There have been certain debates and discussions (many of them rather heated) about UKIP's tactics in the election. Lord Pearson of Rannoch has issued the following statement.
I understand those in UKIP who want to fight all our 560 seats in the traditional way. There are however a few very marginal seats where if we do so, we will prevent a committed Eurosceptic from being elected. We will not win those seats, and we will thus send a Europhile to Parliament instead. In some of these seats, we are not fielding candidates, and are actively helping the Eurosceptics. In others, we are fielding candidates, but I would like them to support the Eurosceptics and attract the votes of the other parties.
I have never made any secret about this strategy, and stood on this platform when I ran for the leadership. Of course I regret that some of my colleagues at local level do not agree with me. UKIP is a very democratic party, and they are free to act as they see fit.
I will continue to put our Country above party politics.
I fully support your decision not to stand against Philip Davies in Shipley. His majority is only about 400 votes so a UKIP candidate there could cost him his seat and let Labour back in.
ReplyDeleteIf support in one given area cannot secure victory to gain that seat, then alternative tactics are required to ensure that the leading adversary also fails. It makes sense to me.
ReplyDeleteI can understand the feeling a party stalwart would feel having the Party cross party lines at a general election. If you support a conservative , libdem or labour anti-eu commission candidate you still have no guarantee of their support. Since if you believe in UKIP you should join UKIP.
ReplyDeleteIf Philip Davis and Philip Hollobone are tory euro sceptics then that goes against the tory stance on Europe and they really need to reconsider their political position, if you are a true Euro-sceptic join UKIP.
ReplyDeleteI posted about this on another thread - the UKIP policies and manifesto are the ones I agree with and the only ones I can, in good conscience, vote for. Voting for a Conservative candidate (as the UKIP as withdrawn) will be giving a mandate to the Conservative party and their leader's views to remain in Europe. My constituency is a marginal one and it is quite likely that every vote will count - but why should I vote for something I don't agree with just so that the MP will be a Eurosceptic - it will not change Conservative HQ's views, all they will see is MP numbers.
ReplyDeleteI will be voting English Democrats - not because I want to - but because UKIP have given me no choice.
Lord Pearson is absolutely right. There is no point stubbornly sticking to one's purest principles while the practical effect is to make the House of Commons more europhile than it currently is. Smart thinking is required to achieve the ultimate aim of getting out of the EU.
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