Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Cameron was out of order
During a radio interview, Tory Leader David Cameron called the UKIP "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists mostly". Whether this was a calculated move, or a heat-of-the-moment gaffe, we do not know. Now UKIP has written to Cameron demanding he apologise, while consulting their lawyers about suing him for libel.
I am definately of the opinion that Mr Cameron should apologise. If you are a conservative (small "c") you would surely not support his outburst. The race card - highly damaging, intellectually unengaging and lazy, usually blatantly untrue - is a card of the left; and the Tories of all people, with our experience of it being unfairly used against us, should be the last to use it.
The United Kingdom Independence Party does have a serious, perhaps fatal, image problem. I'm sure there are plenty of 'loonies' in the membership too (but then in my opinion voting Labour should be enough for a sectioning). The Tories should know however most of UKIP are alienated conservatives needing a home, and this move if designed to bring them back to the Tories failed - in fact, it will probably be much more effective in the opposite; pushing out alienated conservatives from the Tory party.
In my home constituency of Hereford at the last General Election, the Conservative Party lost to the Liberal Democrats by 2.2%, whereas UKIP gained 2.3% of the vote. This is a pattern we can see all over the country. Why aren't these people voting with us?
Whats more, UKIP appears to want to capitalise on the feeling of alienation by trying to reform itself from a 'nationalist' party to a 'conservative' party. Look at the 'aims' on its website:
How LOONEY is that? I fell off my chair. The insanity!
I am definately of the opinion that Mr Cameron should apologise. If you are a conservative (small "c") you would surely not support his outburst. The race card - highly damaging, intellectually unengaging and lazy, usually blatantly untrue - is a card of the left; and the Tories of all people, with our experience of it being unfairly used against us, should be the last to use it.
The United Kingdom Independence Party does have a serious, perhaps fatal, image problem. I'm sure there are plenty of 'loonies' in the membership too (but then in my opinion voting Labour should be enough for a sectioning). The Tories should know however most of UKIP are alienated conservatives needing a home, and this move if designed to bring them back to the Tories failed - in fact, it will probably be much more effective in the opposite; pushing out alienated conservatives from the Tory party.
In my home constituency of Hereford at the last General Election, the Conservative Party lost to the Liberal Democrats by 2.2%, whereas UKIP gained 2.3% of the vote. This is a pattern we can see all over the country. Why aren't these people voting with us?
Whats more, UKIP appears to want to capitalise on the feeling of alienation by trying to reform itself from a 'nationalist' party to a 'conservative' party. Look at the 'aims' on its website:
- parental choice, equality of opportunity, equal status of academic and vocational abilities, and the freedom of schools to select pupils;
- the ability for our country to conduct our own international trade in the British national interest;
- controlling the volume of immigration with common sense solutions;
- lower taxes in a greatly simplified system;
- solving what is known as the West Lothian Question, and to address a second question: ‘The English Question’.
How LOONEY is that? I fell off my chair. The insanity!
# posted by Chris Hughes @ 11:14 pm 
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Interesting blog, and a great to see support for a inclusive way of conducting politics. However, i have to sit on the other side of the fence, because Cameron has done this for one strategic reason - he wants to be seen to move away from UKIP, which many of the electorate see as a 'branch' to the conservative party. He also has a good reason to say it because he defended his "closet racists" suggestion by saying it was the result of some of the things he had heard its members say.
So i think if we are going to change, we need to be attacking parties which alot of the electorate identify with us. UKIP is not taken seriously amoung the wider population!
So i think if we are going to change, we need to be attacking parties which alot of the electorate identify with us. UKIP is not taken seriously amoung the wider population!
Apparently it had a serious enough following to throw seats from the Tories to the Liberal Democrats. It's also apparent that if the Tories got the support of everyone who voted UKIP, they would be in a stronger position.
Right now, the Tories need to focus on shoring up a base that has been somewhat disillusioned with the way the Conservatives have been sounding like liberals in an attempt to take votes from Labour. It's unlikely that a significant number of voters who choose Labour would vote for anything resembling the conservatism that the Tory base demands and will likely always regard both the Conservative Party and the UKIP as "loony." On the other hand, most of the people who vote for UKIP would be open to it, as the Conservatives are their only major party on their side of the spectrum. Thus, the problem is not "how do Tories get people to respect the UKIP?" but "how do Tories get the votes that they're losing to the UKIP?"
Maligning them isn't going to get any votes that would have otherwise gone to Labour, yet could very well cost the votes of people angry over being labeled "closet racists."
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Right now, the Tories need to focus on shoring up a base that has been somewhat disillusioned with the way the Conservatives have been sounding like liberals in an attempt to take votes from Labour. It's unlikely that a significant number of voters who choose Labour would vote for anything resembling the conservatism that the Tory base demands and will likely always regard both the Conservative Party and the UKIP as "loony." On the other hand, most of the people who vote for UKIP would be open to it, as the Conservatives are their only major party on their side of the spectrum. Thus, the problem is not "how do Tories get people to respect the UKIP?" but "how do Tories get the votes that they're losing to the UKIP?"
Maligning them isn't going to get any votes that would have otherwise gone to Labour, yet could very well cost the votes of people angry over being labeled "closet racists."
# posted by 
: 3:53 am
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