Get 'on message;, Nigel.............

You have to hand it to UKIP for achieving the nigh-impossible. It has made politics interesting once more.

 

The unwitting allies have been the media. Every time they attack Farage his popularity increases. They mocked UKIP’s posters, smugly saying that people don’t read them anymore; then, to prove their point reproduced them so that they could be seen by millions and read because of the  controversy that was stirred up. UKIP was accused mainly by Labour of ‘racism’ for these posters calling for British jobs for British people. Sounds familiar? Sure; it was first said by Gordon Brown.

 

They tried to rubbish the UKIP candidate for the Newark by-election for something that he said years ago about homosexuality not being a desirable lifestyle-choice but forgot to mention that he made these comments whilst a Tory MEP and the Conservative Party made no comment at the time.

 

We must hand it to UKIP’s spinners. They have done a great job in turning adverse criticisms from the media back on them.

 

Now they have to get on message.

 

There is a problem. UKIP is seen as a two-trick pony. We know that it is against the EU membership and unbridled immigration. But what is it for?

 

It is not getting its message across. It needs a comprehensive manifesto to show that it is a serious contender and is actually for a whole range of policies. Here is how the manifesto might read.

 

·        Health: we are for the decentralisation of the NHS and for its democratic control by elected county boards. We are for the restoration of the Hospital Matron. The NHS is an ungovernable monster, the second biggest employer in the world after Indian Railways. It needs to be localised and accountable.

 

·        The economy: we are for the abolition of corporation tax. The outcome will be business and industry flocking to Britain (and do away with Amazon-style tax dodges).We are for the abolition of NI for the same reason. We are for the abolition of inheritance tax, the most unjust tax of all because it taxes money that has already paid tax. £70 billion can be saved on slimming the still-obese public sector. WE are for a flat rate tax that eliminates both the complexity of the tax code and the army of civil servants that administer it. It will do away with tax evasion, off-shore tax scams, and the tax-avoidance industry.

 

·        Welfare: we are for the abolition of all patronising hand-outs to pensioners, such as winter fuel allowance,  and instead we should return the money to pensioners in the form of increased pensions, allowing them to spend as they wish. The savings on the salaries of the hordes of civil servants who administer these allowances would enable corresponding pension increases. We for stopping benefits to single mothers under 18 thereby discouraging ‘benefits mothers’. Below this age they are their parents’ responsibility.

 

·        Foreign policy: we are for Gladstone’s key principles – no foreign adventures and no lecturing others on how they should govern themselves. The key question always is ‘What vital British interests are involved?’

 

·        Defence: we are for reversing Cameron’s 26% cut in the defence budget at a time when other countries are increasing theirs. He has left us with a navy smaller than at any time since Henry VIII, an army smaller than  before the Napoleonic wars, and a RAF that has grounded many aircraft for want of maintenance.

 

·        Climate change: we are for stopping the erection of more wind turbines. They have done almost nothing to reduce the so-called carbon footprint, produce little power at great cost and exist primarily to provide large subsidies to the operators. A well-concealed fact is that they are a danger to aviation as they interfere with radar transmissions in controlled airspace.

 

·         The EU; we are for total withdrawal from this  monster that is anti-democratic, dictatorial, corrupt, meddling and incompetent. We will save £ billions in the contributions which are a subsidy from the our taxpayers to all other members save Germany. It will  reduce our food-bills that are grossly inflated by the  Common Agricultural Policy that exists mainly to benefit wealthy French landowners. It will greatly reduce the cost of doing business by a bonfire of the mountains of EU regulations. It will allow us to regain control of our own borders. And let’s be clear; UKIP is not anti-immigration per se. We are for the British Government and none other having the power to decide  who comes here. And permanent residence permits will only be granted after an immigrant has been here for 5 years. Benefits will not be payable to immigrants until they have paid tax for 5 years.

 

·        ECHR: we are for ridding ourselves of this interfering body, repeal the HRA, and give full sovereignty back to Parliament and sole jurisdiction to the UK courts.

 

This should just about do it, Nigel.