The party everyone is talking about in British politics is Ukip. Nigel Farage's purple and yellow "people's army", frightening bombast I know, has continued to climb the opinion polls like a flesh-eating false widow spider up its unsuspecting victim's leg. Farage's party won last week's European elections. The very notion of which is scandalous given all that Ukip stand for.
Ukip have stuck true to their name in the lead up to the elections, waffling on and on about the 'corrupt EU' and immigration. In fact, when an audience member questioned a Ukip member on BBC's Question Time about their other policies, he was rendered unable to answer. It is evident that many people in the public see Ukip as the only way of getting a greater crackdown on immigration and a reprieve from the EU, and morally, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
However, Ukip do not just stand for anti-immigration and it's their other beliefs that alarm many. The party have managed to keep relatively well hidden their support of the far right parties of Europe. Ukip are part of the EFD, a party containing members that publicly supported Anders Breijvik, which in reality shouldn't be a surprise seeing as Farage is keen to mimic the USA's lack of gun control here. The same member has also stated an aspiration to champion "the whites of Europe". Nigel Farage is still the co-president of the EFD as of May 2014.
We all know about Ukip's several gaffes too. Godfrey Bloom's references to "Bongo bongo land", Farage's "you know the difference" quip and so many more. We know that the party claims to be anti-establishment but did you know that the 10th Earl of Dartmouth is now a Ukip MEP? Many are aware that Ukip's MEPs voted against elevating women's pay to match their male colleagues, and against halting the illegal ivory trade. Some know that Ukip wouldn't allow a disabled candidate to represent them in 2007. Plenty of the electorate have seen Ukip's homophobia shine through time and time again, from charging homosexuals with flooding to testifying that Elton John and Clare Balding should 'go back in to the closet'. Why is it that people continue to vote for this party? Of course, it's not all members but aren't the few examples I've listed enough to deter the typical voter? Does xenophobia, misogyny, ableism or homophobia really have a place in modern British politics?
The scare-mongering and climate of fear has engulfed the British electorate. Twenty nine million Romanians are not coming to take your jobs. Immigrants are not all criminals and they're not all here to steal from the British taxpayer. In fact, studies show quite different.
It is clear that there is an overwhelming sense of disenchantment within this country towards the parties and their leaders. Only a third of those eligible to vote on Thursday did, giving Ukip backing from just 9% of the British voters - showing a serious gap in relationship between the voters and politicians. Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone acknowledged that more had to be done to engage the public on a human level if the three old parties are to recapture their former pride. However, it is certainly irresponsible to not vote to keep a fascist party intent on muzzling its critics, out of power. It is irresponsible to allow them to parade as a false alternative whilst stealing rights from anyone who isn't a fully able white heterosexual male. No, Ukip is merely a party micro-managed to the extreme, in an attempt to reach power before the full extent of their archaic agenda is revealed. Even Ukip founder, Alan Sked had lambasted the party for descending in to racism. Why are voters so keen to leap on and punish Lib-Lab-Con for their scandals but ignore Ukip's and support them in spite of it?
I wish this piece was merely me trying to score points against a rival party but it isn't. The movement towards this deceitful, out-dated party is terribly concerning. Thanks to the disillusionment of the public with Cameron, Clegg and Miliband and the agenda of the right-wing media, the public has swung towards electing odious politicians. For example, in my constituency we are represented by a Ukip MEP, who supports gay conversion therapy and partially blames women for being raped. The cult of personality has led the electorate in to the deceitful arms of Nigel Farage, only five million of the 15.8 million who voted backed Eurosceptic parties, showing the gulf in esteem the voters hold for the anti-EU Farage and the pro-EU Clegg - and not that Eurosceptism is a widely-held British ideal.
The electorate have replaced some of the hardest working MEPs in the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Conservatives with the indolent Ukip, who have the worst attendance rate of any European party - but they do take the money whilst doing nothing to serve you - ironic, I know. Actually, it seems only right to congratulate Ukip and their millions of voters for surrendering control of our affairs in Europe to a party who deems the very process to be pointless. The right-wing media and their corresponding parties have changed the climate of the European parliament and as such, the charismatically charged temper of fear has swept control of Europe in all too familiar fashion. Don't vote Ukip.