The often stale British political system is being rocked by its very own Tea Party.
The UK Independence Party (UKIP), formed in 1993 opposing Britain's entry into the European Union, failed to make an electoral dent for a long time. However UKIP has built up steam in recent years and is spearheading a seismic shift in the British political spectrum.
In this year's local elections – the British version of midterms -- UKIP took a stunning 23 percent of the vote, up from the 3.1 percent they won in the 2010 national election. Their leader, Nigel Farage, is buoyed by their recent success.
"We want to take back our country, we want to take back our government, and we want to take back our birthright," Farage told FoxNews.com in forthright language rarely seen in British politics.
"The sense of frustration the Tea Party feels about the remoteness about the bureaucratic class of the Washington beltway is similar to our frustration with being dealt with by Brussels."
- Nigel Farage, UK Independence Party
Farage has good reason to be confident of UKIP's potential. Since he took the party's helm for a second time in 2010, the party has been revitalized, capitalizing on dissatisfaction with the Conservative Party's shift to the center under current Prime Minister David Cameron.
Cameron has radically overhauled the "Tories," embracing nationalized health care, fighting for gay marriage, and changing the party logo from the flame of liberty to an environmentally conscious tree. This, UKIP argues, makes them indistinguishable from the left-wing Labour Party and Liberal Democrats.
It is here where UKIP spied an opportunity, adopting an anti-establishment, populist platform that argues for lower taxation, privatization, smaller government and getting Britain out of the European Union.
The message is proving effective. UKIP look likely to make significant inroads in the next general election in 2015, possibly snatching seats away from the main parties.
Farage is not getting ahead of himself however, instead focusing on the European elections in May 2014, where Europe is the determining factor.
Britain has been turning decidedly away from Europe in recent years, with a September Opinium poll finding that 53 percent of British voters wanted to leave the E.U., with only 32 percent wanting to stay.
"The sense of frustration the Tea Party feels about the remoteness about the bureaucratic class of the Washington beltway is similar to our frustration with being dealt with by Brussels," said Farage.
Many experts agree. Andrew Russell, Head of Politics at the University of Manchester, told FoxNews.com that the comparison between the Tea Party and UKIP is an accurate one, and that he believes that UKIP could take the 2014 elections by storm,
"UKIP will do well in the 2014 European elections. They may even win them in terms of the popular vote. This will increase the pressure on the Conservatives."
Yet instead of reaching out and finding middle ground, the Tories have snubbed UKIP. In 2006 David Cameron dismissed the newcomers as full of "fruitcakes and loonies and closet racists," and top Tory Kenneth Clark recently branded them as "a collection of clowns."
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/01/04/britain-version-tea-party-rocks-political-system-across-pond/ (http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/01/04/britain-version-tea-party-rocks-political-system-across-pond/)
:thumbsup:
I was just about to post this.
And the Marxists and socialist RINO say the REA is dead? Wait till 200014!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
Quote from: Solar on January 04, 2014, 07:29:25 PM
:thumbsup:
I was just about to post this.
And the Marxists and socialist RINO say the REA is dead? Wait till 200014!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
Wow I'll be a very old man when 200014 comes around, Methuselah old.
:lol:
I am a bit sad because my family has always been solidly Conservative party (at least on my moms side). and they have gone all RINO...
Quote from: Bronx on January 04, 2014, 08:04:42 PM
Wow I'll be a very old man when 200014 comes around, Methuselah old.
:lol:
Yeah, there's something wrong with my 0 key, I've seen it post 5 of them from one keystroke. :blink:
Quote from: Solar on January 04, 2014, 08:11:45 PM
Yeah, there's something wrong with my 0 key, I've seen it post 5 of them from one keystroke. :blink:
Would you like to write me a check using your computer. :lol:
Now if we can educate the US on what a Single payer system actually means...
Quote from: The Boo Man... on January 04, 2014, 10:59:03 PM
Now if we can educate the US on what a Single payer system actually means...
Reduced capacity, increased cost, increased bureaucracy, increased regulation, longer waiting lines, more death panels and the eventual abolishment of all private healthcare, because it is evil.
