Camerons Common People

Restoring Britishness: UKIP Policy - Part 2

Having read the full policy document, it is clear that it even more ill thought out, inconsistent and out of touch with reality than the summary suggested.

Here is some further comment to go with the earlier comment on the summary:

the British people enjoyed the protections afforded by Magna Carta

No, the English people enjoyed the protections afforded by Magna Carta, a proclamation dating from 1215, some 492 years before the British state existed and a proclamation that has never formed part of Scottish law.

Britishness is also defined by a civic nationalism, which is inclusive, as opposed to religious or racial nationalism, which is exclusive. Civic nationalism is defined by loyalty and identification with the symbols of nationhood, such as the national flag.

Of course it's a civic nationalism, it is a 300 year old political construct that has no racial, ethnic, historical or natural basis.  We spent a couple of thousand years knocking seven shades out of each other and even in the 300 years the union has existed we English have still been universally loathed by the celts.  And the national flag - what an own goal by whoever wrote this policy!  Take a drive around your neighbourhood and count the British flags and your own national flag.  Other than public buildings and company premises you'll be hard pressed to find the butchers apron flying anywhere.  I know of one house - just one - in the whole of Telford (population 160k) that flies a British flag but the English flag is everywhere.  The British flag is a symbol of British imperialistic officialdom to most people, nothing more.

Civic nationalism's real beauty is it is open to all, whatever their ethnic, religious or linguistic background or skin colour, as the only thing the person has to do is self identify as British and demonstrate loyalty and consistency in their beliefs

I am a civic English nationalist and believe exactly the same thing about an English identity and most people in English identify themselves as English.

As UKIP’s Deputy Leader David Campbell Bannerman notes

What is it that leads Brit/Scot politicians to blather on about Britishness in defiance of logic and public opinion, especially the opinion of their fellow countrymen and women who reject Britishness more than any other people on these islands?  I knew he'd have something to do with this.

The Scottish and Welsh nationalists have also fallen for the siren's call from Brussels that a "Europe of the Regions" will be to their advantage, particularly if they can dissolve the UK, despite the fact they would be mere regions of an EU state and not proud nations within a British union

All the more reason to establish an English parliament for all of England, to permanently frustrate the regionalists.  But you see, even in the final sentence, the author acknowledges that we are distinct nations and not one country.

Meanwhile with devolution, the work of Scottish Westminster MPs has diminished and their status undermined

But this is what the Scottish people wanted, it's what they voted for and it's what they continue to support.

By contrast, the United Kingdom has a proud history of tolerance and respect for national identities, legal systems and cultures stretching back through the centuries, and we feel that Welsh, Scottish, English and Northern Irish people can resolve their grievances in a calm, intelligent fashion as part of restoring confidence in the Union.

The British establishment has spent the last 300 years trying to abolish the English identity and nearly succeeded in doing so.  As for tolerance of the Irish - tolerance and respect for national identities?  Don't make me laugh!  England has been a unified nation since 927AD, 780 years longer than the British union.  Where's the respect for the thousand years of history and English identity in this policy?

British Gas

That great symbol of Britishness, who operate under the name Scottish Gas north of the border because of the toxic British brand.

To recognise the importance of the Magna Carta to the British Constitution

There. Is. No. British. Constitution.  Jesus Christ, this really isn't a difficult concept is it?  There is no British constitution, Magna Carta is part of English law and doesn't apply to Scotland.  Same with Habeas Corpus, the Act of Succession, the Bill of Rights - all English constitutional laws that do not apply to the whole of the UK.

All UK Citizens would undergo a ‘Citizenship Ceremony’ to affirm their commitment to British civic values, sign a "Declaration of Citizenship" and undergo an English test.

Does this include those of us that live here already?  I would never attend one of these charades.

cricket is a sport in which Britain celebrates its close ties with Commonwealth friends

My god, it gets worse.  What is British about cricket?  Is there even a Scottish cricket team?

Football, a game invented in the UK, has gone on to become one of the world's most popular sports. It could be said that the British invented both of the world's universal languages (English and football).

Football, a game invented in England.  And the English language was invented by the English, hence why it is called English and not British.

UKIP would support the creation of a British football team composed of players from the Welsh, English, Scottish and Northern Irish teams, which would compete in special games such as the 2012 Olympic football competition and in exhibition games (e.g. Charity Shield), whilst backing Home Nation teams for other tournaments

Ok, find an organisation that isn't backed by the British government that supports a British football team.  There is universal opposition in the supporters clubs of every home nation to a British football team and only the fifth columnists in the English FA (which won't even put the word English in their name) support a British team with the FA's of the other home nations opposed to it.

UKIP will make high quality teaching of British history in schools mandatory

It already is.

