The merged UKIP thread

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

10 years 7 months

Posts: 2,748

Wonder why this hasn't been mentioned yet. Anybody?

Ukip in new racism row after Lenny Henry insult
More UK Independence Party election candidates make prejudiced comments on the internet, including one who said Lenny Henry, the comedian, should leave Britain to live in a “black country”

Nigel Farage is facing a new racism row after it emerged that more of his UK Independence Party election candidates made prejudiced comments on the internet.
In one statement, a candidate standing in next month’s local council elections suggested on Twitter that the comedian, Lenny Henry should leave Britain to live in a “black country”.
The party insisted it would investigate and act upon any comments from candidates that breach its “non-racist, non-sectarian” values.
The disclosures followed a week in which a series of publicity gaffes threatened to damage Ukip’s hopes in the European Parliament and local council elections taking place on May 22.
The party was forced to suspend one of the stars of its European election broadcast when it emerged he had published a series of racist remarks on Twitter.
In the latest controversy, William Henwood, a Ukip candidate for election in Enfield, north London, responded on Twitter to a speech by Mr Henry, in which the actor suggested there were not enough ethnic minority faces on television.
According to his Twitter account, the Ukip candidate said: “He should emigrate to a black country. He does not have to live with whites.”
A Ukip candidate in Camden, Magnus Nielsen, claimed that 70 per cent of mosques in the UK have been “taken over” by “fundamentalists”.
According to his Facebook page, he said: “Islam is organised crime under religious camouflage. Any Muslim who is not involved in organised crime is not a ‘true believer’, practising Islam as Mohammed commanded."
In a statement, Ukip said that the party was “non-racist, non-sectarian” and that “any comments made by members that fail to uphold these values will be duly investigated and acted upon”.
Last week, Mr Farage admitted that Ukip’s candidate-vetting procedures had failed after a man with racist views was granted a starring role in the party’s election broadcast.
The Ukip leader said he was “very angry” that Andre Lampitt, a Zimbabwean kitchen fitter, was given a prominent role in the television broadast.
Mr Lampitt, who is a Ukip council candidate, posted a series of racist messages on Twitter, saying Islam is “evil” and claiming Ed Miliband is not British.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ukip/10790504/Ukip-in-new-racism-row-after-Lenny-Henry-insult.html

Henwood told the BBC:

"I think if black people come to this country and don't like mixing with white people why are they here? If he (Henry) wants a lot of blacks around go and live in a black country."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27176803

Gosh, another triumph for Farage's non racist political party. Maybe bigoted political party would be a better description.
(For those who really want to know Henwood came from Zimbabwe - or Rhodesia as he apparently still refers to it - whereas Lenny Henry was born in Dudley, in the Black Country. Can you work out who the immigrant is?)

Still, carry on blaming the mean and biased media for pointing out where UKIP fall down; it's nothing to do with the candidates they choose.;o)

Hmm, at least the wheels haven't come off Farage's campaign. Chipped paint and battered bodywork, maybe, but still rolling...

Ukip bus crashes into Portsmouth station

The Ukip campaign double-decker bus collided with a Portsmouth railway station canopy as the driver attempted to manoeuvre out of a car park after greeting party leader Nigel Farage.

The purple bus, with only one passenger on board, arrived at Portsmouth & Southsea to greet Mr Farage, who is visiting the city as part of his campaign for the forthcoming European elections.

But the collision happened as the bus appeared to make a U-turn as it could not fit under the railway platform bridge at the exit of the car park.

The bus appeared to suffer damage to the front although only minor damage appeared to have been sustained by the canopy.

People gathered and looked out at windows laughing at the bus’s mishap, which happened after Mr Farage had left to meet local people.

Staff at the railway station also came out of the building to inspect the damage to the canopy.

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/local/ukip-bus-crashes-into-portsmouth-station-1-6025252

Wonder if it was a foreign driver...?

Original post

Member for

14 years

Posts: 4,996

The way the media and leaders of the other parties are picking up on every anti-UKIP story they can, tells us one thing.
They are really frightened of them.

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

I predict UKIP most votes in Euro elections on 30% turnout and possibly 1 seat next year on a 65% turnout .

Member for

14 years 11 months

Posts: 894

The only parties that I can think of, in my lifetime, which spoke with one voice are the Nazis and the communists, probably because their "members" were dead if they didn't toe the line. If someone isn't allowed to express a personal opinion, however distasteful other individuals might find it, then several million Allied military and civilian personnel have died in vain.

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

I have thought for some time that word racist should be expunged from daily use so inappropriately is it applied and so liberally is it used.
UKIP will never do anything worse than collateral damage because it has virtually no serious policies.

Member for

10 years 7 months

Posts: 2,748

The way the media and leaders of the other parties are picking up on every anti-UKIP story they can, tells us one thing.
They are really frightened of them.

