UKIP have done very well. They are jubliant at coming second behind the Conservatives. UKIP also did well in Morecambe West. Their candidate lives in Lancaster and I didn't see him in Morecambe, which means that the good people of Morecambe voted for them on the basis that they don't like Europe. Now UKIP do have some policies at county level but I don't think that the voters know about them. I was talking to Dr John Whittaker who used to be a UKIP MEP. He told me he didn't know that education was controlled by the County Council and I believe that he didn't know. He was a candidate in the County elections.
The BNP vote is based on xenophobia as the foreigners are taking all our jobs. I have not heard any detailed policy debates in the media. We just get sound bites like "they are taking all our jobs". One confused person in Burnley said the Cypriot in the cafe was a good European but there are lots of bad ones. Shame on him. Who is he to decide the value of everyone from foreign countries? If we do get detailed debate in our media then we may get to realise that the BNP are racist. Their response to this claim is usually nothing to do with race but something along the lines that immigration is a great burden to our country. Immigration limits based on the colour of skin is racism.
Whether it is UKIP in Morecambe or the BNP in the North West, voters have been persuaded by sound bites not by policies.
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And the loudest people complaining wouldn't take the jobs the "foreigners" do.
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeletePolitics in the UK needs a Truth party to represent our best interests- no lies, no deception,no corruption.
One thing that the Town of Morecambe desparately needs is professional independent journalism. It did exist during the 90s and up to 2002 when the editor of the Lancaster & Morecambe Citizen, Greg Morgan showed us just what can be achieved by putting the truth in the public domain.
The local press (The Visitor and its sister paper The Lancaster Guardian is loyal to the status quo/authorities and not the people and local authority area. Their existence is imo based on the evidence I have seen over the last 15 years a major barrier to the operation of public accountability in this local authority area.
What Morecambe needs is a top quality Citizens website with a a forum which is well moderated.
Lancaster has Virtual Lancaster www.virtual-lancaster.net
Morecambe has these two websites which are hardly used www.morecambe.co.uk/forum/index.php
www.bay-online.co.uk and probably the most used website forum in Morecambe, the unofficial Morecambe FC supporters website.
You might find this link from it of interest:-
http://www.ttpics.co.uk/shrimpsvoices/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3043&start=0
I've been monitoring this site for a while now and both myself and my wife have been banned for posts we have made.
Its dominated by a handful of schoolyard type bullies and imo does not do the Towns or the football clubs reputation any favours.
A big contributor on the site, usually during the day when hes working hard on his editorial role at The Visitor, is "Shrimper", the honourable Mr Glen Cooper who censored and edited my public servant whistleblowing letters to the editor in the 90s when I was employed at the Town Hall and also the principal objector to Blobbygate, Brigadier Mike Ford.
So Mike now that you have no political position to pursue how about using your imo admirable website, webmaster, moderator and communication skills to convert this website into a top quality Community/Peoples website for Morecambe with a moderated interactive forum.
You have the time now your semi retired and I must admit you seem to genuinely care about Morecambe and the people who reside in it.
Wish I have the time to laern the necessary skills to achieve what you have done with the website and manage sych a site on a daily basis.
ATB
Another Political novice concerned about the future for Morecambe and its citizens
I would try to avoid any party with a name like the 'Truth' Party. The way the Liberal Democrats work is good enough for me.
ReplyDeleteGo on then Michael enlighten us inform us what policies were tabled by the candidates and particularly the MBI party in the Morecambe Parish Council elections.
ReplyDeletePity you dont recognise the importance of knowing the truth and making decisions/judgements and taking action in response to truth.
Thanks for the idea for future blogs Steven. As for 'truth' I do understand its importance and its complexity. I just question the use of the label for a party.
ReplyDeleteTypical selective political response to ignore answering the key question.
ReplyDeleteBump:-
Go on then Michael enlighten us inform us what policies were tabled by the candidates and particularly the MBI party in the Morecambe Parish Council elections
I will do my best Steven. Keep reading the blogs. As for the MBIs they don't have a website or constitution that I know of but I'll do my best there too.
ReplyDelete