One cheer for UKIP

The United Kingdom Independence Party (to give it its full name) did rather well in the recent elections.  From the point of view of patriotic Englishmen and Englishwomen, is this a good thing?

In one way it is.  It gave the traitorous scum in the Conservative and Liberal Democratic parties something to think about.  But my enemy's enemy is not necessarily my friend.

Anyone who browses to UKIP's website and is minded to join will see this statement:

"Membership is not available to anyone who is or has previously been a member of the British National Party, National Front, British Freedom Party, British People's Party, English Defence League, Britain First or the UK First Party. Any applications made from people who are or have been members of these organisations will be refused, and any subscriptions collected will be refunded."

This may well be necessary, to prevent the establishment parties and their friends in the media portraying UKIP as 'extremists', 'racists', 'fascists' and all the other meaningless words they use to smear patriotic Englishmen and Englishwomen, but it still sticks in the craw.

As far as I know, no other party has such rules.  People do change their political views and most parties accept in good faith that, if you sign up to become a member, you agree with that party's policies.  There certainly used to be plenty of former communists in the Labour Party.

Former members of the BNP will (I assume) be welcomed with open arms into the Socialist Workers Party or the Liberal Democrat Party, but not UKIP.  Conversely, former members of the Trotskyite Socialist Workers Party or the anti-British, pro-EU, pro-immigration Liberal Democratics can switch to UKIP without a question being asked.

But of course former members of the anti-EU, anti-immigtation BNP and NF are different.  You might have been fighting the EU and mass-immigration forty years, while many in UKIP have only just woken up to the dangers, but rather than praise you for your foresight, or apologise for smearing you in the past, we're going to stop you joining our party.

Slightly hypocritical?

Well, let's not forget that Nigel Farage was a member of the Conservative Party until 1993 and he is still a Thatcherite Tory at heart (albeit a libertarian one, which makes him slightly better).

It will be interesting to see if, before the next election, any Conservative MPs, fearful of their party's long-term future and their seats, attempt to defect to UKIP.  If they do, will they will be welcomed like returning Prodigal Sons, or will the party have the courage to tell them to get stuffed?  They have, after all, had plenty of opportunity to speak out against the treason of their leaders.  Why didn't they?

Prodigal Son or pariah?  I think we know the answer to that one!  They're Nigel's mates, good upper class Conservatives, not those working class extremist scum of the NF and BNP.