Yes. Yes, I did.
On Tuesday’s 100-days-to-go mark for the general election, UKIP published a list of ‘100 great reasons‘ to vote for them.
Quite aside from the framing issues here – they’re not described as policies, for example – it’s also interesting to see where the party’s emphasis lies.
With this in mind, I’ve made a small breakdown in the table below. The first column are those reasons which are a direct and necessary consequence of EU withdrawal (the no.1 reason) and so should be considered as a single element. The second column are more intentional statements, that lack clear detail about their content and use conditional language (such as ‘encouraging’): these are very interesting for they invoke an image of a party that will not be able to demand what it wants, even as it demands its headline goals on the EU and immigration.
The third column are all of the more specific reasons, grouping by policy area. As you’ll note from the numbering (taken from the original list), immigration, health and veteran affairs figure strongly, while the economy plays a minimal role. Again this reflects the concerns of the core voter base, just as the inclusion of some more direct democracy elements reflects the libertarian bent of several senior figures.
This is just a first cut and one I’d like to come back to in coming weeks. In the meantime, it’s something to chew on.
| Direct consequence of EU withdrawal | Attitudinal goals, i.e. non-specific | Other |
| 1. Get Britain out of the European Union 32. Reversing the government’s opt-in to the European Arrest Warrant 33. Negotiating bi-lateral agreements to replace EAW 44. Repealing the Agency Workers Directive 48. Negotiating bespoke trade agreements with EU member states and worldwide 49. Reoccupying our seat at the World Trade Organisation 56. Students from the EU to pay the same as International Students 82. Leaving the Common Agricultural Policy 84. Reinstating British territorial waters
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5. Pay greater attention to elderly care across the country 8. Stopping our endless, foreign wars 9. Promoting a British identity, as opposed to failed multiculturalism 12. Ensuring our armed services are properly equipped for when we do need them 14. Encouraging inward investment with growth markets, not JUST the failing Eurozone 15. Overcoming the unfairness of MPs from devolved nations voting on English laws 16. Cutting bureaucracy, red tape, and wasteful spending from government departments 17. Cutting the same bureaucracy that hinders small businesses and entrepreneurs 19. Ending the burdensome “green levies” that have added £000s to our energy bills 21. Opposing tolls on public roads – we’ve already paid for them 22. Supporting bus passes for pensioners with the support of local authorities 24. Ending the use of speed cameras as revenue raisers – they should be a deterrent 25. Protecting our green belt 37. Official documents to be published primarily in English 38. Cracking down on honour killings, female genital mutilation, and forced marriages 39. Reviewing the BBC licence fee with a view to reducing it 42. Opposing plain packs for cigarettes, which has had no impact where trialled 43. Promoting the employment of young, British workers 45. Encouraging councils to provide more free parking on High Streets 46. Simplifying planning regulations for long-term empty commercial properties 63. Encouraging local authorities to buy out their PFI contracts where affordable 70. Amend working time rules to give trainee doctors, surgeons, and medics better environments 71. Encouraging and protecting whistleblowing to get to the bottom of poor performance 77. British companies to be prioritised to deliver foreign aid contracts 83. Allowing parliament to vote on GM foods 91. Safeguarding visitation rights for grandparents 92. Supporting a streamlined welfare system and a benefit cap 95. Emphasising the immediate need to utilise forgotten British infrastructure like Manston Airport 97. Prioritising social housing for those whose parents and grandparents were born locally 98. Reaffirming British laws, rather than allowing dual-track legal systems for minorities in the UK 99. Promoting patriotism and the importance of British values in our schools 100. Rebalancing Britain’s economy
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Immigration:
2. Get control of immigration with an Australian-style, points-based immigration system
Health: 3. £3bn more, annually, into our NHS which desperately needs it
Education: 4. Scrap tuition fees for students studying Science, Tech, Engineering, Maths, or Medical degrees 54. Introducing an Apprenticeship Qualification for students who don’t want to do non-core GCSEs
Foreign Policy/Veterans: 6. Cutting £9bn from our foreign aid budget
Democratic system: 7. Give the people the ability to “recall” their MPs, without parliamentary or MP approval Agriculture: 18. Supporting our farmers with a Single Farm Payment Scheme
Transport: 20. Scrapping the poorly planned HS2 project, saving up to £50bn
Housing: 26. A central list of brownfield sites for developers
Justice/Home Affairs: 34. No votes for prisoners
Economy: 47. Extending the right of appeal for micro businesses against Revenue and Customs 51. Introducing a 35p income tax rate between £42,285 and £55,000 – taking many public sector workers out of higher rate of tax
Climate Change/Energy: 53. Abolishing the Dept of Energy and Climate Change and rolling retained functions into DEFRA
Social Policy/Welfare: 87. Scrapping the Bedroom Tax |