[Rolls eyes like a mad man] No, the reason the media is picking everything up is because the other parties are all being bland and protective of themselves - there isn't much news about at the moment. Anyone know what Labour is up to at the moment, other than either agreeing with the ConLib pact or (trying to) shoot them down?

And as for anti-UKIP story - are you seriously joking? All those stories are being supplied by UKIP themselves! (Guffaw!)
Which ones - in your opinion - are made up or maliciously hounding an innocent candidate by media/other political party? The stupid bigoted tweets about Lenny Henry? The other stupid bigoted tweets about Islam and Miliband not being British? The Irish immigrant model posterboy? The poster woman who turned out to be Farage's personal assistant? How about the UKIP MEPs employing foreign assistants in Brussels rather than Britons? Maybe the floods being caused by gay marriage? (Chortle!)
What do you really expect the media to do, totally ignore that wonderful golden egg-laying turkey that's fallen into their laps? No way - when life hands you lemons then lemonade shall be made and UKIP is helpfully churning out lemons by the tree load! (Tee hee!)

Member for

10 years 7 months

Posts: 2,748

I have thought for some time that word racist should be expunged from daily use so inappropriately is it applied and so liberally is it used.

Charlie, do you think it was inappropriately used in the case of William Henwood and his tweets about Lenny Henry? Be very careful.

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

I watched the programme who is Nigel Farage, and to be honest I thought he came across very well in it, it surprised me that the MEPs don't actually vote for legislation, simply ratify that which has been produced by unelected buerocrates..

Sort of made the whole thing a farce, unelected people deciding the laws and elected people there for the money with no real power.

Member for

14 years 11 months

Posts: 894

Charlie, do you think it was inappropriately used in the case of William Henwood and his tweets about Lenny Henry? Be very careful.

Why? Are you planning to go round and beat him up, if he says yes? Or maybe get the thought police to come calling? Quite frankly, what he thinks is none of your business.
Who appointed you judge, jury, and executioner in all things political, may I ask? You trawl through the news, picking out controversial items, then sit back, inviting comment, while waiting to pounce on anyone who doesn't share your jaundiced view of certain political parties/personalities.
Thanks to people like you, with their excreta-agitating behaviour, we can no longer even call a dog by his given name from 70 years ago.

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

Thanks Edgar - you stayed up later than me so took my response out of my mouth.
Snafu you epitomise the point behind my earlier post. Thank you for helping to substantiate it.

Member for

11 years 7 months

Posts: 702

If UKIP candidates think that they have the right to express racist opinions then they shouldn't surprised when the press picks up these comments. I, for one, am glad that the press is doing this as it makes out UKIP to be the racist incompetents that many of us suspected.

If anyone thinks that they can get away with racist, offensive or insulting comments and then hide under the "freedom of speech" argument then they are mistaken. "Freedom of Speech" does not mean you can say what you like. It never did.

UKIP have taken the political gaffe to new levels of ineptitude and yet it appears to make no difference to their support. Utterly baffling. Surely intelligent people cannot be fooled by Farage's bluff and bluster? Can they? The classic one-issue party - their last manifesto looked like it was written by a 12 year old given a "what would you do if you were Prime Minister" assignment.

Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 1,542

If you don't think the other parties have racists and other, worse things making up their numbers, you obviously don't know politics.

Strange how no one is slating Lenny Henry for the racist comment that started this. If racial quotas aren't racist, I don't know what is?!

I'll be voting UKIP, because we need a change in the established order in this country. The current lot aren't working, and a Labour government would be a complete disaster for the UK, as they have always been.

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

By doing that you are of course playing directly into Labour's hands and will help to achieve what you describe as a disaster. Regrettably you and many others disillusioned by the current state of affairs are being naive. In the Euro elections it matters little and the turnout will be small as ever but in the General Election votes for UKIP in sufficient numbers will be significant for the the other three parties although not for UKIP, in terms of seats.

Member for

11 years 7 months

Posts: 702

A quick question then. Do you agree with Henwood that Lenny Henry should go and live in a "black country"? Despite that fact that Lenny Henry is as British as you or I?

Saying that there should be more black/ethnic minority people in the entertainment industry is hardly racist.

If you think UKIP are in any way a change from the established parties then I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken. Public school, City working, ex-Tories are not a "change" from anything.
UKIP are certainly different in that they are vastly more incompetent than the other parties - by some margin.

Member for

20 years 7 months

Posts: 7,025

I have been working since i was 16, and voting ever since.
In 33 years i have worked under the Tories,Labour,ConDem governments and i have to say i have no faith in any of them.It is all too institutionalised ,1 v 1 entrenched blame culture.
I am personally fed up with the lot of them so how should i vote?

