"The academics chart how deep social and economic changes since 1964 created room for Ukip's “insurgency” by leaving older, less skilled and less well educated working class voters. “Ukip saw these social divisions and found a way to articulate them, giving voters an outlet for concerns that had been festering for years,” they say.
That's me - over 50 and plenty of skills, employers just don't want to know. Rampant age discrimination and the law not enforced.
Labour and the ConDems have NOTHING to say or offer to me. Just what do I have to lose by voting UKIP - anyone know?
"They calculate its best hopes of winning seats at next year's general election are in Great Grimsby, Plymouth Moor View, Ashfield, Walsall North, Waveney, Hartlepool, Bishop Auckland, Blackpool South, Stoke-on-Trent North, Great Yarmouth, Eastleigh, Rotherham, South Shields, Barnsley Central and Middlesbrough".
"If we end up stumbling out of the EU our police will be denied the cross-border co-operation they enjoy at present – in effect asking them to keep us safe with one hand tied behind their back. At every international summit and on each of the great dilemmas thrown up by globalisation, climate change, trade, global finance, terrorism and organised crime, Britain will be increasingly isolated, its influence diminished in the world".
What's vague about that?
For one thing I'm struggling to see how not being in europe would diminish our voice at an international summit on climate change. In or out of europe we're still living on the same planet (unlike Clegg at times).
Same goes for terrorism.
It's a bit of a Chicken Little "the sky is falling" type comment
Really there is no strong argument for remaining in. Hence the vague scare stories.
But there is a large negative in being in, diminishing democracy.
There's some very strong arguments for remaining in the EU.
I suppose the negative you've pointed out could be true - but the reality is it's a small negative - the more liberalized - the smaller will be the negative.
Yes there are European elections, but elections are a means to an end. That end being public control.
Does anyone think the public of Europe have much control over all this?
European elections actually change nothing about the direction the EU continues to go in. We just get the pretence of influence.
Elections are a means to public control?
The public control the elections by who they elect, don't they?
I did see the following comment posted elsewhere on this very issue. I couldn't have put it better myself!:D
"Europhiles invariably spin this issue as a choice between "Great Britain" and some imaginary "little England" as though anyone with reservations about an unaccountable proto-superstate whose own auditors have now refused to sign off on its annual accounts for almost two decades, was some sort of unhinged xenophobe.
The truth is otherwise. Those of us who want out of the sclerotic EU do not hate Europe. We want a Europe of friends and and allies who like ourselves are free to exercise national sovereignty via accountable and democratic institutions. We want trade, amity, and cross-cultural contacts while still being free to express our own culture and control our own borders.
And above all, we want to look beyond Europe too. To the dynamic emerging economies of China and India. To our great trans-Atlantic ally. And to those we were duped into abandoning by the spurious offer of a purely economic "Common Market"; our traditional friends in the Commonwealth!
This is not "little England". It's a far Greater Britain than the Europhiles can even begin to imagine!"
Is it not a little offensive to use the term 'Little England'? When Nick Clegg contrasts that term with 'Great Britain' it feels to me like he's insulting England specifically which isn't a good idea if he wants our votes as the English are the vast majority of the British. Why not contrast 'Great Britain' with 'Little Britain' instead? Does he have a problem with England? If so, is it because we're the most Eurosceptic part of the UK?
His personal development plan career move will be destroyed if we pull out of the EU.
That limousine in Brussels awaits him. Stand up Commissioner Clegg. Another unelected bureacrat with an expenses-laiden lifestyle funded by the British taxpayer.
You're right. It doesn't exist. I don't know why people rave on about how "wonderfully diverse" Britain is today. Bring back the Great Britain of 30/40 years ago when we could at least relate to our neighbours.
What's your problem? I have no trouble relating to my neighbours right now. Had no trouble relating to my (Asian) neighbours 50 years ago either.
