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I'm tempted by Nigel Farage !

(467 Posts)
NanKate Fri 28-Feb-14 20:27:46

I have always voted Conservative but for the first time in my life I feel tempted to vote Ukip.

I like the way NF is not frightened to say things other politicians daren't say, such as our island has too many people in it and not enough Services e.g. NHS to deal with us all.

I am only against the NUMBER of people who come here, not who they are or where they have come from.

I live in a town that has a great grammar school that gives opportunities to children from all backgrounds. Long may it continue.

We are so PC now in the UK I daren't voice some of my other thoughts in case I am quite unfairly accused of being against this or that group.

I find it a sad that the UK is no longer the country I remember from my childhood.

HollyDaze Tue 06-May-14 22:52:33

I feel that the main problem is, Silverfish, none of them are trustworthy. As I have said before: you can't expect those who benefit the most from the current situation to be in a rush to help you change it. The crop of MPs do tend to benefit from the existing system so no great changes will be made.

The very definition of madness is: to keep doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result.

The same is true of voting for the same parties over and over again and expecting a better outcome. I just wish there was a better voting system (but I'm not brainy enough to devise one unfortunately).

durhamjen Tue 06-May-14 22:54:27

Brilliant, anno. Farage actually said he was a good candidate. Bet he wished he'd stood himself.

durhamjen Wed 07-May-14 00:14:31

nhap.org/features/euro-election-features/
National Health Action Party's response to Nigel Farage.

HollyDaze Wed 07-May-14 14:38:24

The only bit I could see in that that would constitute a response to UKIP is

For the Tories this finds a scapegoat for their own failures; for UKIP it is a cheap vote-winner, pretending all our problems can be magically solved by “keeping them out” or “sending them back”.

Have UKIP put that forward as the solution or are they suggesting that limiting not just the numbers that come to Britain but also to include skill assessment - which is the criteria of many countries.

It isn't as though UKIP would be voted in for Parliament but if that's what people in the UK want, maybe those who have sat 'in power' for so long but ignored the people of the UK as nothing more than units of production that are as easily replaced as any machine part, should sit up and take notice. It may be best to read the message (rise in UKIPs popularity) rather than shoot the messenger (Farage).

POGS Wed 07-May-14 15:17:20

It's going to be an interesting election isn't it.

I am very interested to see the voting outcomes for the French, Dutch, Hungarian and Greek nations just as much as our own.

GadaboutGran Wed 07-May-14 21:40:29

Re Hollydaze's post on previous page: If David Coleman's statistics in the article you mention are correct, that white British will be in a minority by 2080 regardless of immigration, surely we have a choice & can choose to deal with the impending reality positively rather than with fear & division. The question could be, "What can all of us do now to ensure a good transition so all can live together well & with respect?" rather than wasting energy desperately trying to change a situation that probably can't be changed even if all immigration were stopped now. It does however need a place where people can talk about & deal with their fears.

Ana Wed 07-May-14 21:50:28

'Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that if immigration remains at a long-term rate of around 180,000 a year the proportion of the white British-born population will fall from 80 per cent to 59 per cent by 2051.' (from the link you're referring to, gadabout)

Not ' regardless of immigration'. Just if it continues at its present rate.

JessM Wed 07-May-14 22:36:09

It will only continue as long as the UK economy needs the extra labour. There was mass emigration of Europeans from Ireland when the economy went belly up and work dried up.
As the proportion of non-working older people increases we will have to get workers and tax payers from somewhere. What is Nigel's plan B? Incentives for people to have big families?

GadaboutGran Wed 07-May-14 22:51:55

Thanks for correcting me Ana over my incorrect use of 'regardless'. What I was referring to was the para further down the page - 'Prof Coleman went on to say that even if net immigration was reduced to 80,000 a year white Britons would still be outnumbered by 2080'.
I took this to mean the proportion of white British will carry on diminishing even if immigration is reduced, especially because at the moment the birth rate of some groups is much higher than that of white British. At some point in the future it will happen anyway so we have plenty of time to prepare positively now for the future even if we are not here.

durhamjen Wed 07-May-14 23:10:50

Oh dear, my sons' partners have sneaked in by being white and non-British. What should we do with them? Send them back where they came from? After all, they are both taking up jobs in our schools which could be had by white British. But then my sons would probably go with them, thus being a problem immigrant in their partners' countries. A problem, isn't it?

durhamjen Wed 07-May-14 23:16:12

Selective, Hollydaze.
What about the sentence before the one you quote?
What about the fact that UKIP are not bothered about the TTIP?

