In Heywood and Middleton, a classic Labour northern English seat, UKIP and the Tories combined got 51% of the vote. In Clacton – a deprived coastal area – the Conservatives and UKIP got 83% of the vote.
It is not that Labour and the Lib Dems offer an alternative that is in any significant way less devoted to corporate interests and serving the economic needs of the super-rich. The large majority of voters, and especially those who do not bother to vote, have by now worked out that the difference in their lives is negligible if they have a different member of the political class with his or her nose in the trough at their expense.
But everybody who has seen an actual UKIP campaign knows that their grassroots appeal is simply racist – they promote the idea that it is not the billionaires and ultra-wealthy who are sucking the resources from society, but rather the poor of a different colour. The Conservatives are striving, particularly through rampant Islamophobia, to compete for the atavistic vote.
UKIP is an antibody produced by the political establishment and their paymasters, to counter public disillusion with a dreadful and worsening unequal society. UKIP’s task is to divert public anger away from their exploiters towards specific groups of the poor. It does so very effectively. UKIP’s success yesterday will lead to a race among the mainstream parties to scapegoat vulnerable social groups – immigrants, benefit claimants, unemployed – and to compete in external xenophobia. The next government of the United Kingdom will be right wing to a degree which would have seemed unthinkable for the majority of my life.
Ba’al @11.02- your impure comment has already elicited a riposte from la la land in the shape of ‘MrBump’.
He seems not to understand that-
1. Smokers contribute far more to the Exchequer over their lifetimes (via exise duties and VAT) than the costs they impose on the NHS for the treatment of smoking related illnesses
2. NHS stands for ‘National Health Service’ – Judging from Mr Bump’s brain fart he thinks it should be even more of an ‘IHS’ than it is at present.
Mochyn69 10 Oct, 2014 – 12:02 pm : “Agreed. What is to be done?”
Continue to fight for an independent Scottish government, and in the meantime, we, the common people, devise constitutional safeguards to prevent a Holyrood government falling prey to the same corrupt manipulative practices as have controlled Westminster for a couple of centuries.
Here’s a simple one. The leader of the government would have to subject him/herself to a regular televised grilling by members of the public chosen by lottery. A large part of Westminster’s power derives from the leaders never having to truly account for their actions. Imagine the hundred questions you could ask which would make Cameron squirm before the population. Most of the people on this blog could destroy him with three questions.
@Fred.
Did a member of the SNP bugger you when you were a child?
Just wondering.
“@Fred.
Did a member of the SNP bugger you when you were a child?
Just wondering.”
Fuck off an die retard.
Ok, Mr. Bump. Since we’re doing reductio ad absurdam, how about we let absolutely everyone who wants to come here in, without restriction, and let’s pay for every aspect of their new lives? Be damned to screening them for ebola – doesn’t matter if the population gets it, the NHS will deal with that. Perhaps we can pay for transport to pick them up from N. Africa and the Middle East, not to mention equatorial Africa, and bring them here – actually, that makes a lot of moral-judgemental sense, since we assisted in the collapse of their previously stable if unpleasant regimes and societies.
As to euthanasia, I’m sorry to hear you’re diametrically opposed to a self-determined and humane suicide for people who decide they want to suffer no longer.
Yeah? If I’m advocating all the shit you extrapolate from my post, then that’s what you’re advocating. Knob off.
Fred
10 Oct, 2014 – 11:06 am
“You oppose UKIP because they are right wing not because they are racist?”
“UKIP should be being opposed because of their Nationalist traits not their Tory ones.”
________________________________________-
So, Fred’s a Tory – who’d have thought it!
@´`·.¸¸.¸¸.··.¸¸Node 10 Oct, 2014 – 12:18 pm
Scotland must demand an independent broadcasting authority as an absolute priority with the European Declaration of Human Rights written into its constitution, just as is it is for the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northerfn Ireland.
Nick Robinson nevermore！
You are out of touch with reality Fred.It wasn’t an SNP campaign.It was a YES movement.
If you had bothered to watch the advertising for the Yes campaign, one of them was in more than 10 different languages representing the mixed population we have north of the border.
Immigrants are well liked,valued and well integrated all around the country,including English,with the exception of yourself.
You’ve made stuff up and now you are trying to justify it.Everybody’s a Nazi except the Nationalists at Westminster in your warped world.If you bothered to leave that crofts Wlan for any length of time ,you might find out more about the country you are living in. I think you’d quite like it.
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/lifting-the-veil-of-islamophobia
“So, Fred’s a Tory – who’d have thought it!”
