THE FRINGE EFFECT
The recent Feltham and Heston by-election has again revealed the collapse of the Liberal Democrat vote. This time they did just fend off UKIP who came fourth, polling 5.49% to the Liberal Democrat vote of 5.87% - 1,276 votes to 1,364 votes. By comparison the BNP polled 540 [2.33%] and the English Democrats polled 322 [1.39%].
Although UKIP failed to beat the Liberal Democrats, once again UKIP has demonstrated that it is polling better than the other two right-of-centre fringe parties.
Until recently UKIP has failed to poll well in elections other than the EU elections with proportional representation. UKIP has failed to poll well in local elections and can usually be beaten, almost casually, by both the BNP and the English Democrats.
UKIP is now pondering whether or not to support the campaign for an English Parliament. That they are taking a long time to re-examine their stance shows that many, if not a majority, in the party are opposed to an English Parliament and shows the angst that UKIP have over diluting their current single issue message.
Even if they do embrace the English Parliament issue then this would not necessarily make UKIP English nationalists. It is possible to support the calls for an English Parliament on democratic and constitutional grounds only. True English nationalism goes beyond that and UKIP does have an ambiguous stance regarding immigration and political correctness, to put it mildly [e.g. see the English Rights Campaign items dated 4 May 2005 and 17 November 2006]. Adherence to political correctness and mass immigration is incompatible with English nationalism.
Although UKIP failed to beat the Liberal Democrats, once again UKIP has demonstrated that it is polling better than the other two right-of-centre fringe parties.
Until recently UKIP has failed to poll well in elections other than the EU elections with proportional representation. UKIP has failed to poll well in local elections and can usually be beaten, almost casually, by both the BNP and the English Democrats.
UKIP is now pondering whether or not to support the campaign for an English Parliament. That they are taking a long time to re-examine their stance shows that many, if not a majority, in the party are opposed to an English Parliament and shows the angst that UKIP have over diluting their current single issue message.
Even if they do embrace the English Parliament issue then this would not necessarily make UKIP English nationalists. It is possible to support the calls for an English Parliament on democratic and constitutional grounds only. True English nationalism goes beyond that and UKIP does have an ambiguous stance regarding immigration and political correctness, to put it mildly [e.g. see the English Rights Campaign items dated 4 May 2005 and 17 November 2006]. Adherence to political correctness and mass immigration is incompatible with English nationalism.
posted by erc @ 3:30 pm
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