UKIP - The Writing's on the Wall?

Back. Although probably not for long.

Couple of things have caught my eye over the past few weeks that I wanted to comment on. First up is the news, relayed with a certain gleeful (and almost infectious) relish by Jackart that UKIP have gained a rather humbling 0% in a recent poll. Of course, you could point out that opinion polls are unreliable – after all, if they could have been trusted, then Kinnock would have become Prime Minister in 1992 - and the 0% is likely to be a distortion of reality. However, and let’s be brutally honest about this – 0% is a horrifically shit figure for any party. UKIP might yet rally and confound their detractors, but it is going to take a massive reversal of their fortunes to turn this disastrous result around.

Now, as a non-aligned political observer, I’m not going to jump up and down, clapping my hands with delight, as UKIP drown in the mire of British Politics. Equally, I ain’t going to wail and gnash my teeth at their slow passing. But it does beg the question, given the recent similarities between the two major parties and the utterly terrible performance of the Lib Dems since they binned that ginger drunk, of how UKIP have managed to fail to capitalise on the situation and push themselves forward as a credible player in the British political scene.

I think the answer is quite simple – and it is one very much in keeping with modern politics. What has crippled UKIP from the outset is an image problem. They are forever, even as they discuss other political policies, perceived to be a single issue party. They are against the EU, and that, many people think, is it. The perceived focus on this issue, particularly since it revolves around some debate about nationality, leaves them open to the ever-present (and largely unfair) accusation of racism. However the problems go deeper than just that. For every eloquent advocate of the party, there is an embittered ex-Tory, a half-baked borderline racist, or a perma-tanned, publicity seeking, self-serving cunt. They have never managed to escape the restrictive straight-jacket of being a small party, and cannot shake the tag of being a single issue party.

There will be those who will continue to push for UKIP, and continue to argue the case for that party in the current format. But this poll probably shows the time has come for those at the very heart of UKIP to ask the question whether it is best to continue to push for UKIP, or to move on from that tainted brand and form a new party – a party that can fully set out a right of centre, Euro-sceptic and Libertarian agenda whilst learning from the mistakes/building on the experiences of UKIP.