Fuck off and die retard.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/oct/10/scotland-independence-bank-of-england-emergency-measures
“In the event of a yes vote, the Bank of England would have issued a statement immediately reaffirming its responsibilities for financial stability, prudential regulation, banknotes and monetary policy in the entire United Kingdom, including Scotland, until legislation enacting independence came into force to try to reassure bank customers. It would have been co-ordinated with the Financial Services Compensation Scheme – which oversees the system that guarantees savings up to £85,000 in each firm – and the Treasury.
The Bank of England would have immediately launched an exercise to put more liquidity in the markets through the Indexed Long-Term Repo (ILTR) mechanism, which allows banks to get more liquid assets from Threadneedle Street. An operation had been scheduled for 7 October, but the Bank had decided not to wait that long. Between £200m and £300m of cash is usually accessed this way by banks each month.
“It was subsequently decided by the Bank that, in the event of a yes vote, and as a precautionary measure to backstop sterling money market liquidity, the Bank would immediately announce its intention to conduct additional operations in each of the two succeeding weeks, bridging to the already scheduled 7 October operation,” the Bank said.
The Bank of England was more concerned about the impact on the credit rating of an independent Scotland rather than that of the United Kingdom.”
In other words, in the run up to the indyref THE BASTARDS LIED ABOUT MONETARY UNION！
.
“You’ve made stuff up and now you are trying to justify it.Everybody’s a Nazi except the Nationalists at Westminster in your warped world.If you bothered to leave that crofts Wlan for any length of time ,you might find out more about the country you are living in. I think you’d quite like it.”
Fuck off and die retard.
:Mochyn69 10 Oct, 2014 – 12:32 pm :“Scotland must demand an independent broadcasting authority as an absolute priority with the European Declaration of Human Rights written into its constitution, just as is it is for the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”
Yes, that would be a big help as long as it remained independent, but how do we ensure it doesn’t go down the road of the BBC? We need to learn the lessons that Westminster teaches us about the corruptibility of the very systems which are supposed to protect us. We need to plan for the worst – subtle devious clever powerful psychopaths with experience in subverting systems – and devise imaginative ways of stymieing them.
If ‘YES’ had won, we’d’ve ended up with a constitution devised by the Scottish Establishment. Let’s turn a negative into a positive in the most literal way – let’s we the ordinary people use the time the ‘NO’ win has given us to invent constitutional safeguards which will keep the ultimate power in the hands of the electorate.
We can build a true democracy.
I would perhaps have more sympathy with the UKIP position on immigration if they could provide concrete proof that immigrants present a net drain on the UK’s national wealth.
Additionally have UKIP supporters stopped to consider how all of this is likely to impact British Citizens living abroad or are they simply collateral damage.
The collateral damage of some of these right wing ideologies is really starting to mount up.
Right on Laura,
Boycott the elections. That might give them a red face.
Smoking, Old Mark contribute more you say.
Now I will tell you why.
Down in the valley where nobody goes,
no busy bodies, no bust bees,
There you can sit under the trees,
and smoke a woodbine if you please.
Teachers made school children of 7-9 years learn that off by heart, to get a free film made by W.D.& H.O. Wills. the wee souls had to sing that while the guy in the film was taking his fags out and smoking, while sitting under a tree.
That ladies and gentlemen was/is your government past and present.
We are cash cows to be milked by the State, on all things. If you are unable to see through their propaganda.
You are all much cleverer than me, and younger. It is up to you to find a solution. You all now know what and who and how it is done to control the masses, except this.
I read a book by an American M.D. who suggested his government were broadcasting, ” sound waves” through T.V. to ” Standardize the Population”.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Robert Crawford,
I don’t know the average age of the people on this blog, but it is definitely a lot higher than you think!
I’ve enjoyed your contributions so far. I think you will fit in here very well.
Please be careful not to conflate Islamophobia with racism.
There is a linguistic problem that we don’t have distinct words for two completely different concepts, namely “discrimination against humans who originate from a Muslim culture” and “observing that the text of the Koran runs contrary to enlightenment values”.
“Muslim” = a human being (the vast majority of whom are good people).
“Islam”= a set of ideas (many of which are anti-scientific and cruel).
It is indeed racist to be anti-muslim, but there is nothing wrong with being anti-islam: free speech is the right to criticise ideas. Please be more nuanced in your understanding.
Hi Node.
I received my “free” driving licence the other day. Only for 3 years, do you think they know something I don’t, and are they trying to tell me something?
I am scunnered because I did not get my Independence. I want away to sit on the beach or whatever, away from the No voter. I can’t the sight of those who were once my friends and neighbours.
What kind of person would deny me my Independence, and spend one million pounds of their own money to make sure I remaned a slave to doon Sooth?