I'm not kidding that last argument is the reason why the left don't want private healtchare in Norway because the theory is that private hospitals/clinics will "steal" all the good doctors thereby decreasing the public capacity at the benefit of the supposed rich at the expense of the poor. Whats also funny is that they are ignoring the fact that they as politicians get preferential treatment in the public healthcare system.
I always enjoyed watching Nigal Farage beat the little nazi Carl Schultz and be a thorn at mr Barroso backside
(not that Barroso cares much, in contrast to 99,9% of all leftists he keeps his cool pretty good). The UKIP suffers from a media enhanced racist profile which turns off moderates and many young people in UK, but the question is also how many moderates/young actually vote in the elections. Political correctness is already a joke, they can only make the racism accusation for a short period and in Norway it has already lost its power.
Quote from: Mountainshield on January 04, 2014, 11:57:01 PM
Reduced capacity, increased cost, increased bureaucracy, increased regulation, longer waiting lines, more death panels and the eventual abolishment of all private healthcare, because it is evil.
I'm not kidding that last argument is the reason why the left don't want private healtchare in Norway because the theory is that private hospitals/clinics will "steal" all the good doctors thereby decreasing the public capacity at the benefit of the supposed rich at the expense of the poor. Whats also funny is that they are ignoring the fact that they as politicians get preferential treatment in the public healthcare system.
I always enjoyed watching Nigal Farage beat the little nazi Carl Schultz and be a thorn at mr Barroso backside (not that Barroso cares much, in contrast to 99,9% of all leftists he keeps his cool pretty good). The UKIP suffers from a media enhanced racist profile which turns off moderates and many young people in UK, but the question is also how many moderates/young actually vote in the elections. Political correctness is already a joke, they can only make the racism accusation for a short period and in Norway it has already lost its power.
I'm Welsh. I know the NHS all to well. It put my cousin in a wheelchair.
Quote from: Mountainshield on January 04, 2014, 11:57:01 PM
Reduced capacity, increased cost, increased bureaucracy, increased regulation, longer waiting lines, more death panels and the eventual abolishment of all private healthcare, because it is evil.
I'm not kidding that last argument is the reason why the left don't want private healtchare in Norway because the theory is that private hospitals/clinics will "steal" all the good doctors thereby decreasing the public capacity at the benefit of the supposed rich at the expense of the poor. Whats also funny is that they are ignoring the fact that they as politicians get preferential treatment in the public healthcare system.
I always enjoyed watching Nigal Farage beat the little nazi Carl Schultz and be a thorn at mr Barroso backside (not that Barroso cares much, in contrast to 99,9% of all leftists he keeps his cool pretty good). The UKIP suffers from a media enhanced racist profile which turns off moderates and many young people in UK, but the question is also how many moderates/young actually vote in the elections. Political correctness is already a joke, they can only make the racism accusation for a short period and in Norway it has already lost its power.
Slavery advocates had the same PR problem among slaves.
Which is the same problem Socialists have, slavery never really caught on as an attraction.
The anti EU movement is gaining traction all accross Europe. Good for them! :thumbsup:
Quote from: Dan on January 05, 2014, 06:08:32 AM
The anti EU movement is gaining traction all accross Europe. Good for them! :thumbsup:
There are mixed feelings, the EU have many good aspects which has enhanced European citizens freedom, consumer and business rights. There is no denying that it is a equalizer with the goal of transferring wealth to the less economic inefficient countries from the service and industrial output countries in order to make every EU country a place of prosperity with the risk of dragging everyone down to mediocre or a lot worse.
If the EU had been run on a strong monetary policy with a universal business friendly set of economic regulatory laws then it would have become a success but alas when you leave the job to contemporary politicians instead of statesmen then the same old doomed to fail keynsianism happen, add to the mix a out of control socialist legislative assembly that is dictating everything from the size of cuccumbers to school curriculums you have a recipe of both social and economic ruin. Even without Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy the EU is still dooomed, especially when you take the lack of european identity with growing racial tensions.
Could go on and on, but also want to add the death of Christianity in Europe has made people apathetic, cynical and materialistic.
