The far right and Russia

Hopefully by the time of the next election there will not be a Ukip party.

Tricia don't forget that the SNP's 56 MPs only represent half as many voters as the 8 Liberal Democrat MPs who were elected in 2015.

First past the post has a lot to answer for.

I agree Daphnedill that it would have been worth the price of electing UKIP MP's. They would have been seen for what they are - an incoherant rabble who keep falling out with each other.

The petition on PR got over 103,000 votes and is to be debated in parliament.

Yes, and that's because we don't have proportional representation. I think having Ukip MPs would be a price worth paying for a more democratic system. Firstly, people might think more carefully about voting for somebody, if they know they have a reasonable chance of success. Secondly, Ukip would have had to "walk the talk" and would have shown themselves up for the charlatans they are. There are plenty of Ukip MEPs as a result of proportional representation, but most of the time they didn't even bother turning up to state the UK's case.

In the 2015 election UKIP got nearly 4 million votes, more than the SNP and Lib Dems combined. Yet they only got one seat in Parliament, while the SNP got 56 and the Lib Dems 8.

That made me laugh, whitewave. Good theory

I have a theory -entirely unfounded - that the reason the Americans are so tall and generally bigger than Europeans is because they consume meat stuffed full of growth hormones.

From what I understand, Banks didn't like Nuttall, because he intended to take Ukip more towards the centre and detoxify the brand by dropping some of the anti-immigration stuff. Banks loathed Carswell, who isn't anti-immigration at all.

Good post ww. I don't think enough people know this information. When employers begin to chip away at workers' rights that will have a big impact. People will begin to find their rights as consumers are diminished. I think only when these things start to happen will the implications of leaving the EU become a reality to most.

I only recently discovered that many dangerous foods are stopped from even entering the UK by EU laws.

jane I think that it is a really interesting point that you are making. To date these elites have parasitically used existing political parties to pursue their political ambitions. The Republican Party is still living under the yolk of them, and we can see the fight being fought to get back control.

In the U.K. for reasons that we assume will come clear Banks and supporters have left UKIP but not yet shown their hand.

I doubt whether they could recruit 100 independents who would be fit to be MPs too. Ukip had the same problem. It looks as though Ukip is on its last legs as a political party, but its supporters haven't gone away.

It appears very likely that a small group have already undermined democracy. It has been shown that Banks spent millions on the referendum and used underhand tactics.

It is the existence of these people which has almost certainly influenced both the Conservative and Labour Parties, because they're scared of losing voters.

Ukip had hardly any parliamentary representation, but it didn't stop it from being influential.

I take George Monbiot's point jen but I still question Banks' ability to recruit sufficient Independents to further his cause in a parliamentary context.
What would be the selling point of these independents to their potential constituents? That neither the Tories nor Labour are fit for the purpose of government?
I'm not sure that would work, though both of them seem to be trying hard to give Banks his opportunity.

Just read the Mombiot article, and it is a good reminder of the true intention of the vastly wealthy elite who bankrolled Brexit and Trump. Now all they have to do is to argue that the so called "bureaucracy and red tape" can be got rid of once the EU law is subsumed within U.K. Law.

So Mombiot argues that when these vastly wealthy elite use the term red tape they mean in fact "public protection".

So what they are intent on getting rid of is laws that for example cutting air pollution protection, working time directive, environmental impact directives, consumer rights, maritime safety law etc.

We only have to look at what is happening in the USA to know what these elites intend, make no mistake they will pursue these aims with all the wealth they can muster.

When you think about it, Jane, he might do better backing independents, not starting a new party. Lots of men in white suits. I doubt whether there would be many women.
I presume it's allowable to say that.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/04/ripping-up-protections-brexit-trump-freedom

I suppose, Jane, that he could use Leave.EU as a party.
Although he wouldn't need to. They could all stand as independents, and as long as he doesn't overspend in each constituency, he would be okay.
He is probably waiting for the fallout from the Tory election expenses fraud enquiry to be finished before he decides.
I have a feeling there are enough of his mates waiting in the wings to take over.
There are a lot of remain MPs in constituencies which voted to leave.

Yes he has a Russian wife called Katya. When I met her she was involved with the brother of a very old friend of mine. He was besotted with her but she left him to marry Banks as in her words "He was very very much richer than you"
She also got caught up with the scandal surrounding Mike Hancock, a local politician.
They're a perfect match in my opinion.

jen I know he no longer supports UKIP.
But suppose he bankrolls someone to stand against a Remain MP. They still have to get elected, don't they?
George Orwell wrote that the British people have an antipathy towards extremes and despite UKIP's apparent success I think that is still true.

Banks is no longer Ukip. He wants to bankroll anyone who will stand against an MP who supports remain, no matter what party.

He has shown it worked with Brexit.

I hope this doesn't sound naive, and I agree the content of the Guardian article is worrying, but how exactly could Banks destroy our parliamentary democracy?
Given that UKIP have no credible candidates to stand in a general election?
If David Cameron had had the nous even to stipulate a 60% majority to bring about constitutional change, Banks would not have succeeded in his mission.
Brexit is due more to Cameron's dereliction of duty than anything Banks did.

This egg nonsense is a non story, like the colour of pasports -Daily Mail fodder which a serious PM should not bother with.

National Trust have had egg hunts at Easter for as long as I have been a member giving Cadbury's eggs. I'd rather they used other eggs.
I don't know what the fuss is about. Everyone knows what it means.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39410555

Is this acceptable to you, daphne?
All bloggers have an agenda.

It would be funny if it wasn't so stupid - Cadbury refusing to call their eggs Easter Eggs but collaborating with the National Trust for an egg hunt at Easter

No idea, but Banks does have a daughter who works inmarketing for the National Trust. Wonder if she knew about the Easter myth.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/join-the-cadbury-egg-hunts-this-easter

www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2016/10/arron-banks-man-who-bought-brexit