JessM Thu 08-May-14 07:02:56

2080... quite a few generations of .... oh no! white Brits marrying non-white Brits and ... God forbid .... foreigners of various hues. I guess that will make significant inroads into the purity of our anglo/saxon/norman/celtic master race. This is definitely a disaster in the making. grin Particularly as us Brits are, (I seem to remember reading), more likely to make such ill-advised marriages than any other nation. Over a million mixed race britons, and rising every day. And that is not counting the ones who are half French, half Greek etc
news.sky.com/story/1023609/mixed-marriage-more-accepted-in-britain

Joan Thu 08-May-14 08:55:50

Plenty of mixed race couples here in Australia. My son is marrying an ethically Cantonese Australian, whose parents fled Vietnam by boat in the 1970s. The Vietnamese post-war government wanted the Cantonese out, where they lived. Anyway, she's now a respected immunologist at a local hospital, part of a system that saves lives. Her parents run a cleaning company, and her brother is a maths lecturer at a local university. I think their family and ours are typical of migrants and refugees - working hard and educating our kids to do important, necessary, work.

Political parties like UKIP scare me - they are usually very right wing and ignore facts they don't like. They are only any good as a critical voice: they rarely have any serious policies that would work in the real world.

annodomini Thu 08-May-14 09:41:40

My lovely, caring and hard-working adult GD is mixed race, so it is likely that at least 20% of my descendants will be of mixed race, though if the 4 others have inter-racial relationships, it could very well be more. I hope I live to see some of my GGC.

GadaboutGran Thu 08-May-14 10:17:03

And in just one generation, my wider family is made up of people whose countries of origin stretch from Barbados to Fiji, though none yet of Chinese origin. This doesn't mean I don't sometimes share fears about having to cling on to my own cultural identity, as the Britons, Celts, aborigines & many others have had to do, often at the hands of the white Brits, but I believe we have a choice to use the fears to motivate some positive results rather than the awful ones leading to strife.
Going to Australia & NZ last year also made me very aware how, in parts at least, these countries are no longer the place of escape for White Brits wanting to flee.

rosequartz Thu 08-May-14 10:18:58

Hello Joan, have not seen you on GN for ages and always looked forward to reading your views from over there!

Yes, Australia is a melting pot (now I have the song on the brain). From what little I see when I come over, it does take a generation or so before people think of themselves as Australians - when they have been through the education system perhaps. However, Australians are proud of their nationality, whereas a lot of British (I do mean British) sometimes seem less proud, even embarrassed or in denial.

Is NF concerned about immigration on race grounds or sheer number grounds as we are geographically such a small country?

rosequartz Thu 08-May-14 10:25:02

Gadaboutgran - I never thought of Australia and NZ as places where 'white Brits' would want to flee - from what?

My family who are over there went first as an adventure then stayed because they liked it and because of the wider opportunities available.
They have friends from many ethnic backgrounds.

Aka Thu 08-May-14 10:36:14

Interesting article in today's times about how immigrant groups in Britain are generally better motivated to get a good education that indigenous people, and that white, working-class boys in particular have an anti-education ethos.

Ana Thu 08-May-14 10:40:51

rosequartz, you asked: "Is NF concerned about immigration on race grounds or sheer number grounds as we are geographically such a small country?"

That's always been my understanding of his views, and I think it's the view of many British people. This is becoming a thread about racism...again! hmm

Ana Thu 08-May-14 10:41:24

(the sheer number!)

rosequartz Thu 08-May-14 10:55:24

Yes, Ana, I get very confused. Are the same people who are against NF on immigration the same people who are totally against building on green belt land and the building of new towns?
They can't have both.

Aka Thu 08-May-14 10:56:51

That's a good point.

durhamjen Thu 08-May-14 11:04:08

I'm against NF on immigration and for building new towns and on bits of the green belt where necessary.
Sorry to disappoint, rose and Aka.

rosequartz Thu 08-May-14 11:50:40

So ??? where is everyone going to live? confused

Aka Thu 08-May-14 11:55:12

The problem as I see it is this.

If we are in the EU we cannot limit immigration from other EU countries.
If we opt out we are likely to lose lucrative trading opportunities and businesses are telling us this will harm them.
If we cannot limit future immigration then we face overcrowding and having to build more houses on green belt.
To accommodate future immigration trends we will have to build more hospitals and schools etc, but this isn't a problem as the taxes raised by immigrants in jobs and paying taxes ought to cover such new builds.
Add to this an ageing population who will need improved care facilities.
Plus the escalating cost of the NHS as obesity level sore...
Global warming, floods and pandemic flu....

hmm