UKIP believes all UK citizens must learn a common history and draw from a unified heritage

So history lessons will stop at 300 years ago?

Part of the improved teaching will be a fair and factual analysis of the history of the British Empire, which celebrates its achievements in terms of democracy

And presumably this will include teaching children that the British Empire is the English Empire renamed given that the Scottish Empire consisted of a short-lived colony in Panama that bankrupted the Scottish Crown and led to the Act of Union with England which started a 300 year addiction to English subsidies (bought and sold with English gold).  It won't will it?

UK citizens can be proud Scotsmen, Welshmen and Ulstermen as well as proud Britons

But not Englishmen?

Schools around the UK should also be encouraged to familiarise themselves with the anthems of Home Nations.

England hasn't been allowed a national anthem.  Will one be handed down by the British state or will the British national anthem be substituted as it is now?

Restoring Britishness: UKIP Policy

I am an English nationalist and I will make no apologies for that.  As far as I'm concerned, loyalty my country (England) comes before any loyalty I might have to UKIP and so I am equally unapologetic for what follows: a comprehensive fisking of UKIP's new policy entitled "Restoring Britishness".

Before you go any further, read this overview of the policy which is what I'm commenting on.

In England, an increasingly resentful English nationalism is also brewing, often fuelled by perceptions that other parts of the UK are receiving preferential treatment and services and/or that Celtic nation MPs are forming voting blocs at Westminster.

How does b**locks sound?  Scottish, Irish and Welsh nationalism aren't described as resentful despite the fact they're fundamentally built on a hatred of the English.  Other parts of the UK are receiving preferential treatment and services and celtic MPs do form voting blocs at Westminster.  We wouldn't have foundation hospitals or university top-up fees if it wasn't for the Scottish MPs voting as a bloc to impose them on England even though they didn't apply to Scotland.

The 'English Question' is arguably the most serious threat to Britishness.

It's the most serious threat to the union but not Britishness.  The most serious threat to Britishness is atrophy - it was an artificial construct that served a purpose for a while and is no longer relevant.

UKIP would replace members of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies with national Westminster MPs.

There goes the Scottish and Welsh vote ...

An English Executive would be created from British departments that are de facto only engaged in English affairs, headed by an English First Minister. UK national government would be restored at the highest level within this overall framework.

So basically a return to how it was before devolution with grand committees and home offices, the only difference being that England would get one?  Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has never had a problem with their British MPs not representing their national interests, it's the English that have always had the problem with British MPs elected in England putting Britain first to the detriment of England.  So England will be disadvantaged again.  And what will happen when there is a conflict of interests in their grand committee?  Will they put British or English interests first?  Exactly the same fundamental stumbling blocks as the Tories' policies.

UKIP would abolish the Barnett formula, which has disproportionately provided some parts of the UK with preferential services to others.

"Some parts of the UK" being Scotland, Wales and NI - the very reason dismissed as a "perception" in the denigration of English nationalists.  But I agree with getting rid of the Barnett Formula, it is an abomination and an insult.

In England, UKIP would replace the May Day bank holiday, and make St George's Day a public holiday in its place.

So Scotland, Wales and NI will still have more public holidays?  England has the least public holidays in Europe.  But a good move promoting St Georges Day although surprising when the policy writer seems to have such an aversion to English nationalism.

I have two problems with this "Restoring Britishness" policy.

Firstly, I'm not British, I'm English and most people in England consider themselves English too.  You can argue with the facts if you want but before you put your red white and blue tinted glasses on and start hammering on your keyboard, check out the research on this first and you will find that more people consider themselves English, Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish first and British second.

Secondly, who is actually asking for it to be restored?  Aside from a handful of British nationalists (mainly politicians) basically nobody.  The vast majority of people in all four home nations are quite happy with the national identity they have had for centuries.  Britishness is a made-up political identity that has never taken root outside of England and now it's been relegated to the history books in England.  It's only immigrant populations in England, who get Britishness rammed down their throats (in England) from the day they arrive in the country, that have a British identity.

Rather than expending time and energy on trying to keep alive a made-up political identity that has never really been anything other than a pseudonym for English that's been in terminal decline for decades, we should be embracing and supporting the true identities of these isles that the majority of people have chosen for themselves.  If you have to form a committee and hold workshops to try and define Britishness and actually publish a policy on what steps should be taken by the state to indoctrinate children with a different identity to the one that they were brought up with, it's quite obviously a pointless and ultimately doomed exercise.

Let's stick to what we're good at - libertarianism, capitalism and euroscepticism - and stop wasting time on Canute-like proclamations.

More comment in this post.

