UKIP Uncovered

UKIP Uncovered
What motivates the leaders of the United Kingdom Independence Party?

Wednesday, May 12, 2004

A preview of Today's Campaign Launch and Manifesto

The BBC web-site has provided good coverage of the launch of UKIP's campaign today, making much of the party's new star name and the party's stated target, now back up to 10 MEPs.

The page may be viewed by clicking on this link from the title: UKIP sets out Euro poll platform .

The UKIP web-site seems to carry no details of the Campaign launch which we ealier understood is to be in London and to be attended by all the lead MEP candidates.The party web Home Page in its headline, has finally picked up on the Conservative Party's problems over their Eastern Region MEP's expenses scandal on which we have been reporting in our sister blogs The Strasbourg Cesspit and Teetering Tories since 6th May - one wonders if there is anybody other than the high-paid consultants, who seem most adept at getting their own names into the media (todays BBC report linked above is a good example) actually running the campaign.

As we posted in late April, linked from the title: Have the Geriatrics Forgotten an EU Manifesto!, it seems they probably had! We can now give these astounding details from this report received yesterday:-

Quote
Is that it then?
UKIP's manifesto

Thin stuff for the troops in the UKIP secret manifesto, which covered barely more than a few paragraphs hastily put together on the back of an envelope by party press officer Mark Croucher.

Of course it repeats the canard about replacing the EU membership with a
free trade agreement. Any old agreement then? Does it mean UKIP is against leaving the EU if a "free trade agreement" is not on offer? Open goals again, and a further muddying of what Maggie Thatcher said in her book was UKIP's main selling point - the uneqivocal stance on leaving the EU.

Nothing illustrates the comparison between the hole in the wall 2004
campaign with no money and divisions, and the 1999 campaign. There were
problems in the party in 1999, but all held together as there was a feeling that all the elements involved in a successful campaign were given a role. This time, things explode out of the Bramshott bunker with no consultation, and the manifesto typifies this: last time it was put together thoughtfully by a leading party academic, it was put through a number of others of opposing standpoints and views and all came to a conclusion which all could stand by.

Mark Croucher ain't no leading party academic and many NEC members reckon that is possibly the only reason for welcomoing the fact that the manifesto is mercifully short - rather tellingly UKIP's manifesto refers to the Labour Party manifesto of 1983 - which itself is famous for being described as the shortest suicide note in history. UKIP's manifesto has fewer words than the Labour 83 offering.

Unquote

The 1st May 2001 Manifesto remains on the UKIP web-site at this moment. It could well disappear after today, so any wishing to recall what the party once believed might wish to download and print that version for their records: UKIP Manifesto Page

posted by Martin |5:09 AM