The most interesting things in the S Telegraph piece were the pictures see below of NF doing his favourite things.
They show a change of image from the city slicker pin stripe suit to the Tory knight of the shires, sage green jacket to appeal to his country audience. Its the colour favoured by old Tories like former UKIP leader Roger Knapman. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but in this case Mr Knapman might not agree. Its a bit double edged as it identifies him to the public with the knights of the shires which I don't think is helpful when you are trying to differentiate UKIP from the Tories but anything that gets him away from the City spiv/banker image is great. Overall it's a net positive I should say.
The other pictures in the piece illustrate the problem. One, not on the internet version, shows him being introduced on the platform by a decent looking man wearing exactly the same sage colour and jacket type as NF. A wannabe MEP possibly? NF likes that sort of flattery. It worked for Nuttall who dressed excatly like Nigel for press photos.
The pic below however shows the problem.
Three middle aged men but only one presentable woman and no black faces. The technique UKIP have to master is doughnuting. Watch Cam, Cleggy and Milliband's photo shoots. They are always shown surrounded by young good looking people with a majority of women and non-whites. They even do the same in the House of Commons where young photogenic females are rapidly shuffled into shot and a blackj face is always visible. Older white males banished to the back banches. It has unpleasant overtones but it creates the right impression with Joe Public and gets votes which is all that matters.
Its overall a very favourable piece for UKIP and well worth reading in full click link.
Farage however showed his true colours in one telling quote,
“A first MP would be an important moment, of course - although frankly it hasn’t done much for the Green Party or Respect,”
That lets the cat out of the bag. A win for Diane James in Eastleigh would have been a personal disaster for Farage. Think what it would do for UKIP to have an MP asking questions at PMQs, interviewed on College Green by the media, regular appearances on the Daily Politics. But it would not have been Nigel! He could not take that nor would he survive as party leader over the water. A bit like Bonnie Prince Charlie who wasted the rest of his life away in Rome, he would die politically in the pubs of Brussels. In the long run this would be good for our cause as it would return our efforts to the Westminster parliament which is the only body that by repealing the 1973 ECM act can get us out of the EU Act can get us out of the EU.
Nigel Farage is an EU puppet bought and controlled with Brussel's Euros. I sometimes think that he does not realise this himself. Its a great pity. He has great talents and energy but also great weaknesses. Advancing tired old Tories like the Hamiltons may be comfortable for Nigel but can never appeal to those who have never voted. Diane James did that. Christine Hamilton never can.
17 comments:
I read a bit on line where Nigel is saying he could work with Boris or Labour (Frank Field preferred).
That's about the same as Cameron's promise of a referendum after the 2015 election.
First, it presumes that UKIP will get MPs.
Second that Nigel will be one of them.
Third that he will lead the parliamentary party
Fourth that Boris or Labour would need or even want to do a deal with him.
This all has overtones of the 2010 general election with its vote for Conservatives not UKIP candidates in specific areas.
Why does he belittle Ukip in this way turning them from a political force into a pressure group reliant on others for any sort of power in Westminster.
Would he not do better to wait until after the May elections and promote UKIP into a force in its own right?
I cannot believe that UKIP is attracting hordes of new members.
I did receive a membership application and £20 thanks to the old UKIP Devizes website which I thought was defunct as I stopped paying for it. I left the party in 2009 and nobody has bothered to change the form.
Not being curmudgeonly I forwarded it to Head Office at my own expense.
"Great oaks from little acons grow".
As you say Eric, the local branch is the acorn and it needs fertilising with money from the MEP's - that is why we put them there. Not to piss it away in Brussels, or salt it away in the Isle of Man.
These MEP's have wasted a golden opportunity for nearly 15 years by thinking of themselves as a necessary part of the Brussels machine and its leader sets the worst kind of example.
If the MEP's promised to put just 10% of their salary into their local hospice they would get elected as an MP. They should all be MP candidates.
I never see my MEP's in the local newspaper or on the local news for their interest in th local businesses and industries, or the NHS or the local schools. They are hopeless.
Alan & Mike,
I agree with your comments. I am always very sceptical about claims of UKIP membership numbers but yes the MEPs should be doing more financially and on the regional media. But they wont. They are mean and have nothing worth saying.
