The Irish Referendum and why I support UKIP

Lets start off with this damning little article from the Wall Street Journal.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203917304574414924180862140.html?mod=djemEditorialPage

Lots of hyperbole and even more cynicism that I personally treasure – a load of real bitterness there! I might have to Google the author to find out more about him – no body accumulates that amount of bile and vitriol without good reason.

I do agree with him about Cameron and the new touchy feely Tories though. I am fully aware that all politicians are now careerist media puppets and that true statesmanship has fled our blighted shores, but even a misanthropic curmudgeon such as myself has to clutch onto hope sometimes. Even if it is unlikely to come to anything.Which is why I am a member of UKIP, as most of you are by now aware.

The Irish referendum vote on the Lisbon Treaty is this Friday. It is a travesty that they are having the vote considering that they have already said no once to the Lisbon Treaty, but are expected to “get it right” this time after 12 months of Brussells bullying them and big business pouring funds into the “yes” campaign (Intel and Ryanair especially). The EU even plumped for a 16 page progoganda booklet in ever paper in Ireland this last Sunday (http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2009/09/commission-breaks-european-law-shock.html) paid for by taxes and EU levies.

The result of the vote will, in my humble opinion, have massive repercussions for UK politics. A “No” vote will give Cameron and the Tories a “get out of jail free” card regarding the EU – they don’t have to develop policy on it and do not have to promise a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, which will be bullied through parliament by the end of this year by the double talking Labour government (breaking their electoral promise of a referendum along the way). A “Yes” vote will force the Tories to declare their intentions regarding the EU and any future referendums. If the Tories do not promise a referendum, they will haemorrage votes to UKIP. Not enough to lose them the election – possibly not even enough to return UKIP MPs to parliament, but possibly enough to allow marginal seats to remain in Labour hands or fall to the Lib Dems instead. This will reduce the Tory majority in the commons. If they do promise a referendum, UKIP will remain a political non-entity and many of its current supporters will return to the Tory fold.

I hasten to point out that said referendum in the UK has nothing to do with pulling out of the EU completely, despite what the media and Labour claims. It is to re-assess our relationship to the EU, preferably returning it to a trade/economic union, not an increasingly federal one. It is basically about legislation affecting British business, British domestic issues, British trade, British foreign policy being generated in Westminster, not Brussels. In short, it is about British Sovereignty.

In addition, I will leave you with the following links to the UKIP site. I think it is worth noting their domestic policies as well as their “signature” euroscepticism. They are not a party of ignorant malcontents – they have highly competent and educated policy committees looking at all aspects of British governance. I doubt I will influence those of you inclined to vote to vote UKIP, but perhaps reading through their ideas will strike a chord with you. I used to vote Tory because I disagreed with less about their policies than I did with Labour’s. Now I vote UKIP because I agree with 80% of what they have to say. If you can find that in a modern, media dependent party, then I think you have to follow your conscience, even if it is a “wasted” vote.

http://www.ukip.org/content/ukip-policies/1014-campaign-policies-euro-elections-2009

http://www.ukip.org/content/ukip-policies