UKIP on the march in English council elections

Nigel Farage, the leader of the anti-EU party UKIP, has today said that UKIP have overtaken the Liberal Democrats as the third party of British politics as they made gains in today's local elections.

So far, with only a tiny fraction of the votes having been counted, UKIP have gained 42 seats on various English councils, and stand to gain many more. This is compared to the last time these elections were held in 2009, when UKIP got just nine councillors.

But whereas UKIP have gained 42 seats so far, the Tories have lost 66 councillors, with many of those votes probably going to UKIP; Labour have so far gained 30 councillors and the LibDems have so far lost 15.

UKIP became the second largest party in Lincolnshire, winning 16 seats and depriving Conservatives of overall control.

In the South Shields by-election, which was also held yesterday because its MP, former Labour Foreign Secretary David Miliband, stepped down, UKIP finished second. Their candidate, Richard Elvin, got 5,988 votes. They pushed the Tories (2,857 votes) into third place, but Labour's Emma Lewell-Buck romped home with 12,493 votes a large majority in a seat they have held since 1935, although even Labour had a bit of bad news in the fact that it is still a majority that is only hald what it was in 2010. The pro-EU Liberal Democrats finished SEVENTH with just 352 votes - their worst performance in a by-election since World War II - and even finished behind the BNP and the Independent Socialist Party.

SOUTH SHIELDS - THE RESULT

Emma Lewell-Buck (Lab) 12,493
Richard Elvin (UKIP) 5,988
Karen Allen (Conservative) 2,857
Ahmed Khan (Ind) 1,331
Phil Brown (Ind Soc) 750
Lady Dorothy MacBeth Brookes (BNP) 711
Hugh Annand (LD) 352
Howling Laud Hope (Monster Raving Loony Party) 197
Thomas Darwood (Ind) 57

Electorate: 62,979 Turnout: 24,736 (39.28%)


UKIP candidate Richard Elvin polled almost 6,000 votes, halving the Labour majority to only 5,000


South Shields is not the first time in recent months that UKIP have done well in a by-election in Northern England. They also finished second in Rotherham - just after the Labour-run council deprived a couple of adopting a child just because they were UKIP supporters - and Middlesbrough, which has led to UKIP leader Nigel Farage calling his party "the Tory Party of the North".

Pro-EU Tory minister Ken Clarke last week branded UKIP’s politicians 'clowns' and some supporters racist.

But a delighted Mr Farage hit back, joking: 'Send in the clowns.'

He said a week of attacks on his candidates had failed to put people off backing his party.

'We’ve been abused by everybody, attacked by the entire establishment, who did their best to stop ordinary decent people from going out and voting UKIP and they have done in big, big numbers,' he told Sky News.

'At the end of today we are going to have a fair tally and it sends a shockwave, I think, through the establishment.'

UKIP also picked up 10 seats in Hampshire, nine in Essex, three in Gloucestershire, three in Somerset and one in Dorset.


With seven council results in out of 34, the Tories are down 66 seats, with most switching to UKIP who have 42 new councillors

Mr Farage said: ‘It's been a remarkable result for us. Numerically we're the third [party] because the Lib Dems are trailing behind.

‘We have always done well in European elections... but people haven't seen us as being relevant to local elections or in some ways general elections.

‘So for us to be scoring, on average, 26 per cent of the vote where we stand is I think very significant indeed.’

A raft of bad publicity in recent days, including embarrassing revelations about UKIP candidates and policies which do not add up, seems to have done little to damage the party’s appeal.

Mr Farage added: ‘This wave of protest certainly isn't short-term - it's lasting.’

The results lead to immediate calls from Tory MPs for David Cameron to take a tougher line on Europe and immigration in a bid to stem losses to UKIP.

The Prime Minister's promise of a referendum on Britain's membership of the European appears to have done little to persuade voters not to switch support to Mr Farage's party.