I think it good comment to say Ukip are certainly attracting votes, particulary in middle england, where the votes of the likes of Smith are simply melting away, Of course I can't comment on members, but this does not in anyway reflect what votes will be attracted in the ballot box, the big vote looser for the tories at the moment appears to be "Welfare Policy" increased laws and bueaucracy with the new monsters such as the DVLA which are causing concern to every one, including some interesting cases of maladministration on the various web sites. People are becomming increasing concerned at the way this monster is developing, with people not having access to courts and staff guilty of incomeptence now witholding their identies and names. Of course, this week I got some very disturbing copies of F.O.I. act, in a one month study of government documents, 1,700 sick people died within three weeks of being decleared fit for work, the yearly figure could be over 20,000, these people on account have been recorded as being
working, is this a bezzel, using dead people to cook the books one
may ask. And should the figures be
in the public domain.
I'm not a fully paid up fan of Farage but I do realise how effective he has been in attracting numbers to UKIP.
The sod-them-all disposition of the electorate at the moment is forcing people into the UKIP pen - a lot of those from the working class don't really understand Farage's free market priniples, the disenfranchised Tories speak for themselves.
I believe this UKIP surge to be temporary.
What I would like to see though is enough numbers in members to create a few dissenting voices and an upward pressure for places on the upper tier.
I want UKIP to succeed because I want out of the EU - if any one has a different route to this end I will gladly listen.
Your post gives food for thought though.
To Mr. Cheseman & Anonymous,
Your comments are entirely helpful.
The public ae slowly becoming aware that so many of our problems arise from our membership of the EU, its effect on immigration, recycling policy (just another form of taxation due to EU levies), Carbon taxation (has anyone stopped to do the Cost Benefit Analysis of this crackpot EU tax), EU Working Time Directive meaning lack of hospital staff.
The problem is that UKIP will be seen as the well for dissident votes, but Farage does not want to be an MP, or become Prime Minister (too much like real work).
There are so many areas needing sorting; greedy Corporations, monopoly water companies run according to the EU laws, secretive organisations run like the STASI.
It's endless and there is not a great person willing to take on the establishment and the elite.
Almost ten years ago I proposed to the UKIP leadership that each MEP Should select a target constituency in their region and work it relentlessly. The MEP's regional office should be a high street location, the MEP's staff should be local activists and target council seats and te MEP's communications allowance should fund regular newsletters and leaflet drops in the constituency. Regional action days should be held with canvassing, street stalls and high visibility events. I even produced a four year "model campaign plan" outlining how this could be implemented and with budget costings. The plan was never taken forward for several reasons, key amongst them was I estimated it needed a sustained effort over four to six years to start to get MPs into Westminster. The general concencus was "We don't have 4 years. If we are still in the EU by then it will be too late" I made the same sugesstion after the next general election and again was told it would take too long to make a difference. I made the same suggestion after the 2009 European Elections and recieved the same reason for not taking it forward. So eight years after I propsed a four to six year stratergy I was still eing told it would take too long to produce results. I gave up in 2011 and decided to stop wasting my time. UKIP dosen't really want MPs. UKIP wants lots of tickets for gravy train rides in Brussels.
A suggestion for anonymous.
Like Steve I gave up in 2010 and I am now standing as an independent in the County elections in May.
I think I will do quite well and others could also.
Suppose there was an Independent Movement, administered by a "controller" whose job it was to establish Constituency "cells" across the UK.
These cells would have a single organiser whose job it was to advertise its existence and promote people of experience to apply with a CV as a potential "Independent Movement" candidate in parliamentary elections. There would need to be a wide range of applications of people who had been involved in working across the range of government activities i.e. banking, finance, the trades unions, health, business, transport, the environment, police, and so on.
The organiser would call a conclave of candidates who would sit in session until they themselves elected their candidate based upon who they all think would be the most suitably experienced person to be in government. (As for a Pope).
There would be no members, just supporters and donors, and, if their were no funds for the housing and organisation of a conclave, the cost of the conclave would would shared equally among the candidates.
This would mean that the public would know there is a single "approved" independent to vote for. Of course other Independents could stand but that would be unlikely unless spoiling.