All I need now is the money and I am away. Never to write to you again. Will you miss me?
Jemand
10 Oct, 2014 – 12:34 pm
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/lifting-the-veil-of-islamophobia
What’s your point Jemand?
Completely Off Topic (I’m in a good mood), but highly current.
If someone tries to kill you – even if you have only a split second’s warning – its good to miss them. My wife said, my life just flashed before me. Someone pulled out of a side road fast without looking. I must have thought I was on a motorcycle. There was absolutely no time to brake – I simply swerved round them – missed them by a fraction. Then I said – we might have survived it. She said no I wouldn’t. She always wears her seat belt – except this time she didn’t. I looked at her as if she was mad. The air bag might have saved you?????
Fortunately, I have had no alcohol whatsoever for 4 days. I also spent 10 years of my youth on fast motorcycles avoiding these lunatics in cars who never see you.
I need a drink now.
Tony
Fred
10 Oct, 2014 – 12:11 pm
“No, the SNP had only one policy, independence for Scotland…”
____________________________________
No Fred; also a commitment to unilateral nuclear disarmament, progressive personal taxation, the eradication of poverty, free state education including support grants for higher education students, free prescriptions, a fully funded NHS and lots more.
All those things you hate because of your right-wing mentality.
I think the most vulnerable are so disillusioned with Westminster politics, that they think by voting UKIP it will allow them to at least blame their plight, on one section of society mainly the immigrants.
Scotland devolution commission
The Smith Commission was set up after the referendum to organise the devolution of powers to Scotland. It’s now inviting members of the public to submit their views.This is your chance to make sure the Commission hears what ordinary people want for the future of Scotland.
Lord Smith is also talking to political parties and the Government, so it’s important that together we make sure the Commission is hearing from thousands of members of the public. Can you take 2 minutes now to email the Commission?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/page/speakout/scotland-devolution-commission
O/T
Police Scotland pulled in Ruth Davidson for questioning after she had a fair idea of the voting, regarding postal votes,in the Scottish referendum, I take it, she can’t explain it away with sampling.
Labour need shaken up.They need to examine where they came from andWhy they came into being and recognise that today more than ever we need organisations to lance the power away from corporations to give back to the people.Few politicians,Labour included know what its really like at the bottom of this society.Policies on immigration have led to wages sinking more than any other factor.If prices sunk along with them,none of it would matter,but it is not the case.They have become like a stuck record playing in the wrong groove.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:QdDHCusCTG0J:labourlist.org/2014/10/if-this-doesnt-wake-labour-up-to-our-problems-what-will/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk
My stat of the evening? Lib Dem vote share:
Clacton – 1.37% (51% turnout)
Heywood – 5.12% (36% turnout)
The coalition has done many things, but nothing as thoroughly as destroying the junior partner.
Here is UKIP’s policies, pulling out of the EU is high on the agenda, as is cutting foreign aid, and the cutting of the Barnett Formula.
http://www.ukip.org/policies_for_people
This is interesting.
http://speye.wordpress.com/2014/10/10/housing-subsidy-9-times-more-for-mansions-than-for-all-of-social-housing/
Astonishingly the SNP membership now stand at 80.000 and rising, only one word will suffice brilliant!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_National_Party
Kurtan,
The main problem with the Labour Party, is that it no longer exists. Blair and his Nu-Labour Fascists totally destroyed it. The 3 main parties then merged into one neocon party. There is no point in voting for any of them. Whilst UKIP is just more of the same – except even more right wing – this appeals to the displaced indigenous working class who have been brainwashed since 9/11 to hate “Muslims” which equates in their eyes to all “immigrants” even those born here…even though in the vast majority of cases they have no problem at the personal level with the people they meet on a daily basis.
Current neocon policies are making this situation far worse, and no political party is prepared to address the real issues, because no one will actually tell the truth about anything important – largely because they don’t actually know what the truth is, and are as brainwashed as the rest of the population. Simply because you are an MP, does not mean that you are better informed than anyone else, and even if you are, and you attempt to stick your head above the trough of lies…you will get it blown off.
There are elegant solutions to all our world’s problems, but no one who as any power has the courage to address them.
I can’t see it getting any better, until after it gets considerably worse. I actually think civil war is on the agenda – probably starting in the USA.
So much for globalisation. It has been a complete disaster for everyone – even the displaced peasants in third world countries moved from a sustainable farming life that has existed for centuries to be moved like cattle to become slaves in factories building toys for our amusement to be dumped after the guarantee expires and replaced with new crap to maintain profits in an unsustainable economic system that is both raping the planet and most people’s lives.
Tony