HOW THE UKIP's COUNCIL GAINS STACK UP ACROSS THE COUNTRY SO FAR



Lincolnshire: 16
Hampshire: 10
Essex: 9
Gloucestershire: 3
Somerset: 3
Dorset: 1



Winners: In Essex UKIP won nine seats on the county council, including three wards in the Basildon and Wickford districts taken by (left to right) Mark Ellis, Kerry Smith and Nigel Le Gresley


UKIP supporters celebrate after Colin Guyton (second right) wins a seat on Gloucestershire County Council


Mr Farage said the 'wave of protest' sweeping the country was long-lasting and predicted a UKIP MP in a marginal seat


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...party-makes-big-gains-council-elections.html#

 

Who are these Right-wing extremists pushing@David_Cameron towards an EU referendum? The British people, that's who!

Anti-EU Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan, on Twitter


I made a mistake in the post above. UKIP got no councillors in 2009, so the fact that they have so far got 42 councillors with just a tiny fraction of the results in so far is truly astonishing.

We're witnessing a great shift in British politics and I think the Government should start thinking about giving us the EU in/out referendum soon rather than only giving it to us if they win the next General Election in 2015.

UKIP are definitely on the up and they'll be getting my vote in 2015 no matter what.

 

I'm liking that the British political system is getting more and more diverse lately, I don't think being dominated by just 2 parties is good. I'm still not convinced by UKIP though, I think they make some good points about immigration, direct democracy, policing and education but I don't like their policies on tax, gay marriage or defence

 

The projected national share of the vote, as calculated by the BBC: Labour 29%, Conservatives 25%, UKIP 23% and Lib Dems 14%. A strong UKIP performance was achieved mostly at the Conservatives' expense and many voters cast protest votes against the ruling party and a referendum on leaving the EU could be held before the next general election to win voters back. Nigel Farage's personal popularity is another factor which contributed to UKIP's remarkable poll success and he was picked as the most credible leader in a recent Sunday Times poll. The BNP also lost its only county council seat in Padiham and Burnley West in Lancashire.

 

147 seats for UKIP throughout twenty English counties. Their previous best showing was seven seats in 2009. Brilliant result for the party with the best policies.

UKIP are here to stay and, as Sky's election analyst said yesterday, it's only a matter of time before they get their first ever MP in Westminster. They've come second many times in recent by-elections. It's only a matter of time before they win in a constituency. They are also now the favourites to WIN in the UK's EUSSR elections in 2014. They finished second after the Tories in 2009.

UKIP's best performance came in Lincolnshire, where they now have SIXTEEN seats on the county council. Three of those UKIP seats belong to a single family - Sue Ransome, 61, and her daughters Felicity, 27, and Elizabeth, 26. They won seats in Boston, a town with the largest number of non-British EU passport holders outside of London. It has a large Polish population and many of the residents are concerned by the large ammount of immigrants in the town. UKIP finished second in the county behind the Tories, who have 36 councillors (down 61 from 2009), but UKIP's success and the Tories' poor performance means the county is now in No Overall Control (NOC) having been Conservative since 2009.

15 UKIP councillors were elected by the people of Norfolk; 12 by Cambridgeshire; and 10 by both Hampshire and West Sussex.

The Conservatives still have the most county councillors, as they did in the 2009 elections, but their total of 1116 is a reduction of 335 from 2009. Labour now have 538 county councillors, an increase of 291; Liberal Democrats have 352 councillors, a decrease of 124. There are 165 Independent councillors, an increase of 24. UKIP's 147 councillors is an increase of 140 from 2009. Other, smaller parties, also have seats on some county councils.

In total Labour picked up 29% of the vote; the Tories 25%; UKIP 23%; and LibDems a pathetic 14%.

Conservatives now control just 18 county councils having lost control of ten of them and Labour control three. The other 13 counties who took part in the election are in No Overall Control (NOC).

I also enjoyed a humbled Cameron appearing on TV yesterday in which he backtracked on his silly claim that UKIP are a party of "fruticakes and closet racists".

