4220 days ago
I happened to be in a car passing through London and so caught Andrew Gilligan’s politics show discussing whether UKIP was a fraud. It was pure Westminster bubble stuff. It showed clearly why the establishment does not understand why folks voted UKIP and so is clueless as to how to respond for the political & media establishment is the problem not the solution.
Three political wonks (none of whom support UKIP or predicted its success) discussed how the established parties should respond with Gilligan helpfully chipping in every now and again to say “But isn’t it a fraud, let’s look at its 2010 manifesto.” The response was that the old three could see off UKIP by making policy shifts of emphasis that showed they cared/listened without actually “moving to the right” i.e. actually doing anything.
And that was it. Folks voted UKIP because they are sick of an elite that refuses to discuss certain issues or countenance certain policies while at the same time adopting a moral high ground as they embezzle money and display sleaze at every opportunity. And so the elite responds by saying “we can see off UKIP by saying we sympathise but not actually doing anything.” Just how stupid do the political classes think that the electorate is? They obviously hold us in complete contempt.
And then Gilligan took a few calls from plebs. A bloke opined that the immigration laws were unhelpful. Well yes they bloody well are. Do I have to use the magic words Abu Qatada to make my point? The main parties say they are listening but they are clearly not and Gilligan summed up their underlying attitude by going back to the bloke with “So basically you do not like foreigners.” Unluckily for Gilligan
