIP due to their policies.

So it's all set up for UKIP members to make spurious statements like "we'll keep Britain for Britain's" "We'll stop illegal immigrants claiming benefits"....all statements to back up a social media campaign.

That said, I'm all for what they are saying - problems that DO need addressing in this country - but if it was that simple, it would have been addressed by now....plus, they will NOT commit to how they will deal with the NHS, schools, Tax etc etc...it's all a campaign to capture support for things that the average person thinks is more important than the actual political problems that ANY Government will face.

And if they got any semblance of power, they'd have their snouts in the trough as well.

Farrage's wife is German and she is his secretary. He didn't advertise the job for a 'British' person and wouldn't consider anyone except his wife. I'm sure she is well rewarded for her role.

blueboy wrote:That said, I'm all for what they are saying - problems that DO need addressing in this country - but if it was that simple, it would have been addressed by now....plus, they will NOT commit to how they will deal with the NHS, schools, Tax etc etc...it's all a campaign to capture support for things that the average person thinks is more important than the actual political problems that ANY Government will face.

And this is where they draw in support.  People know there's not enough jobs.  People regularly see shops being run by Asians.  They often come across Polish plumbers or Romanian taxi drivers.  They may even have been served by a Latvian waitress in a hotel.  And they may well think, "Hang on, we've got how many million on the dole, and yet we bring people in to do jobs?"  But what they don't think is, "Hang on, how come we've got to draft in people to do these jobs when there's millions on the dole?"  And then these same people get annoyed at the minority of immigrants who come to claim money they're not entitled to, whilst watching programmes that glamourise the scumbag indigenes who do exactly the same thing!

The sad truth is, should UKIP get in power and then implement what I believe is the reason for their vague notions of how to "fix" the country - ie. a mass deportation - our country would become even more broken as a result.  Our diverse multi-cultural society makes us better, not worse.  But let's not get that deep, let's stay totally shallow for a moment:  What happens when we can't get served at the bar, because all the Australian bar staff have been sent home?  And then discover the kebab shop is shut because the Turks that ran it were deported.  And same with the Chinese chippy.  But you can't go to the English chippy because it shut at seven.  And then you've got to walk home because no English person will drive a cab after nine.  So you're walking home and you get stabbed, but you end up dying in the waiting room because there's only one doctor in, as all the Indian doctors have been sent packing.  And it turned out you'd died not from loss of blood, but from contracting MRSA, because the Czech girls who clean the waiting room are now trying to find work in Prague.

And there's still millions on the dole, who refuse to work in bars, or drive cabs, or work in a take-away, or clean floors.  As for the shortage of doctors, it turns out that thanks to the continued cuts, the English people who studied to be doctors are all working in something more lucrative.

Topdawg wrote:And if they got any semblance of power, they'd have their snouts in the trough as well.

Farrage's wife is German and she is his secretary. He didn't advertise the job for a 'British' person and wouldn't consider anyone except his wife. I'm sure she is well rewarded for her role.

I'll bet he never registered that conflict of interest!!

As for the shortage of doctors, it turns out that thanks to the continued cuts, the English people who studied to be doctors are all working in something more lucrative.
...................................

Or, working abroad as doctors on better contracts and working hours.

Whatever party is voted into Government at the next election, nothing will change significantly, as no matter what party is in power, the money just isn't there to fix all of the problems that this country faces.

Cut wage increases for Government workers - they strike and the cost of the strike action cancels out the savings.

Make the top earners pay more tax - they move their businesses overseas and make people in work redundant.

Invest more money in the NHS - from where and who loses out, as it'll be rob Peter to pay Paul.

Increase our Police on the street - where exactly will they find the money to pay for 'police on the street'?

I heard last night on Question Time the Tory rep saying that they have set aside a budget of £8b to help the NHS...but that in reality, they really need £30b......yet UKIP have set aside £1b, or so they claim they will. That in itself shows how far of the mark UKIP are in their policies to turn things around.....x8 times off!!

They are a fringe party like the Green Party or Monster Raving Loony Party all over again - just that they have a clever marketing strategy to tap into what the 'hot topic' of the day is and then make ridiculous claims as to what they will do.

Don't they know as part of the EU they cannot close borders or deport people with British or EU passports? Has that not crossed the average voters mind when they stood at the ballot box in Middleton and Clacton?

I dare say it hasn't, Bluey.  UKIP should be a fringe party, a novelty.  But then so were the Third Reich and we all know what happened there.  All it needs is enough people to win over and enough apathy to prevent being swamped.  And, worryingly, we're about there as a nation.

Sadly true Leo...

I heard a Ukip supporter from Clacton saying there was too much immigration and immigrants had ruined the NHS!!!  You couldn't make this stuff up!

The NHS is wasting billions because people drink far too much, eat far too much, smoke and generally lead unhealthy lifestyles. If it wasn't for the immigrant doctors, nurses and orderleys, it would have collapsed decades ago.

No chance of UKIP getting any realistic power,even as part of a coalition at the next election,so whatever their manifesto states is pretty meaningless anyway.
Biggest problem,for me anyway,is the likelihood that a surge in UKIP votes will be more detrimental to the Tories and end up putting labour back in power.

The very idea of Milliband at no 10 is appalling and I don't think Osborne has had the time to turn the economy around sufficiently from Browns head in the sand policies yet to hand the baton over to the complete fuckwit Ed Balls.
People have such short memories,another term of labour will be a disaster

As a public sector employee, any term of power from either Tory or Labour, is a disaster!
Still preferable to UKIP though.
The bottom line is that ALL politicians, from ALL parties are detached from the hardships faced by working people in this country. The majority of them are extremely wealthy and have no concept of how most of us live.
There is no Conservative, Labour or Liberal Democrat politicians anymore, they are just politicians these days. It's not a vocation or a calling, it's now just another job.
Detest them all.