All the comments about the bad things about UKIP ,well lets do some likewise digging into some of the Labour,Cons,LibDem candidates past and present --not so pretty either.

People died for the right to vote but the right to vote for a decent way just isn't available [realistically].

So who do i vote for ? No vote won't change anything so guilty of keeping things the gruesome same.

Member for

19 years 6 months

Posts: 1,518

I have been working since i was 16, and voting ever since.
In 33 years i have worked under the Tories,Labour,ConDem governments and i have to say i have no faith in any of them.It is all too institutionalised ,1 v 1 entrenched blame culture.
I am personally fed up with the lot of them so how should i vote?

All the comments about the bad things about UKIP ,well lets do some likewise digging into some of the Labour,Cons,LibDem candidates past and present --not so pretty either.

People died for the right to vote but the right to vote for a decent way just isn't available [realistically].

So who do i vote for ? No vote won't change anything so guilty of keeping things the gruesome same.

Personally I think you need to vote for whoever will give electoral reform. Remember, politicians care a great deal about keeping their jobs and for most of them they are in safe seats, so this isn't a problem. All they have to do is tow the party line so they don't get deselected, and all the parties have to do is preach to the converted in their constituencies. That and the party whip which means private organisations (political parties) can coerce MPs into voting one way or the other, politicians regulating themselves, and dozens of other things. But this can only be fixed by reforming the political system itself, which I think should begin with dumping FPTP:

Member for

10 years 7 months

Posts: 2,748

Why? Are you planning to go round and beat him up, if he says yes?

Why, is that what you do?

Seriously that would never have entered my head; are you so wrapped up in violence that it is immediately what you thought? What does that say about you?

Or maybe get the thought police to come calling? Quite frankly, what he thinks is none of your business.

Indeed, and you may defend his word with your life - but care still needs to be taken due to the Race Relations Act 1976 (et al) which outlaws discrimination on racial grounds and oversees relations between people of different racial groups. Telling somebody 'of colour' to go back to 'another country' on the basis of their 'colour' is frowned upon by law.

Who appointed you judge, jury, and executioner in all things political, may I ask?

Ho ho... Since my views are different to yours I must be the enemy - and that of all the right-thinking, decent, hard working man in the street too.
We thrive on discussion - but there needs to be discussion otherwise you will just go about discussing bloody Top Gear all s0dding week... My view is contrary to yours: therefore discuss why I am your enemy. Please?

You trawl through the news, picking out controversial items, then sit back, inviting comment, while waiting to pounce on anyone who doesn't share your jaundiced view of certain political parties/personalities.

Well done. You have worked out my game plan... I find a subject and try to kick off a discussion and one this one you bit!
Now, pick a subject of your own and discuss. Or would you rather sit there looking at a dead forum?

Thanks to people like you, with their excreta-agitating behaviour, we can no longer even call a dog by his given name from 70 years ago.

(I can imagine you sitting there, foaming from the mouth, jabbing a finger at your monitor and hammering on the keyboard! Tell me I am wrong!!!)
And we can't enslave people of a different ethnic minority, call them 'monkeys' and worse, we can't lock up people of differing religious views for no reason anymore (although we can still invade their countries), we can no longer act like gods with power over life and death - just like we used to in places like South Africa and Rhodesia 70 years ago.
Just because these things used to happen, just because such names were used at one time, doesn't mean that it was right then nor right now. Example: is it right to call somebody a cxxt? Do you call people that? Is it right to call women that? I don't, I am disgusted when I hear it happening YET that word was once part of a common name for a thoroughfare where prostitutes were to be found in the middleages (see Gropecxxt Lane on Wiki). The name you refer to was once common, but it is now regarded as offensive by the authorities and by ethnic minorities - explain to me why you think this word and the one above are no longer in common usage by decent, considerate people.

Snafu you epitomise the point behind my earlier post. Thank you for helping to substantiate it.

Just because you'd ban the word racist wouldn't make the problem go away. What would you replace it with?

If you don't think the other parties have racists and other, worse things making up their numbers, you obviously don't know politics.

There is racism (sorry Charlie) in everything and everybody if you look hard enough. UKIPs little Hitlers are not difficult to find since they seem to be proud enough to wear it like a badge and spout it in the most inappropriate places. Have a dig and find some in the other parties, please.

Strange how no one is slating Lenny Henry for the racist comment that started this. If racial quotas aren't racist, I don't know what is?!

So, let me get this straight, if someone says there are not enough ethnic actors on TV they are being racist? If there are not enough ethnic police officers on a force and someone points this out, is that racist? Would it have been racist to ask about the pre-apartheid governments ethnic make up in South Africa?
Unless you are referring to something else here you are being rather silly - did someone take away your crayons?

