State of the parties as 2015 General Election looms.

[ahinton]

Don't bet on it.

Whilst I would be loath to bet on anything where UKIP and its plans or otherwise are concerned, it would surely be rather odd if the matter of whether or not it does so did not "become increasingly clear over the coming months", as Richard writes, if for no other reason than that each party intending to field candidates in the next UK General Election will be obliged to have and publish a manifesto...

[Beef Oven!]

As usual. everyone's banging on about Nigel Farage and the UKIP. Just like the rest of the nation and the media.

There are other political parties contesting the general election, let them get a look-in.

I started this thread to have a bit of a chat about the up and coming election, not to have an endless chat about Nigel Farage and the UKIP.

[ahinton]

Answer the question

My view ?
Is that improvisation has always been an intrinsic part of musical practice

Of course it has - and so it should be - but perhaps this is where UKIP falls into line with it in that, without an obvious "plan", it might need to depend to a large extent on extemporising its manifesto and its conduct in government were ever it to achieve an overall majority...

[Richard Barrett]

There are other political parties contesting the general election

... most of them smelling increasingly kippery as time goes on, largely due of course to an immigration paranoia fed by the gutter press and owing very little to facts. The "state of the parties" as far as I can see is almost unrelievedly dismal, depressing, hopeless. Not that it's so very different elsewhere in Europe of course.

[ahinton]

As usual. everyone's banging on about Nigel Farage and the UKIP. Just like the rest of the nation and the media.

There are other political parties contesting the general election, let them get a look-in.

I started this thread to have a bit of a chat about the up and coming election, not to have an endless chat about Nigel Farage and the UKIP.

Mais M. Leboeuf, "everyone" here is doing nothing of the kind and, after all, who was it that raised the UKIP spectre in post #164 in this thread (before FF did so in a different context in her post #175)?

Of course there are other parties who will contest the General Election next May, but it is surely hardly surprising that UKIP appears to be attracting what some might presume to be disproportionate attention given the amount of noise that its leader makes alongside the fact that it has only very recently got its first MP in HoC (and even he is a defector from the Tories); it is also hardly surprising that UKIP attracts particular attention given its proposal to undemocratically to withdraw UK from EU, which would clearly have immensely serious and long-term consequences for Britain and its citizens in particular and for Western European relations in general.

[Flosshilde]

'State' is about the right term for UKIP.

Yet another UKIP bampot, a self-loather this time, raises his head from the gutter.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/10/30/gay-ukip-mep-gay-marriage-is-false-bollocks-by-equality-nazis-for-queens/

That'll give Nigel's new Polish friend comfort, I'm sure.

'He said same-sex marriage was “false bollocks” that “makes a mockery of the holy sacrament of marriage”.'

Sweary-words don't make you're argument any better.

[amateur51]

With its barely concealed xenophobia, racism, and homophobia UKIP deserves plenty of attention, providing the attention doesn't amount to approval.

A certain poster has yet to disown this part of UKIP's 'offer'

[ahinton]

With its barely concealed xenophobia, racism, and homophobia UKIP deserves plenty of attention, providing the attention doesn't amount to approval.

A certain poster has yet to disown this part of UKIP's 'offer'

More to the point, none has yet sought to "own" it, unsurprisingly; however, all (or at least more) should be revealed when it becomes clear (if indeed it ever does) whether and/or to what extent such sentiments are found to be converted into manifesto commitments...

[ahinton]

'He said same-sex marriage was “false bollocks”

I wonder what they are; whilst organ transplantation seems slowly to be giving way to organ replacement, this is a new one on me, so perhaps someone here with greater knowledge of this particular area of medical research might care to enlighten us.

[Dave2002]

Maybe there's a slip up here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...itics-29845021

"This will allow a Scottish Labour party, its members and affiliates the opportunity to not only elect a leader, but a new leadership team focussed on winning in 2016."

With such optimism who knows what can happen!

[Beef Oven!]

... most of them smelling increasingly kippery as time goes on, largely due of course to an immigration paranoia fed by the gutter press and owing very little to facts. The "state of the parties" as far as I can see is almost unrelievedly dismal, depressing, hopeless. Not that it's so very different elsewhere in Europe of course.

The political elite and liberal types have ignored any concerns about immigration in the last 50 years, so the chicken has come home to roost. They should have had a sensible approach down the years, then parties like the UKIP would have less purchase.

[Beef Oven!]

Mais M. Leboeuf, "everyone" here is doing nothing of the kind and, after all, who was it that raised the UKIP spectre in post #164 in this thread (before FF did so in a diffeent context in her post #175)?

Of course there are other parties who will contest the General Election next May, but it is surely hardly surprising that UKIP appears to be attracting what some might presume to be disproportionate attention given the amount of noise that its leader makes alongside the fact that it has only very recently got its first MP in HoC (and even he is a defector from the Tories); it is also hardly surprising that UKIP attracts particular attention given its proposal to undemocratically to withdraw UK from EU, which would clearly have immensely serious and long-term consequences for Britain and its citizens in particular and for Western European relations in general.

Well, I suppose I can't stop y'all.

Btw, we were not taken into the EU democratically. We had a referendum about the common market, not an undemocratic pan-Europe dictatorship, but I don't expect anyone to be too bothered about it.

[MrGongGong]

Well, I suppose I can't stop y'all.

Btw, we were not taken into the EU democratically. We had a referendum about the common market, not an undemocratic pan-Europe dictatorship, but I don't expect anyone to be too bothered about it.

WRONG AGAIN

You folks like to repeat this myth

http://www.harvard-digital.co.uk/euro/pamphlet.htm#front

The aims of the Common Market are:

To bring together the peoples of Europe.

To raise living standards and improve working conditions.

To promote growth and boost world trade.

To help the poorest regions of Europe and the rest of the world.

To help maintain peace and freedom.

Now some folks obviously couldn't read at the time (I was at primary school but it seems simple enough)

[ahinton]

The political elite and liberal types have ignored any concerns about immigration in the last 50 years, so the chicken has come home to roost. They should have had a sensible approach down the years, then parties like the UKIP would have less purchase.

I don't think that this is quite fair. Britain hasn't even been a member of what's now EU for quite half a century and, once it had joined the organisation as it was then, there were only ten member states as distinct from the present 28 and the population of Europe was far lass than it is now. Policies on immigration could not sensibly have been expected to remain consistent, let alone unchanged, given the sweeping changes throughout Europe east and west ove the past half century. The "purchase" of UKIP (you've mentioned it again!) must also be regarded in the light of its having only just gotten its first MP.

[ahinton]

e were not taken into the EU democratically. We had a referendum about the common market

At least there was a referendum, which suggests to me that the process was reasonably democratic - and in any case one can only hold a referendum about something that applies at the time; the implication that the 1970s referendum was flawed or undemocratic because it didn't take on board how and to what extent the union of states might develop over the following decades simply doesn't stand up to scrutiny. In any case, UKIP appears to want to pull UK out of EU without any referendum, which would surely be well less democratic a procedure than what occurred just over four decades ago!