Another cast iron guarantee from Devious Dave

According to ConservativeHome, "Cast Iron" Dave has given a cast iron guarantee that while he is Prime Minister the UK will never join the Euro.

Let's hope this cast iron guarantee is more of a cast iron guarantee than the cast iron guarantee that we'd get a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

Gordon's Gift to UKIP

MPs have voted to hold a referendum on changing the voting system in general elections to the Alternative Vote system although it is very unlikely that it will happen before the general election this year.

Gordon Brown has opposed electoral reform for the last decade but has suddenly decided that now is the right time to overhaul the voting system.  Why?  It's simple ...

El Gordo knows that there will be tens, if not hundreds of thousands of traditional Labour voters casting protest votes in the next election.  Their only hope of clinging on to any sort of power is through the Alternative Vote system where rebellious voters can cast their protest vote and still vote Labour as second choice.

UKIP was criticised in some quarters for asking voters to lend them their vote during last year's EU elections because some people thought it might make the party look weak but Labour aren't even asking for people to lend them their vote, they're asking them for their second choice!  Desperate doesn't even begin to describe it.

There is an advantage of the the Alternative Vote system, though.  For some reason, most people still vote for the LibLabCon even though they've let us all down over and over again because they still, for some bizarre reason, want one of the LibLabCon to win.  But as we've seen in EU elections, if they don't think the result matters, voters will vote for someone different and if they think they can vote for UKIP and whichever faction of the LibLabCon they normally vote for then we could see a significant number of UKIP wins based on second preference votes.  It worked for the English Democrats in Doncaster, imagine what the fourth biggest party in the UK could do with a voting system that wasn't inherently biased against anyone who doesn't belong to the LibLabCon coalition.

If he can rush this bill through Parliament and get the referendum before the election this year, Brown's desperate attempt to cling on to power could be the biggest gift UKIP has had since ... well, since humiliating Labour and the Lib Dims in the EU elections last year!

EuropeNews: 'Islamist' emails from Tower Hamlets council address sent to UKIP

'Islamist' emails from Tower Hamlets council address sent to UKIP

TOWER Hamlets council has launched a disciplinary enquiry over pro-Islamist emails sent to a London Euro-MP. Two e-mails, with a town hall address, attacked proposals by the UK Independence Party to ban Muslim face coverings, including burkas and hijabs, in public places and accused the party of trying to "stoke a religious war on the streets of Britain."

London MEP Gerard Batten has lodged a formal complaint with Tower Hamlets council and is demanding to know what disciplinary action will be taken against any individual found responsible for sending the emails.

The emails, which have been linked to a Town Hall employee's email account, were sent last month.

One message said: "Teenage pregnancies, binge drinking, that is what is associated with British culture. Islam is the dominant religion in the United Kingdom. If you don't like it, go live somewhere else (...)

Climate change religion is falling apart

A Populus poll conducted for BBC News has shown a marked increase in the number of people who don't believe in the global warming climate change CO₂ pollution religion.

Just 3 months ago 41% of people believed in man-made climate change, now only 26% believe.  38% believe that climate change is not proven to be man-made when 3 months ago only 32% held that opinion.  Three months ago 8% of people thought man-made climate change was environmentalist propaganda, that figure has now risen to 10%.

Worryingly, the number of people who think climate change is not happening at all has gone up from 15% three months ago to 25%.  I say worryingly because the climate is changing, just as it has for billions of years!

Overall, this is excellent news.  The wheels are falling off the global warming wagon as more and more people see through the lies, dishonesty and propaganda.

UKIP appealing against Electoral Commission vendetta in Supreme Court

UKIP has been given permission to take its appeal against the sock puppet Electoral Commission's vendetta against the party to the Supreme Court.

Alan Bown suspiciously disappeared off the electoral register after he switched allegiances from the Conservatives to UKIP.  The Electoral Commission ordered the forfeiture of £363k in donations that Alan Bown made during the time he was taken off the electoral register.  UKIP went to court over the decision and the judge ruled that it was an honest mistake and reduced the forfeiture to £18k.

The Electoral Commission, official defenders of the status quo, didn't like losing and appealed the decision in the High Court who ruled in their favour and reinstated the full forfeiture of £363k.  Around the same time, the Electoral Commission announced that it wouldn't be ordering the Lib Dims to repay £2.4m in illegal donations made using the proceeds of crime from a convicted criminal living abroad!

In other words this is yet another UK/EU stitch-up aimed at trying to bring down the only party challenging the cosy EU love-in of the LibLabCon.

UKIP Second in latest Council Byelection

UKIP came second in the only Council byelection to be held in the West Midlands last night and came within 56 votes of taking the seat. UKIP recorded the biggest percentage gain out of all the contenders.

