What kind of party is UKIP going to have to be in order to survive? This is the real question underpinning the speeches of recent comers, YouTube stars Count Dankula and Sargon of Akkad at this weekend’s conference.
Wings of the party have long lamented the lack of youthful figures bringing UKIP’s message to the younger generations, in a country where the youth vote is heavily in favour of open borders and remaining within the European Union. Many see the recent band of YouTube heavyweights as bringing a much needed breath of youthful fresh air to the party, as well as millions of potential new members who may follow the example of this new generation of internet celebrities. But it appears that UKIP may have to become more than just the “Brexit party” to keep these new allies interested.
Virtually ignoring the topic of Brexit, both Dankula (Mark Meechan) and Sargon (Carl Benjamin) placed a heavy emphasis freedom, a topic that Gerard Batten touched on during his keynote speech earlier in the day – an unsurprising addition, given his willingness to stand up for his beliefs and controversial figures such as Tommy Robinson.
“I want to see UKIP expand its remit from being the only party for Brexit to being the party, broadly speaking, for British values,” Sargon said in a short pre-recorded video presentation, as he was unable to attend in person. Giving profuse thank yous to Gerard Batten and the party membership for standing up for these values, as well as Brexit, he nevertheless urged UKIP to broaden its agenda. “British liberty is under threat from many different sources. Whether it’s communists at our universities, Islamists in our northern towns or censorious MPs in our own Parliament, the people want to change out way of life, forever” he said, adding UKIP needs to become a party prepared to “re-establish the moral good within our shared British values.”
Meechan’s speech unsurprisingly focused on the themes of free speech and policing, and included a description of his own experience at the hands of today’s thought police that resulted from his now famous prank involving a pug and the Nazi salute. Giving a rundown of similar cases and the shocking figure that 3,300 people are being prosecuted for social media posts per year, Meechan went on to say that people are losing faith in the British police and the state authority behind it.
As the British state infringes on its own citizens rights – of freedom, speech, privacy and culture – in an ever more flagrant manner, voters will be drawn to a UKIP that seeks to protect these rights. Whether Meechan’s suggestion of a U.S. style British Constitution and Bill of Rights to remedy this disturbing trend will make it into party policy has yet to seen, but one thing is clear: If UKIP hopes to attract and keep a new, youthful vote, it cannot afford to be a one-issue party.
He gave a great speech at the Conference. I hope to hear more from this young man.
Pardon me for making such an obvious point ! I am an old Kipper, (and probably smelling a bit these days !). It is almost certain that I would have little common ground, at a personal level, with Benjamin, Meechan or Tommy Robinson. It is the natural way of life, having been young but now old, whereas these guys are young, but have yet to be old ! However we do share one important item that we would agree upon, and that is the belief and requirement of political goals by UKIP, with the wish to uphold true and universal British values. It is that, whether young or old, that binds together our Party ! This common purpose is the unity ! So being at this point, why is Tommy Robinson yet to be invited into UKIP ?
Young people must be encouraged to join as they can be the best people to explain to Young people what a bs merchant Corbyn and Labour are in promising things they cannot deliver as they will not be in Government as long as Comrade Corbyn is leader
Thank you Staff Writer for an excellent article, and I thoroughly agree with the comment “UKIP needs to re-establish the moral good within our shared British Values”, absolutely, because at the moment we do not have many roll models to look up to. In my humble opinion, Her Majesty the Queen upholds all our British values, and she is exemplary for her sense of duty, diplomacy, respect and kindness, and it will be an immense loss to our country when she is no longer here.
We need, as a Nation to bring back Duty, Responsibility, Respect, Manners [please and thank you], Kindness, Honesty and Common Sense, because without all these values, British Society will deteriorate even further and it will take a lot longer to put right. They all need to be taught in school too, and school Heads should insist upon discipline and uniforms being worn at all times, also the teacher should be referred to by their surname and not Christian name.
The aggression and rudeness one hears and reads about these days is shocking, everything is just too casual with very few boundaries! I don’t know who is out there to lead this revolution, but I hope they come forward soon, because it is desperately needed.
I believe this is exactly the kind of thinking needed.
In my experience the ‘death by a thousand cuts’ treatment Brexit has been given by the MSM is working to the point where people want something else to talk about on the doorstep. The strategy is obvious. Our opponents want people to see UKIP as a one-issue party, the issue being Brexit. Job done. Go home. You’re not relevant anymore.
I think re-establishing British values is definitely the way to go, starting with freedom of speech. Especially now the EU is going to morph copyright legislation into the means of shutting down free speech on the internet. No arrest without charge (habeas corpus) might be another.
The link below, dropped in by Sponplague is an absolute treasure-trove. Perhaps fresh young minds could mine it for ideas that can be re-packaged and presented in ways that will appeal to the young.
I think this is vitally important because what I am seeing here in the UK is the slow, stealthy establishment of a repressive Marxist-style regime, where ‘democracy’ is of the kind once seen in the German Democratic Republic.
Party for British values. Back to 2010? 😉
https://devolutionmatters.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/ukip-britishness.pdf
In my youth I think I could have made a good shot at defining British values, and it was never along the later lines of Major’s warm beers cricket and being at ease with itself. Ask me now, to be honest I could not even guess, the values of Blair, Brown, Cameron , or Corbyn, Clegg Cable or May. No thanks not for me but perhaps therein lies the answer.
The list you name only see value in policies that will increase their own wealth and influence.
We’ll get thrown a few scraps to fight over while they steal our profit, public assets and culture while we’re scrapping.
Those people are ‘anywheres’with no loyalty to any people or country.
+Sponplague.. Nice avatar. Have you seen the Pakistani daleks skit?
Yep, but prefer the Goons.
britishconstitutiongroup.com
Aha! I’ll be Eccles and you can be Bluebottle.
But if I’m Bluebottle, they’ll all be deading me! Given my girth, I’d better be Neddie…
Spon,
You really are the font of all knowledge.
Your continually factual contributions are always on the ball and I delight in reading them.
This one should be studied and suppored by all Ukippers.
many thanks.
Nigel wasn’t a fan: “I didn’t read it. It was drivel. It was 486 pages of drivel…It was a nonsense. We have put that behind us and moved onto a professional footing.”
Hilarious …Remember this bit ….
12.15 Whilst there is no question of legislation in these areas, UKIP would like to see
British designers create a modernised, recognisable ‘British style’ that builds on traditional
styles but in a contemporary way. We would welcome a return to traditional British
headdress and uniforms for the police and armed forces. UKIP would also welcome the
replacement of US-style baseball caps from all public services, particularly the police and
armed forces, with traditional British headdress. UKIP will encourage a return to proper
dress for major hotels, restaurants and theatres – smarter dress is part of Britishness
And this…
12.4 UKIP will encourage a return to the glamour, grace and style of the railway companies
of the past through its railway policies. UKIP seeks a return to ‘Pullman’ trains where
justified, with appropriate branding such as ‘Great Western Railway’