A message of defiance and anger, but also of hope. That last thing has echoes of Clement Attlee in 1945 – still our greatest Prime Minister.
The John McDonnell Column
The media are in a frenzy over the electoral rise of UKIP. But why are people surprised at all about the emergence and performance of UKIP?
It falls to the left to help explain that the rise of UKIP is extremely predictable.
After weeks of canvassing you find that you need a simple doorstep response to those people who say they’re thinking of voting UKIP. We must put this explanation into readily understandable terms so people have a very straightforward narrative to support and repeat.
It goes like this.
In every period of recession opportunist politicians from the right have emerged to seize upon the hardships people face to exploit them for their own ends. They always have to find a scapegoat to distract people from the real causes of the recession.
In this recession it is UKIP. In the past it’s been Mosley’s fascists in…
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Life, Leeds United, the Universe & Everything 
Hey up Rob, just going to the beach to bury my head, if there is any room that is.
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See if you can reserve me a plot, mate – thanks.
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All very worrying, the rise of UKIP, as the populist is fed up to the back teeth with the big three, the rise of the far right in France and Europe, the rise of racist bigotry in the UK the biggest rise in 30 years, and the biggest culprits being white well educated males over 30 (more than likely Tories) A case of history repeating. Shame on us !!!!!!!!!! or should I say them …… lest we forget ……. well some have ……. this is always brought on by Austerity and those who have never got enough, the greed of the rich.
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Its the same old protest vote , people have always done this and I’m sure they always will , I don’t think 50% of those who voted for ukip truely understand the implications of having these idiots speak for them in the European parliament… The problem is rob , who do they vote for ? The cons are led by a clown , the lib dems are led by weak lap dog and lets face it labour totally missed the boat and should have picked the other brother…. When you look at this motly crew is it any wonder there’s protest votes
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The problem I have with it all at the moment is fundamental – has democracy had its day? To me, the original concept has been warped out of shape by factors like propaganda – or blatant lies, more like – and by the fact that too many politicians set out to appeal to the worst instincts of the most stupid people. There aren’t the options on the ballot sheet to reflect certain shades of opinion. I’m not sure what viable alternative there might be to democracy, but what we have at the moment is a mess, and ripe for corruption and exploitation by the likes of UKIP (and the Tories!)
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All ukip have done is feed the masses the imigration card and play on their misplaced fears , I honest beileve that all the publicity leading up to this vote surrounding adu hamza had an effect on protest voters ,, the other half voted for them because they thought voting for UKIP would mean an extra hour in bed…
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Labour just need someone down to earth in charge, like say Alan Johnson.
that would get rid of farages “look he drinks pints, he’s normal” factor.
also balls is an electoral turn off, I won’t vote for the bugger after he had the cheek to claim for 2 houses.
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I am a member of the Labour party, I don’t think that we stand a chance of being elected with Ed milliband in charge. We would have stood alot better chance with David Milliband at the helm, which you have confirmed for me. It is frightening to see people you think you know voting ukip they have become daily mail readers. It is a vote for middle-class tossers who feed off the media obsession with immigration. I was talking to two women in York they believe that Terry,s chocolate factory closed down because , we are in the EU. I informed them that it was an American cooperation that closed the factory. Kraft who in turn are owned by Philip Morris the tobacco cooperation.but it’s this misinformation that allows ukip in the door.
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