Up to now, I taken the view that to talk about UKIP in public or on social media gives them an oxygen of publicity that they don't deserve. As we come closer to the 2015 General Election, with the real possibility of them winning 10-15 MPs in Parliament, it is perhaps time to lift the stone, shine a light into the politics of UKIP and see what comes crawling out.
In the last few years, UKIP have been able to make an entry into the mainstream domestic political scene. They have received considerable success in recent European elections, and have MEPs in each Region. Following the local elections, UKIP now have 5 councillors on Southend Borough Council which puts them on level pegging with the Liberal Democrats. At an early stage the Tories ruled out working in an administration with UKIP, this perhaps shows their toxicity when the main party of the democratic right cannot or will not work with them.
In recent months, two Tory defectors - Carswell and Reckless - were elected as MPs in by-elections. There is now a general acceptance on the part of the media that UKIP are part of the "political establishment" with their Leader, Farage, and seemingly accorded equal status as Cameron, Clegg and Miliband. However, their entry onto a national political stage has been accompanied by seemingly never ending reports of homophobic, racist and sexist outbursts by members of their Party. It is incredible that UKIP can shrug these incidents off or play them down as mere eccentric behaviour on the part of the activists.
In a time of austerity, and history shows, parties espousing right-wing populism gain support for their simplistic messages of blaming immigrants or the political establishment. A case in point, was in France in the 1950s where the party led by Pierre Poujade UCDA (or Poujadistes) (1) gained support by opposing taxes and price controls. As time went on their platform included both xenophobia and anti-Semitism. Like UKIP their rhetoric was against the political classes and the establishment. It can be argued that such right-wing populism does act as a gateway to fascism, Jean-Marie Le Pen started out as a UCDA member of parliament before becoming the leader of the fascist National Front. Farage's recently reported comment about being delayed on a motorway due to the number of immigrants in the UK is more in keeping with Le Pen than "Top Gear" humour.
This week UKIP appears to have got into hot water over the selection of a parliamentary candidate in the South Basildon constituency. I fail to find any sympathy for Natasha Bolter, and her allegations against the UKIP General Secretary. Her party hopping notwithstanding, she seems to be a "Walter Mitty" character whom Oxford University have no record of being a student there (2). Even more damning is the involvement of the disgraced former Tory MP Neil Hamilton. Given UKIP's anti-political stance and condemnation of the antics of MPs, it is astonishing that an individual who was at the centre of the sleaze scandal that brought down John Major's Government can be a prominent member of their party. It seems the UKIP leadership leaked details of Hamilton's expenses to scupper his attempt at being selected.
It is now the time to seriously challenge UKIP and their policies, particularly as the media are relatively soft on them as to where they stand politically. The question we need to ask is, are they a fascist wolf in the sheep's clothing of right-wing populism?
1. Wikipedia
2. Huffington Post