Quote from: Mountainshield on January 09, 2014, 03:36:36 AM
There are mixed feelings, the EU have many good aspects which has enhanced European citizens freedom, consumer and business rights. There is no denying that it is a equalizer with the goal of transferring wealth to the less economic inefficient countries from the service and industrial output countries in order to make every EU country a place of prosperity with the risk of dragging everyone down to mediocre or a lot worse.
If the EU had been run on a strong monetary policy with a universal business friendly set of economic regulatory laws then it would have become a success but alas when you leave the job to contemporary politicians instead of statesmen then the same old doomed to fail keynsianism happen, add to the mix a out of control socialist legislative assembly that is dictating everything from the size of cuccumbers to school curriculums you have a recipe of both social and economic ruin. Even without Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy the EU is still dooomed, especially when you take the lack of european identity with growing racial tensions.
Could go on and on, but also want to add the death of Christianity in Europe has made people apathetic, cynical and materialistic.
1. Are you serious. How is a naked wealth dedistribution scheme a good thing? Prosperity does not come from the forced appropriation of what others have earned.
2. How can you have a common monetary policy and 28 different fiscal policies? It doesn't work that way. The euro is a monetary straigh jacket that is killing the southern countries. It is a structurally unsound, unsustainable system.
Once again, socialism and leftwing arrogance is harming the very people they claim to be helping.
Quote from: Dan on January 09, 2014, 03:48:36 AM
1. Are you serious. How is a naked wealth dedistribution scheme a good thing? Prosperity does not come from the forced appropriation of what others have earned.
2. How can you have a common monetary policy and 28 different fiscal policies? It doesn't work that way. The euro is a monetary straigh jacket that is killing the southern countries. It is a structurally unsound, unsustainable system.
Once again, socialism and leftwing arrogance is harming the very people they claim to be helping.
That's what he was saying, you just misread him. :laugh:
Quote from: Solar on January 05, 2014, 06:00:53 AM
Slavery advocates had the same PR problem among slaves.
Which is the same problem Socialists have, slavery never really caught on as an attraction.
Well they both use the same method to increase that attraction: "The floggings will continue until morale improves".
Quote from: mdgiles on January 09, 2014, 07:08:23 AM
Well they both use the same method to increase that attraction: "The floggings will continue until morale improves".
:biggrin: :biggrin:
Quote from: Dan on January 09, 2014, 03:48:36 AM
1. Are you serious. How is a naked wealth dedistribution scheme a good thing? Prosperity does not come from the forced appropriation of what others have earned.
2. How can you have a common monetary policy and 28 different fiscal policies? It doesn't work that way. The euro is a monetary straigh jacket that is killing the southern countries. It is a structurally unsound, unsustainable system.
Once again, socialism and leftwing arrogance is harming the very people they claim to be helping.
Killing the southern countries? Weren't they already killing themselves without the EU's benevolent assistance? I think if anything, the southern countries (Portugal, Greece, Italy, etc.) have become unshakable millstones around the neck of the EU, and the whole socialist scheme is dragging all of western Europe down with the (mostly) southern "suicide states." It's not hard to see the shortcomings of a system that seeks to create a common monetary system that includes the likes of Slovenia, Albania, Estonia, and Malta alongside Germany.
Quote from: TboneAgain on January 09, 2014, 07:24:48 AM
Killing the southern countries? Weren't they already killing themselves without the EU's benevolent assistance? I think if anything, the southern countries (Portugal, Greece, Italy, etc.) have become unshakable millstones around the neck of the EU, and the whole socialist scheme is dragging all of western Europe down with the (mostly) southern "suicide states." It's not hard to see the shortcomings of a system that seeks to create a common monetary system that includes the likes of Slovenia, Albania, Estonia, and Malta alongside Germany.
If each was on it's own currency then they would have mitigated their deficit spending by inflating their currency. Since they are on a common currency, however, they cannot do that. When I say it's killing them I am talking about the monetary straight jacket that gives them no options.
It seems that the EU is about a decade ahead of us to ruin, meaning that they should be waking up anytime now.
Hopefully they still have a few seconds left in the fourth quarter, before the game is over. Us too.
This Nigel Farage character must be getting the business over there from the communists. I'm sure they're turning him into Hitler, Attila, Genghis, Manson, and Dahmer all rolled into one.