The votes have been counted, the results are in and Lord Pearson has been elected as Leader of UKIP.
Lord Pearson came top with 47.7% of the vote, followed by Gerard Batten with 25.8%. Nikki Sinclaire came third with 12.2% of the vote with Mike Nattrass and Alan Wood finishing up with 11.0% and 3.2% respectively.
Lord Pearson's victory was hardly a surprise as he was the leading candidate throughout but Nikki Sinclaire's third place was surprising as she was widely believed to have been in a close second place throughout.
All five candidates ran an excellent campaign and some of the policies that were proposed during the campaign will no doubt be adopted under Lord Pearson's leadership.
As with any change of leadership, there are members who are unhappy with the result. Lord Pearson's decision to make Islamification and immigration a key policy alongside leaving the European Empire, small government, flat rate tax and Swiss-style referrenda has been a bone of contention. It could prove to be a disastrous decision, leading to the party being branded as racist (more so than usual). Or it could be the making of the party, attracting disaffected voters who might otherwise have turned to the BNP.
The fact that he is a peer is also a sticking point, particularly at a time UKIP is attracting Labour voters (and defections) in greater numbers. There is a suggestion that Labour voters will be put off UKIP by having an Etonian peer as leader of the party. It should be remembered, however, that there are more unelected peers in Gorodn Brown's cabinet than any cabinet in modern history and that Peter Mandelson is probably going to replace Gordon Brown as leader of the Labour Party after the next election.
Constructive criticism of Lord Pearson, or any of the candidates, is a good thing but now is the time for the membership to give Lord Pearson a chance to prove himself as leader. If he turns out to be a terrible leader then he'll soon be out on his ear but let's not put the cart before the horse.
Friday, 27 November 2009
wonkotsane is an author at Bloggers4UKIP.
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10 comments:
I am very pleased with the election of Lord Pearson. He gave a very good talk on TV.
He is also based at Westminster and not in Europe. That has got to be a plus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J--Ue8Uam_0
He was my favourite, too, Steve.
You can be sure that the BBC will try to link UKIP with the BNP due to its anti-Sharia stance but that can be countered with ease. Three of the most obvious differences:
1) BNP is left-wing, while UKIP is libertarian right-wing;
2) UKIP is pro independence, while the BNP is merely racist and xenophobic;
3) UKIP has a broad range of policies that would have been at home in the Conservative Party before it went pink, whereas the BNP's policies are strikingly similar to old Labour policies.
Expect nasty muslim protests and attacks on UKIP candidates and members.
This is a win win situation for UKIP. Many non white people worry about multicultural excesses and Islamisation and too much immigration but feel really disheartened that only the BNP would discuss these issues. Now there's a non racist party tackling these issues head on. Lord Pearson was amicable on Channel 4 tonight and very articulate in a non politician sort of way.
the more Muslims protest against your party the more votes you get from ordinary fed up Brits who are shocked at how their lives have been hijacked. Our local roads were closed by the police today for Eid. Who asked us? Have any roads been closed for Christmas or Easter?
You guys are on the up. The media can't ignore you now. The more you're called racist and Islamophobic, the more we see the establishment is running scared. And Labour voters (I used to be one) don't mind Pearson's background. Why discriminate against someone because he's well educated and affable. I think the opinion polls would be good in the coming months.
And with Tory candidates saying no one cares about Europe, saying this on Radio 4, it can only be good news for your party.
I'm interested to see what direction the party will take under Pearson. He is certainly a good speaker.
@AProle Good stuff, I agree with everything you say, particularly about the peership issue.It was always a Westminster issue,there was never any great public demands for the end of the hereditaries, people recognized they did a particular job and nothing more. All that crap is just the ruling elite trying to ensure more places for their own cronies.
What is your area by the way?Do you have a link to the story about the road closures?
AT LAST we will see a leader powerful enough to draw UKIP from its
scabbard - to wield it - shining and sharp - like the devastating weapon
it has always been. There can be only one target - only one outcome. The
treacherous Tory giant will be cut down in its 50 weakest marginal
seats. Lord Pearson gave them a clear warning. They ignored him. Now he
will force a hung Parliament - a 4th Tory defeat. He will force the TRUE
CONSERVATIVE REVOLT and the adoption of UKIP's core policy. He will
force the long overdue realignment of British politics. With Hurricane
Nigel storming by his side, UKIP is about to cut its righteous mark deep
into the destiny of this great country."
That's very apocalyptic, Peter. Gloating over the Tories defeat has its merits but I'd rather just see the back of Labour for now!
One of the reasons I had ignored UKIP for so long was because it always struck me as a one-issue party and I think that's a common misconception.
Now is a perfect time to build the party and force the realignment of the Right in the United Kingdom along libertarian/free market lines.
Perhaps a renaming of the party might be in order - has this been proposed?
Just seen this blog.
Maybe putting out positive alternatives to the European Union could help. EFTA (European Free Trade Association) could help win millions of votes.
www.efta.int
Looking at opinion polls, up to 75% of voters could vote in a referendum for EFTA instead of the EU. This way UKIP PPCs could sell a working alternative, that produces only 300 new regulations a year, instead of 1,000+ with the EU. Could help with large donors.
Good luck to anyone who prefers self-government.
There are no printed stories about it but it always happens every Eid. Since 2005. Majority of people here are Sikhs, Hindus and Christians and generally secular people. But doesn't stop the police pandering. We're fed up of it all!
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