Newchapel Ward, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. 04/02/10

Con 33.1% -11.0%
UKIP 24.0% +10.5%
Lab 22.4% +0.1%
LD 20.6% +1.5%

We came fourth here at the last local elections. UKIP currently hold five councillors on Newcastle-Under-Lyme Borough Council and four on the neighbouring Staffordshire county council.

Well done to the Newcastle Under Lyme Branch for another great result.

Giz a job

Lord Pearson is looking for a new personal political assistant ...

Personal Political Assistant	Reference:23411 Posted: 04 February 10
working for	Lord Pearson of Rannoch
salary	Starting at £22,500
details	The job is located in Westminster, as Personal Assistant for Lord Pearson of Rannoch, Leader of UKIP.You should understand the European Union and be up to date on current affairs, such as radical Islam and Freedom of Speech. Skills required you must be IT literate, as you will be responsible for all emails, and experienced in maintaining a filing system. liaising with the Campaign Director and Press Office. dealing with day to day correspondence. dealing with media enquiries. conducting research on an ad hoc basis.The post may require occasional evening working and will require flexible hours during the General Election. You should be available from the 22nd of February for a week’s handover period.
closes	17 February 2010
contact	Please submit your CV with a cover letter to:lordpearsonpersonalassistant@googlemail.com
website	http://www.lordpearsonofrannoch.co.uk/

I'd be tempted to go for it myself but I can't afford the pay cut, especially not with London prices!

Jill Seymour statement on NEC resignation

Back in October, the EU activist and Junius blogger, Greg Limp-Wrist, wrote one of his rambling anti-UKIP posts about Jill Seymour in which he made up a story about her resignation from the NEC.

Like most people, Jill doesn't bother reading the JEUnius blog and has only just seen the drivel Greg Limp-Wrist wrote but she has asked us to publish the following statement in response to it:

Simply, I shall be attending just 3 more meetings before the next NEC Election. I did not quit in disgust, it was in fact due to party rules that you cannot sit on the NEC if employed by a MEP. Regarding Mr West I did feel no candidate should have had a video exposed in the way it was and made my feelings known. Material matter on any candidate should always be treated with respect and sensitivity. We are not career politicians but people that care for this country. I do have a very personal view on many things within UKIP and have never always followed any one individual. I would also like it if he was so kind to note my name is Jill Seymour.

Whyteleafe, Tandridge By-election result: UKIP gets 13%

UKIP did well in Tandridge on 2nd Feb 2010, gaining 13% of the vote! Labour did not contest the seat.

Interestingly, UKIP came out of nowhere, so up 13%, The Tories lost 11% and the LibDems gained 3%.

The turnout was 28.9%.

Candidate	Party	No of votes	%
Jeffrey Bolter	UK Independence Party	99	13
Chris Krishnan	Conservative	236	30
David Lee	Liberal Democrats	444	57

Two thirds want burkha ban

Once again UKIP is responding to the electorate's concerns and saying what the LibLabCon are too scared to say. Almost two thirds want the burkha banned in public, only UKIP will do what the electorate wants.

TWO out of three people believe burkhas should be banned in public, it was revealed last night.

A survey suggests that the veil, worn by some Muslim women, is unpopular in Britain with 64 per cent of people believing it should be illegal to wear it in public places like banks and airports.

And 61 per cent of the people polled also believe that schools should be allowed to prevent teachers wearing burkhas.
The figures from pollster ComRes come as a debate on whether to outlaw the veil is raging in France and Italy.
UK Independence Party MEP Nigel Farage said: “Most shopping centres forbid hoodies because they disguise the wearer. The Muslim veils are no different.”

Winston McKenzie to stand for UKIP in Tottenham

Winston McKenzie is standing against David Lammy, the Liebour MP for Tottenham, in the general election.
McKenzie, who the Haringey Independent describe as a "political chameleon", re-joined UKIP to stand for leader of the party but pulled out when it became clear that he would fail to attract more than double figures in votes.
In the past, McKenzie has left whatever party he was in if he failed to get his own way but this time it appears to be different. Perhaps he's realised that the grass isn't always greener on the other side?
I will reserve judgement on McKenzie for now as, I suspect, will many other members. Not only does he have to convince the voters of Tottenham to support him in his bid to become an MP, he also has the difficult task of convincing party members that he is loyal to the party and their hard work and support during the election campaign won't be rewarded with a public slating and yet another resignation.

My Swan Song

I came into UKIP believing in the ethos of the party. I still do believe that UKIP is the only answer to the 3 main parties. However I am tired of the abuse at a local and National level. That abuse has attacked my family, I have received unacceptable 'hate' mail. If this is the cost of wanting a Britain for all then I am not prepared to pay that cost. My family is more important.