Tory MP David Davis has now urged Cameron to try and win back those Tory supporters who defected to UKIP and stop the surge of UKIP. He proposes that Cameron dump his Old Etonian advisers and show that he understands the concerns of ordinary voters rather than continuing to pander to a left-wing metropolitan elite. Cameron promised that he will give the British people the EU in/out referendum that most of them want if his party wins the 2015 General Election - although UKIP leader Nigel Farage does not believe that Cameron will keep that promise - but there are some in the Conservative Party who are now urging Cameron to bring forward the EU in/out referendum and hold it BEFORE the 2015 General Election.

The left were given a bloody nose by a mainly right-of-centre English electorate yesterday and the English are showing that they will no longer tolerate left-wing policies which are destroying this great nation.

HOW THE UKIP COUNCIL GAINS STACKED UP ACROSS ENGLAND

Lincolnshire: 16
Norfolk: 15
Cambridgeshire: 12
Hampshire: 10
West Sussex: 10
Suffolk: 9
Essex: 9
East Sussex: 7
Buckinghamshire: 6
Devon: 4
Worcestershire: 4
Gloucestershire: 3
Surrey: 3
Somerset: 3
Isle of Wight: 2
Leicestershire: 2
North Yorkshire: 2
Staffordshire: 2
Dorset: 1
Wiltshire: 1

Total No of UKIP councillors: 147


There is a mistake in the diagram: UKIP gained 140 councillors in the elections, not 139. I think everything else is accurate.


Sue Ransome, 61, and her daughters Felicity, 27, and Elizabeth, 26, are three of the 16 new UKIP councillors on Lincolnshire County Council. They represent Boston, a town with a large number of immigrants.


One of many Polish shops in Boston, Lincolnshire

 

Tory MEP Daniel Hannan thinks that Farage should now be included in a three-way leaders' debate - similar to the ones held in the run to to the 2010 General Election - in the run up to the 2015 General Election.

It will be three-way because UKIP's success does not mark the beginning of four-party politics in the UK. It will remain three-party politics (in England, at least), with the Liberals now out of the picture.

Education Secretary Michael Gove says the public view the three main parties as slices of white "pasteurised cheese." Ukip, meanwhile, are the "rich ripe stinky alternative. People think, I wouldn't mind having a slice of that."

 

I do think Farage should have a place at the debate in the run up to the election and the Greens should be represented too. Maybe have welsh specific, Scotland specific and Northern Ireland specific debates too

Looks like we might have another hung parliament in 2015

 

If that's the case then we should have England specific debates, too.

It's funny how the largest nation in the UK has been ignored yet again.

 

If England is going with UKIP it is going to be a vote for Scottish Independence. UKIP gets no votes here and the possibility of not having a political voice with UKIP, even worse than the Conservatives imo I think would be the final thing to swing things for Independence - hell maybe even Labour will admit interest.

And as for that Farage. OK he is someone you can laugh at and for a couple of seconds he has humour but please, 5 seconds of fame was enough. I cannot bare his voice. Get him off. Now he is saying he will get into an alliance with the Conservatives but not with Cameron.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...avid-cameron-is-ousted-as-leader-8604371.html

Blimey you English do not know what you have done! Scotland's Independence has been won!

 

At the time of the referendum UKIP will still not have any power whatsoever in Scotland so I'm not sure how much of an effect it will have on the outcome. Support for independence is only at 32% at the moment and I don't think UKIP is important enough to change the outcome

 

How did Scotland get to the position where it is even considering Independence. Because during the Thatcher era we, like some areas of England, did not have representation in Government. We were in reality not represented. If UKIP or a more right government is the direction which England is moving into which it appears it is, then I strongly believe that will be impressed on the electorate and result in the yes for Independence. It is politics, democracy and economics which will create the result. Economically is not going to make much difference. People simply need to be reassured but a more right wing Britain, not representing Scotland democratically hell, watch Scotland getting out.

 

Interview with Nigel Farage at Herald Scotland.

Scotland doesn't need to win its 'independence' . All Scots Nationalists have to do is persuade its residents to vote for it.

