The UKIP catch-22
There are two very different worlds I flirt between. One is the political world I follow and engage with on Twitter: politically motivaited, geeky, even obsessed. People who work for politicians, for think tanks, for NGOs and other government-related bodies. The other is the real world, where politics seemingly crosses people’s minds less frequently than it takes for a general election to come around.
The former world hold UKIP in a much more positive light – even from those on the left. The former see UKIP as a eurosceptic force, possibly full of disillusioned ex-Tories, free-marketers, libertarians, classical liberals and an older generation of social conservatives. Which I have found to be entirely accurate.
The only issue – and the irony for the party who position themselves out of the Westminster bubble – is that when you step outside SW1, the opinions towards UKIP stiffen up slightly.
I am sure kippers will put this down to the people I’m taking about – mostly Londoners – being members of the metropolitan liberal elite. The types who class Tories as a plague the face of the earth, let alone much else on the right. I’m sure kippers will dismiss this by saying that in the countryside, in the village pub, in the rural towns, things are different. Which may well be the case, but ignoring the perception amongst everybody else is a badgame.
Because that perception is dangerous. I have been in conversations with intelligent people who have a rounded understanding of politics and their political views, and the mention of UKIP instantly brings about a look that a) instantly dismisses every point you may have been making and b) treats you as a crazy, homophobic, racist. When in conversations with people with a lesser indulgence in politics, the opinion is that the party deserve nothing more than to be lumped together with the BNP.
So what is there to do? It’s a tricky one considering a number of things.
UKIP’s positioning as the alternative party puts them in a catch-22. First, they don’t want to be seen as the focus groupped, PR-dominated, slimy and vacuous party that fill our cabinet today. Yet, the party needs more than anything some effective PR. Second, their avoidance of being lumped with the Westminster bubble will only ever work if outside of that bubble they are respected as a serious party.
UKIP have placed third in a handful of polls over the past six months, but unless their public perception changes, I cannot see them ever seucring that position or their electoral performances ever reflecting that.
The question and test for UKIP now is whether to perform as well electorally as a major party, will they have to start acting like one as well? Because at the moment, their outsider card is only going to get them so far, and I can’t see it materialising in the way that many will hope.
3 Comments on “The UKIP catch-22”
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It is because of the failure of Labour/Conservative/Lib-Dem politicians that politics rarely crosses peoples mind’s in the “real world” as you call it. Therefore the only way for UKIP is to stay distanced from the mainstream. The twitterati only get one vote each and are in a minority. I am not a UKIP supporter but believe but the time is right for a new party that can change the mould of political thinking that is a hangover from a previous century.
The issue is that if UKIP do succeed in rebranding themselves as what a lot of Young Independence are; libertarians, those who want less benefits, a small-state, etc. then whilst UKIP will gain votes from some sections of society, these will likely be more than offset by vote losses amongst their core.
The best move for UKIP, if they want to maintain the illusion of being a party in the ascendency, is to remain totally transparent. They do well on shallow issues, such as galvanising hatred of the EU but a lot of people do vote for UKIP as they view them as a lesser BNP. My girlfriend’s grand-dad summed it up best when he said he’ll vote for UKIP next time as he “wants them out but not harmed” and that he had previously voted BNP.
The reality is that a lot of those who vote UKIP know very little about the party and they wouldn’t be the sort of people that most UKIP libertarians would want to be associated with…
Tommy, same deal I think here in the States with our Libertarian Party. They’re basically… well…. “libertarian” just as you describe UKIP, and they also get tagged with the racist/homophobe/anti-feminist label and indeed have more of a following among those folks than either the Repubs or the Dems do. What I’d recommend to both UKIP *and* the US Libertarians is to give up that segment of their support and they might find themselves opening up a whole field of support that’s currently too concerned about their possible stanch on those issues to want to touch them.
- MJM