"We risk finding ourselves drifting further and further away from our biggest export market, jeopardising our still fragile economic recovery and threatening millions of jobs. At a time when the world's economic powerhouses are reaching beyond their own borders and working more closely with their neighbours, we will be turning away from ours"
"If we end up stumbling out of the EU our police will be denied the cross-border co-operation they enjoy at present – in effect asking them to keep us safe with one hand tied behind their back. At every international summit and on each of the great dilemmas thrown up by globalisation, climate change, trade, global finance, terrorism and organised crime, Britain will be increasingly isolated, its influence diminished in the world".
It's all too vague and sounds like he's starting to panic. The pro Europe side will need to start doing much better than this.
A place where time-wasting a'holes representing the Sheffield Hallam constituency ended up being defeated. Now that would be a wonderful land in which to dwell.
Comments
Still, I have the best of both worlds -- I live in a monocultural part of the UK and don't have to live with southerners all the time either. Bliss.
Great Britain? Bollocks.
That doesn't describe me.:D
Have a look at this
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-rise-of-ukip-study-warns-labour-that-eurosceptic-partys-electoral-base-now-more-working-class-than-any-of-the-main-parties-9190813.html
"The academics chart how deep social and economic changes since 1964 created room for Ukip's “insurgency” by leaving older, less skilled and less well educated working class voters. “Ukip saw these social divisions and found a way to articulate them, giving voters an outlet for concerns that had been festering for years,” they say.
That's me - over 50 and plenty of skills, employers just don't want to know. Rampant age discrimination and the law not enforced.
Labour and the ConDems have NOTHING to say or offer to me. Just what do I have to lose by voting UKIP - anyone know?
"They calculate its best hopes of winning seats at next year's general election are in Great Grimsby, Plymouth Moor View, Ashfield, Walsall North, Waveney, Hartlepool, Bishop Auckland, Blackpool South, Stoke-on-Trent North, Great Yarmouth, Eastleigh, Rotherham, South Shields, Barnsley Central and Middlesbrough".
Most of those are not in southern England.
I suspect the feelings mutual.
Where is this little bit of paradise?
For one thing I'm struggling to see how not being in europe would diminish our voice at an international summit on climate change. In or out of europe we're still living on the same planet (unlike Clegg at times).
Same goes for terrorism.
It's a bit of a Chicken Little "the sky is falling" type comment
There's some very strong arguments for remaining in the EU.
I suppose the negative you've pointed out could be true - but the reality is it's a small negative - the more liberalized - the smaller will be the negative.
Elections are a means to public control?
The public control the elections by who they elect, don't they?
Care to explain?
"Europhiles invariably spin this issue as a choice between "Great Britain" and some imaginary "little England" as though anyone with reservations about an unaccountable proto-superstate whose own auditors have now refused to sign off on its annual accounts for almost two decades, was some sort of unhinged xenophobe.
The truth is otherwise. Those of us who want out of the sclerotic EU do not hate Europe. We want a Europe of friends and and allies who like ourselves are free to exercise national sovereignty via accountable and democratic institutions. We want trade, amity, and cross-cultural contacts while still being free to express our own culture and control our own borders.
And above all, we want to look beyond Europe too. To the dynamic emerging economies of China and India. To our great trans-Atlantic ally. And to those we were duped into abandoning by the spurious offer of a purely economic "Common Market"; our traditional friends in the Commonwealth!
This is not "little England". It's a far Greater Britain than the Europhiles can even begin to imagine!"
Isn't Pembrokeshire a little bit of little England - in Wales?:D
The Socialist Republic of the British Isles.......:)
Herman Van Rompuy would be Britain's new head of state!
size
roughly 230,000 square kilometres versus 34,000 square kilometres for Little Britain (Brittany/Bretagne)
Excellent. It stops you lot trying to escape.
His personal development plan career move will be destroyed if we pull out of the EU.
That limousine in Brussels awaits him. Stand up Commissioner Clegg. Another unelected bureacrat with an expenses-laiden lifestyle funded by the British taxpayer.
What's your problem? I have no trouble relating to my neighbours right now. Had no trouble relating to my (Asian) neighbours 50 years ago either.
Nick Clegg lives in `Cloud Cuckoo Land`
A place where time-wasting a'holes representing the Sheffield Hallam constituency ended up being defeated. Now that would be a wonderful land in which to dwell.