UK immigration

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30167160 .

The Home Secretary has said on TV that UK immigration target are unlikely to be met.

The Conservatives published some very ambitious targets, that frankly, were a joke unless the immigration pattern was drastically changed. This remains a very contentious issue central to the next General Election. Making such STUPID claims about immigration targets serves no good at all.

We are a small, overcrowded, island and HAVE to be able to manage our immigration numbers. Currently we are a magnet for people and we need to understand just why this is so. I hope we can find a way of controlling immigration and stay in the EU, but if we don't we may have no choice but to leave.  If we go, others will follow us.

Incidentally, free movement within the EU means about 800000 UK people now live in Spain. It is not just people coming into the UK,although our small size makes net immigration an acute issue. Some skills we definitely need and this is likely to continue to be the case. We just need better controls, whether by looking at points, welfare or whatever.

I am no UKIP supporter, but I do understand the issues.

UKIP recent successes

In the last few months, UKIP has gained its first 2 MPs taking votes from the Conservative, Labour and the Lib Dems. As I said before, in the General Election next spring it could all be very different At the moment  UKIP is picking up protest votes and this is unlikely to be the case in a General Election when people are electing the party to govern us for the next 5 years. Both the major parties will have been rattled by the results of the by-election results from Rochester and Strood. The Lib Dems did very badly indeed with the Greens polling higher than them.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30140747 .

I still do not know who to vote for in the next General Election, but it will not be UKIP.   To me, this party is maybe OK as a protest, but it would be a disaster if they helped form the next government. They seem to stand for just one thing: get the UK out of the EC.  Personally, I believe our relationship with our European friends will change somewhat, but I hope we remain close partners with our friends in mainland Europe.

UKIP and European Elections

In a few weeks' time we in the UK vote in the European elections. UKIP is expected to do well, no doubt as an anti-European protest vote. As a voter,  I am still undecided who to vote for, but it will not be UKIP. In my personal view (others may well disagree) UKIP is a single issue party - Europe in or out - and they have failed to demonstrate - to me - any other policies. In my personal view (others may well disagree) UKIP is a bit like a British National Party (BNP) but with enough respectability that ordinary voters can vote for them with a clear conscience.

No, the decision on who to vote for is unclear as yet except it will not be UKIP or the BNP.