All the candidates would have to sign up for is to work for Britain's exit from the EU and to continue that work ad infinitum in Westminster. Otherwise their Independent view holds sway, there is no over-arching manifesto.
When elected, another conclave would be called of the successful candidates to appoint positions in government if sufficient to form a government.
Each person would be Independent and able to represent their constituency as they feel fit with no whip. Just the promise to get us out of the EU and keep us out.
Answers on a post card please.
(Post card Answer) I beg to question, what difference it might make if things contiune in England with so many of out goverment learning the quick wealth methods of the EU, take today, out health service in absolute crisis and all the top pen pushers award themselves a 5% pay rise FIO today, carmerons given his tory loyalists another 500,000 tax cut to boot, the Tory Photo shoots are well planned and thought out, even before the camera arrivies, there is a lot of pre-planning to give the illusion they are a multiculteral party, those models probably get 20 quid cash in hand and come from some agency, i now being a pg:dipt, Anna Dougdale does the same thing at the N.N. hospital, they use deception phot journalism to give the impression it's is a magnificent hosptial, first class star award, when behind the scenes it a f-ing cesspit where all the money goes on corrupted management, and high pay.
Yes of course, that is what they do
alright, it's not just a push of the button, those tory photo shoots
are planned to military precision,
with psychological input planning
to give the right illusion to the
public. photographs work on the mind and subconcious, they now this
all to well. And expliot every aspect of the trade.
If the public knew how much money
the tory councils, the police and
the NHS spend on photographers and
fancy magazines and flyers,In Norfolk you'd
probably have a heart attack as well as the tax payers.
Of course as I have already said, the two main parties have formidable resources, and large armies at their disposal, traditionally this is why there has
aways been two party politics in England, however, my opinion is there is only one, both working together. There will never be no outright victory for any side line party as of course the
the liberals found out, being forced to do a traitors deal with the Tories.
Question is how do you at least gain some victory over such a formidable force. Start to look
closely at their sheid wall, for
there will alway's be points of weakness, in even the greatest of
armies, this is where you direct
the archers before the main attack,
then charge and break the line, at
the moment the conservatives weakness is corruption,tax breaks for the rich, Healthcare and
welfare, this is were the archers
arrows must fall before the main
charge to the ballot box.
Well of course that Norfolk Constabulary, say no more. Phil Gormley will have Saatchi and Saatchi in there doing the PR next.
Hey Phil just look at that overtime
bill for your boy's, it's like mount everest, come on boy give the
tax a f-ing break for once please,
shirly told me at the CC there's no
money left in the country as you
Blue Boy's are taking it all.
Lots of good ideas, thank you!
Stephen, Mike and Alan, if UKIP had listened to you three its campaigning and electoral prospects would be so much better now.
EE
I note in Monday 8th April's Telegraph their senior political correspondent Chris Hope writes on the NF tour, "Not for nothing is Mr Farage, who is wearing the tweed uniform of a Tory squire.."
Quite!
Eric,
Kind words. I had the greatest respect for my two friends Steve and Mike - thinking types of men who were wasted on UKIP.
I have no respect for the creeps from the two main parties nor the ghastly Lib-Dems with their support for shirtlifters.
Very few people will have read the 1996 book attributed to Tony Blair called "New Britain" but probably written by someone in his office like Alistair Campbell or pro-EU fanatic Peter Mandelson.
Its a great propaganda joke in support of the EU.
p20 - "the peoples of Europe prosper when they work together".
tell that to the the unemployed !
p32 - "We should be committed Europeans".
etc. etc. etc.
p266 - this sums up what a deluded twerp Tony Blair was, putty in the hands of the best manipulators in the world who put him in power for being pro-EU, "I see Bitain playing a natural part with France and Germany". Cameron, another pro-EU type put in place by the pro-EU elite fixers like Maude, Clarke, Heseltine and Co., is in Spain today pretending that UK with its giant debt can tell rich Germany that the EU needs to change. Germany IS THE EU !
This is the 4th Reich !
Alan,
Yes and German industry has done very well out of the EU and the Euro and wants to keep it that way.
All being involved in Europe has brought this country is death, waste and misery.
We were broken financially and morally by WW I and have gone downhill ever since. We should have kept oot of it then and ever since.
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