 

Scotland really is represented in reality and currently has 59 MPs, reduced after the Scottish parliament opened. Unfortunately Scotland simply does not have the population to outweigh the number of MPs England has. Do you think Scotland's will should be imposed over England?

As you don't like it, I wish you every success in your quest to leave the union.

 

If that does happen then it'll be the irnony of ironies.

I mean, what can be more ironic (as well as deepy hypocritical) than the Scots voting for a nationalist party in protest that a nationalist party is in power in England? ("How dare those racist English people vote for a bunch of nationalists? Right, that's it! I'm voting for the SNP!")

The truth remains, however, that Scotland can never be truly free and independent as long as she is part of the UK and spending English taxpayers' money and is also part of the EU.

A truly free and independent Scotland can only happen once Scotland is outside BOTH the EU and the UK. Maybe the SNP and UKIP should work together.

Give me Farage anyday of the week over that lying fat lump of blubber that is Salmond.

Good. And then once Scotland has left the UK maybe the English can then vote for whichever party they want to vote for in elections rather than having the Scots trying to dictate to us who we should and should not be voting for.

 

And who's fault was that?

 

I'd be betting it's pretty likely you are an EDL possibly previously BNP type - or very close at any rate. Therefore you will be well aware that the SNP is an inclusive Independence Party. Nothing to do with the irony you claim you can see but that you see - of course, it is to be seen that England is moving down the road of ethnic nationalism, but not Scotland, so read more.

 

Of course not but when a country goes for about ten years or more without anyone in the party that is governing, common sense shows that country is not democratically represented. This gave rise at the time to a lot of thought. Many areas of the UK did not have people in Government. Charter 88 and John Smith came up with ideas how to bring democracy back to the UK. Tony Blair threw them in the bin.

Hence if Scotland wishes to be a democratic country rather than ruled by those she does not choose, a cross on the 'yes' is the way to go.

 

Unitil recently both Scotland and Wales were OVERrepresented at Westminster, with more MPs per head than England.

- - - Updated - - -

And UKIP aren't?

As for the SNP being "inclusive", that's a load of rubbish. SNP politicians are known for their anti-English bigotry.

 

The Conservative Party will tomorrow publish draft legislation to guarantee a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU. It is an unprecedented step. It's the first time since the coalition was formed in 2010 that one of the governing parties has published legislation by themselves. The Prime Minister is under pressure from his backbenchers to guarantee in law his promise of an IN/OUT referendum on Europe after the next election. Seventy Conservative MPs have now backed an amendment which "expresses regret" that Europe did not feature in last week's Queen Speech - which set out the government's legislative programme for the next session of Parliament. Downing Street sources say that the Prime Minister will explore every means possible to get the Conservative draft bill onto the statute book. That might mean backing a Conservative MP taking the measure forward as a Private Members' Bill. The ballot for Private Members' Bill takes place on Thursday.

http://www.itv.com/news/2013-05-13/tories-to-publish-draft-bill-that-will-guarantee-eu-referendum/

 

And yet when many English people try to do the same thing for their country by voting UKIP the Scots accuse them of being "far right, bigotted Little Englanders."

One rule for the Scots and another for the English, I suppose.

- - - Updated - - -

This is great news. Until legislation is passed GUARANTEEING us an EU in/out referendum so we can have the opportunity to tell the EU to shove it and that we don't want to be a part of this monstrosity anymore - and preferably telling us the exact date that it will be held - I will not be satisfied.

Those people throughout England who voted UKIP in the recent council elections have done a fine job.

 

The Scottish independence movement showed its nasty, bigoted, anti-English side yesterday after UKIP leader Nigel Farage was attacked by a bunch of left-wing student types in Edinburgh.

Mr Farage was barricaded in an Edinburgh pub yesterday after being surrounded by rowdy left-wing protesters shouting ‘racist Nazi scum’ at him.


UKIP leader Nigel Farage was confronted by protesters in the Cannons Gait pub in Edinburgh

But the attack did not faze Mr Farage in any way.

