Wednesday 5 May 2010

UKIP: Talkin' sense until the bitter end

UKIP's summary of their policies relevant to small businesses appeared today. Worth a read, see which bits you like and you don't.*

Meanwhile, a UKIP candidate is in trouble with the BBC for describing Afghans as backward. Well, whoopie-do, that's hardly a minority view, is it? Anyways, UKIP's policy on Afghanistan is withdrawal and I guess them there Afghans would rather suffer mild insults than be carpet bombed. As to 'bombing Iran', maybe those words were ill chosen, but if the Israelis were to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Osirak with fireworks (only a bit further East, obviously), why wouldn't we be cheering them on?

Meanwhile, UKIP's candidate in Medway has said that brothels should be legalised, but, showing that he'd thought this through, "under the condition they were only located in commercial, rather than residential, areas." I'd come to much the same conclusion myself: there's a trade off between a safe journey home for the women who work there (so a taxi rank and/or bus stop nearby would be important, and a built up area is good) as well as anonymity for the paying customers (so siting them in a residential area is a non-starter - the phrase "I'm just popping across the road/to the shops" would take on a whole new meaning).

* Put it this way, I had no input into Section 9.4. Shutting down BERR (or whatever the DTI is called this week) completely, with an annual saving to the taxpayer of over £20 billion might be a simpler solution.

16 comments:

Dick Puddlecote said...

UKIP do, indeed, talk a lot of sense. Best of luck tomorrow Mark.

Chuckles said...

All the best, and hope it goes well. Unfortunately, I last stayed in Hillingdon 2 years ago, or it would be a bit more direct.

:)

RantinRab said...

Best wishes for tomorrow Mark!

Dr Rohen Kapur said...

Good Luck tomorrow Mark

I see from ladbrokes that we are both on at 100 to one so lets see if we can make some money Im going to put £2 on me!!

Daniel1979 said...

Good luck tomorrow Mark. I moved from Uxbridge 3 years ago but if I had not of you would have got my vote.

woman on a raft said...

Best wishes.

Mark Wadsworth said...

C, RR, D79, WOAR, thanks.

RK, you too! I'll save myself the £2 though.

Peter Briffa said...

May your victory be triumphant and glorious. If you don't, well it's the taking part.

Mark Wadsworth said...

P, thanks. But all political careers end in failure, so it;'s best just to get it over with.

woman on a raft said...

Failure? UKIP did well in the Euro elections (I've got a UKIP MEP) and I'd expect you to build the on-the-ground experience of campaigning here, then serve a term there, pull down the pillars, then come back to Westminster and serve in the proper British parliament.

You are a long way from the end. As the Carpenters used to warble: "We've only just begun".

Dr Rohen Kapur said...

White lace and promises, a kiss for luck and we're on our way....


I did that from memory I know I'm sad....

formertory said...

It's unfortunate that UKIP picked a real numbskull up here, whose favourite trick is to ask a question of his audience (one to which no one knows the answer, inc. numbskull) and then give the answer as a wholly qualitative "a catastrophe of biblical proportions" - his favourite phrase of the campaign. Numbers and facts aren't much in evidence.

My vote is worthless in this eternally safe LibDem seat - it can change nothing.

But I gave it to numbskull because I think UKIP as a party are closer to the answers than NuLab, BluLab and LibLab. And maybe it'll help a local man keep his deposit.

And good luck yersel', MW.

Mark Wadsworth said...

WOAR, I meant a person's political career, not an idea's.

FT, that's an interesting rhetorical device, I must try it some time rather than getting bogged down in facts and logic. And your vote will change something, however slight. Ta anyway.

Chuckles said...

Mark, I'd recommend the Nixon observation as a more rewarding methodology - When you've got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow...

Umbongo said...

Well, there's a coincidence. I've just cast my vote for . . . . Dr Kapur (if it's the same bloke of that name who's standing in Hornsey & Wood Green). BTW, Dr K, why announce yourself as an "independent" on the ballot paper, rather than as a member of the "LPUK"?

Dr Rohen Kapur said...

@umbongo Possibly because there were issues being an LPUK candidate which are not relevant to this discussion.
So I bit the bullet and went totally independent. Time will tell

But thanks... for voting for me Its nice to know that the internet does actually work for political messages in the real world.

Google me and you can find me so easily.

I already have alluded to why I left the Libertarians on a blog or two so that is for you to discover