Cameron is buying time to get the Tories beyond the next General Election, on grounds that UKIP has shown him are those the public wish to address. His confusion, as Salmond rightly says, is that at heart he still agrees with Nick and wants to stay in the EU.
He must also know that negotiating will lead nowhere - he can never hope to get a final settlement; that is not the way the EU works. But his gloss will work for many top Tories who want also need to sneak past the next ballot box. Even Boris is putting on a show of support - that is my big disappointment today - and so we can all expect a review of policy by the Tories if they ever get back in and get to sit at the negotiating table with the EU bureaucracy. They will say they tried thier best!
As Salmond says, they are doing the two horse thing. But so is he! Salmond talks about Scottish Independence as if he means that the Scots will govern Scotland. His other horse is the "in Europe" bit - the confusion he is palming off on the Scots is to pretend that there is such a thing as "independence in Europe". There is not. How can any nation state, the UK or, if Salmond gets a positive vote, even Scotland, call itself sovereign when a foreign collective makes 80% of its laws?
Scotland needs to be out of the EU as much as does the UK as a whole - and the best way to achieve that is to remain United and to have an in/out EU vote. The chattering political class is truly confused - Cameron's EU option is an attempt at selling a dummy, and from Salmond a wee pretendy independence option for Scotland alone.
Clearly, the hopping about by Cameron, Milliband's closing the door on EU debate, Nick not letting anyone have an EU referendum now, and Salmond's play on the use of the word "independence" means more people will turn to UKIP in Scotland; our numbers have come up by 25% in the last three months because, I believe, UKIP offers what the British want - a sovereign United Kingdom freed from the EU political machine.
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Cameron's Fiddle's fizz will fade...
I predict that Cameron's Fiddle will be like an old Gordon Brown Budget - full of fizz on presentation day - and the worms revealed in the ensuing weeks.
He can spin the Tory backbench, and the pro-EU media, but the reality of EU bureaucratic traps will kick in soon enough.
The only way is the UKIP way - OUT OF THE EU.
UKIP should give the turned-back Tories an amnesty deadline - we will still accept them into UKIP provided they join before Valentien's Day!!
He can spin the Tory backbench, and the pro-EU media, but the reality of EU bureaucratic traps will kick in soon enough.
The only way is the UKIP way - OUT OF THE EU.
UKIP should give the turned-back Tories an amnesty deadline - we will still accept them into UKIP provided they join before Valentien's Day!!
Thursday, 10 January 2013
In The Scotsman 10 January 2013
Ukip is on rise
Allan Massie’s article on Ukip (Perspective, 9 January) puts me in mind of a tongue-in-cheek saying we used in the Royal Artillery: artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl. He has, in a poor attempt to resurrect Tory confidence, descended to vulgar brawling.
Little surprise that he uses soft innuendo, as did David Cameron, in trying to slur without having the guts to be direct. Of course, that is necessary as he and Cameron need to avoid defamation in this day and age.
Anyway, Massie might like to know that he is right that we appeal to a wide range of people – his mixed bag – and I do not regard that range of backgrounds as something to deride.
We have many former Tories, some classy and some not, a host of former Liberals/Liberal Democrats, many former Labour supporters, and just a week ago I was surprised to learn that a still paid-up member of the SNP has been secretly voting for Ukip.
Our membership across the UK has risen dramatically in the last quarter, and even in Scotland we are seeing a surge. Yes, Massie, we are still quite small in terms of paid-up members, but we have seen a significant increase in Scotland since October.
Massie is right to note that our rise in the popular vote, as seen in polls, is more dramatic – in February 2012 we had to be pleased with 2 per cent; that latest figure in Scotland is about 8 per cent and we have at times topped the Lib Dems in Scotland, not just in the UK as a whole.
In north-west England, by the way, Ukip has even topped the Tories.
So Mr Massie has good cause to scrape the barrel for insults in defence of the currently empowered political class. His article is a bit transparent; he ought to withdraw his nasty comments.
Meantime, Ukip will continue to add dignity and common sense to the brawl by deploying policies fit for an independent sovereign United Kingdom, and welcomes further recruits and converts from all backgrounds to that cause.
Mike Scott-Hayward
UKIP Scotland
Kemback Bridge
Fife
Anyway, Massie might like to know that he is right that we appeal to a wide range of people – his mixed bag – and I do not regard that range of backgrounds as something to deride.
We have many former Tories, some classy and some not, a host of former Liberals/Liberal Democrats, many former Labour supporters, and just a week ago I was surprised to learn that a still paid-up member of the SNP has been secretly voting for Ukip.
Our membership across the UK has risen dramatically in the last quarter, and even in Scotland we are seeing a surge. Yes, Massie, we are still quite small in terms of paid-up members, but we have seen a significant increase in Scotland since October.
Massie is right to note that our rise in the popular vote, as seen in polls, is more dramatic – in February 2012 we had to be pleased with 2 per cent; that latest figure in Scotland is about 8 per cent and we have at times topped the Lib Dems in Scotland, not just in the UK as a whole.
In north-west England, by the way, Ukip has even topped the Tories.
So Mr Massie has good cause to scrape the barrel for insults in defence of the currently empowered political class. His article is a bit transparent; he ought to withdraw his nasty comments.
Meantime, Ukip will continue to add dignity and common sense to the brawl by deploying policies fit for an independent sovereign United Kingdom, and welcomes further recruits and converts from all backgrounds to that cause.
Mike Scott-Hayward
UKIP Scotland
Kemback Bridge
Fife
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
UK Success - how?
We need two things in order to give Britain her best chances for a propserous and certain long term future.
Firstly, we need British unity with England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland standing together: So we need to dismiss Alex Salmond's Little Scotlander dreams of becoming a directly subservient region of Europe. His promises are a sham - he has not promised sovereignty, only " Indepedence in Europe."
Secondly, we do need sovereignty - real sovereignty - the British Parliament, subject to the will only of the British People, being the sole arbiters of our fate. Thatis the Independence goal which we must grasp.
UKIP is the only party that espouses these twin aims. An Independent United Kingdom. Little wonder that our membership is growing.
Firstly, we need British unity with England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland standing together: So we need to dismiss Alex Salmond's Little Scotlander dreams of becoming a directly subservient region of Europe. His promises are a sham - he has not promised sovereignty, only " Indepedence in Europe."
Secondly, we do need sovereignty - real sovereignty - the British Parliament, subject to the will only of the British People, being the sole arbiters of our fate. Thatis the Independence goal which we must grasp.
UKIP is the only party that espouses these twin aims. An Independent United Kingdom. Little wonder that our membership is growing.
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