Instead, he today accused the left-wing BBC of fanning ‘hatred’ against the UK Independence Party before dramatically ending a live interview on Scottish radio.

The UKIP leader accused the Corporation of failing to ‘report the truth’ about Scottish nationalists, who he branded 'fascist scum' in an angry attack on his opponents.

And Mr Farage railed against the Scottish media for failing to hold supporters of Scottish independence to account.

‘Either the Scottish media are going to start reporting the truth about some of the extremes of the independence movement here or not. But it’s about time they did.’

He likened the ‘hatred’ from BBC interviewers to that seen ‘on the streets yesterday in Edinburgh’.

Mr Farage hung up after being challenged about how much elected representation UKIP has in Scotland.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: ‘Absolutely none. But rather more than the BBC do. We could have had this interview in England a couple of years ago, although I wouldn’t have met with such hatred that I’m getting from your questions, and frankly I’ve had enough of this interview. Goodbye.’

Today Mr Farage said the protest painted an ‘ugly picture’ of Scottish nationalism.

He said: ‘The idea that UKIP is some kind of horrible, nasty, anti-immigrant, racist party is not something that was evident to the rest of the country, but of course that wasn't what it was all about.

‘It was a demonstration dressed up as being anti-racism but in fact in itself was deeply racist, with a total hatred of the English and a desire for Scotland to be independent from Westminster. I mean, my goodness me, if this is the face of Scottish nationalism it's a pretty ugly picture.

‘The anger, the snarling, the shouting, the swearing was all linked in to a desire for the Union Jack to be burnt and extinguished from Scotland forever. There's absolutely no doubt who these people were or what they stood for.’

He added: ‘I must say I have heard before that there are some parts of Scottish nationalism that are akin to fascism but yesterday I saw that face-to-face.


He had to be taken away in a police van after a taxi was blocked by the crowd

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tish-nationalists-fascists.html#ixzz2TYR6NLR6

It's yet another fine example, as we've seen on this site, of the hypocritical Scots attacking the UKIP nationalist party and calling them "racists" and "Nazis" whilst Scotland itself is ruled by a bunch of nationalists.

The Scots see it this way:

Scottish independence from the UK - Good. "FREEEEEEDOOOOOOOMNMMMMM!"

UK independence from the EU - Only something which those nasty racist bigoted "Little Englanders" support.

 

Amazing how this kind of thing is never mentioned in the pro-EU "Have I Got News For You".

 

As a member of UKIP mentioned last night on the late night radio phone-in show on BBC Radio Five Live, if SNP leader Alex Salmond had gone to England and a group of Englishmen surrounded him, verbally abused and intimidated him, and shouted "GO BACK TO SCOTLAND", they would have been arrested for racism.

Those Scottish protestors shouted at Mr Farage that refrain which is all too familiar for many English people who visit Scotland: "GO BACK TO ENGLAND!" So it seems that, rather ironically, the only bigotry in this case was from the Scottish protestors.

 

One thing seems clear ... these protestors didn't show up for a rational debate. Maybe they're afraid of UKIP's tiny fraction of Scottish support growing and eating into the SNP's share of the vote and actually think the best way to stop it is to shout Farage down. It hasn't worked in the rest of the UK.

Some sources suggest the protest was organised by hardline supporters of the Labour party, though Alex Salmond hasn't disowned them as far as I know.

 

They were Edinburgh University students and Radical Independence. One of the only two arrested was English.

http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-politics/7398-nigel-farage-has-lost-the-plot-say-snp

So you can stop the conspiracy theories now and Farage's attempts to present this as a rift between the two countries, rather than what it was, a protest against his policies.

He has already been rejected by the Unionist from joining their campaign on the basis that UKIP is an English party but probably because they guess that UKIP would seal a vote for Independence in record time.

Another reason suggested for Farag's humiliating PR mistake was the way the media has given him a free ride in England, never questioning him sufficiently on his policies and presenting him as just a laid back good natured guy. He could not manage even a student protest without losing it.