I'll be voting UKIP, because we need a change in the established order in this country. The current lot aren't working, and a Labour government would be a complete disaster for the UK, as they have always been.

Good of you to share.

A quick question then. Do you agree with Henwood that Lenny Henry should go and live in a "black country"? Despite that fact that Lenny Henry is as British as you or I?

You will not get an answer from them. Not what they really think, anyway.;o)

You might get a politically correct answer, even though they'd insist they don't do politically correct...

Saying that there should be more black/ethnic minority people in the entertainment industry is hardly racist.

Unless you are black, of course, eh j_jza80?;o)

If you think UKIP are in any way a change from the established parties then I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken. Public school, City working, ex-Tories are not a "change" from anything.
UKIP are certainly different in that they are vastly more incompetent than the other parties - by some margin.

Don't forget the refugees from the BNP...

I have been working since i was 16, and voting ever since.

Um, shouldn't you have been voting from 18...?

In 33 years i have worked under the Tories,Labour,ConDem governments and i have to say i have no faith in any of them.It is all too institutionalised ,1 v 1 entrenched blame culture.

I know - welcome to politics. Isn't it great?[/sarcasm]

I am personally fed up with the lot of them so how should i vote?

That is between you and the ballot box, but if you ask people you will get the benefit of all their prejudices thrown in too.
But you could find a party that you agree with, explore their policies, make sure their working out works out, and put your tick in their box on polling day. It is up to you whether you read the papers and discover what their membership really want, what silly things they tweet and believe, and whether their lies are as believable as the other parties lies...

All the comments about the bad things about UKIP ,well lets do some likewise digging into some of the Labour,Cons,LibDem candidates past and present --not so pretty either.

Yep, but that's what happens. To be in politics these days you need to be either whiter than white or come clean before you get discovered and just brazen it out. Those stupid enough to tweet crass statements about ethnic minorities show that the Darwin effect works in political circles too.

People died for the right to vote but the right to vote for a decent way just isn't available [realistically].

The right to vote for a decent way? What does this mean? Would you rather we had a system like that used in North Korea - one man, one vote, one winner, no choice?
I agree: party politics in Britain is utterly pointless because 'they' win no matter who gets in - but UKIP is not the answer, they are still a 'they'. Party politics in Britain is governed by a certain 'type' of person with a certain mindset, who won't change anything because that might make his/her job redundant; it is self protection.

So who do i vote for ? No vote won't change anything so guilty of keeping things the gruesome same.

If voting made a difference they'd outlaw it.

Member for

20 years 7 months

Posts: 7,025

I forgot to tell you my age in my original post,i have been working since 16 for 35 years and as i stated i have been voting for 33 years [makes 18 y/o ] should have clarified.
Still makes no difference to the pile of poo that turn up every 4 years ,maybe there is a need for change .

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

Yes, Snafu, there is racism and there has been for as long as different ethnic humans have walked the earth. The Act is there to protect, and rightly so, but it should not be open to such wide interpretation and it should be used sparingly. Derek made a good point but the line between stiffling speech and freedom of speech is very thin. Too often the debate comes down to the perception of potential verbal abuse rather than actual abuse.

As for voting - we have the system we have. Clegg had a hissy fit and prevented reform of the Commons to change the boundaries and reduce the numbers of MPs, which would have been a start. If the Scots get independence that will change things at a stroke leaving Labour in a very weak position to achieve a majority for many years.

And of course regardless of your final cynical comment there is clear water on a few subjects between the main parties.

Member for

20 years 6 months

Posts: 2,230

Trumper I think you echo what most of us are feeling at the moment, Trouble is any vote is one for the status quo with no option for change and no party truly representing the majority of the country.
I am not naive enough to think that UKIP are any better or worse than any of the other parties and it is apparent that some sort of smear campaign against them is in full flow. However if you have someone spurting such outwardly racist and damn right stupid comments out we all need to hear them, this goes for all those who represent any of the political parties.

What troubles me more is that we are in a time where all the parties have let down the population and some of the MP's and party officials are so far removed from the realities of life in the UK now that its impossible for them to represent anyone. The trouble is this pushes people to look for alternatives and leads some people right into the arms of more far right groups( a growing problem in many European countries at the moment worryingly) . I don't personally think UKIP are that closely linked to far right parties such as the BNP, however some of their members and follows clearly are. The fact is if your only agenda is a xenophobic one you can hardly expect to attract the most well rounded of individuals to your party.

Politics in this country needs to change and I guess UKIP will gain a lot of protests votes because of the overall dissatisfaction in all the other parties, but I would rather have the none of the above option on my voting slip than vote for a party I do not believe in (Just spoiling ballot paper does not get the message across).
Its down to us the citizens of the country to say we are not happy with any of the current parties and force a change, but at the moment I am not sure how that can be done and also I am not sure how many people even care anymore.