Understanding UKIP’s influence on politics

today there seems to me to be a strong urge to state how insignificant UKIP’s chances are in the parliamentary elections they tell us UKIP who currently sit on 18% in the national polls who also received 25% a quarter of the vote in the county council elections last week does not matter. They state that the nearer we come towards the general election providing the government doesn’t fall beforehand and well who knows with the Tories currently tearing themselves apart over the EU. But this is to completely miss the point UKIP for now have a mass media presence on news channels political chat shows and being interviewed allot. This makes them already significant in the eyes of the media and is a good choice of weapon for them at this stage. The ruling class is torn as we know there is no consensus in what to do to solve the economic crisis they have tried almost everything and have gone back to austerity as a default now. With UKIP holding so much influence within the media no doubt their say will set the agenda for Tories and new labour with the anti immigrant rhetoric stepped up. We are already hearing calls for Ed Miliband to take a tougher stance on welfare from some parts no doubt UKIP play their part in this pressure too. But as the calls for an EU referendum grow louder and louder from the Tories back benchers and the UKIP poll rating staying at a steady high teen’s level they will begin to set the boundaries of the political debate in this country. Nigel Farage who was a stock broker for many years and a Tory even up till 1992 when John Major signed the EU treaty at Maastricht... which lead to many of the UKIP’s positions today 1992 was in a way the year zero for them. Everything since has made their skin crawl with the EU and the red tape. The regulation over trade is something which gets to them and their big business and even small business friends. But it is true that UKIP do have influence in politics today even if they do not have any seats. They do however now have many county councillors which will see how they cope with local democracy I predict not so well but in other ways this could also strengthen their base at a local level by pointing to actual policies they have carried out for people. Much like with the BNP they got local people on side by saying simple things they can do for people getting hedges cut roads resurfaced things like this which may appear small are incredibly popular with the folk in the shires too. A typical fascist tactic too is something we’ve seen in Greece now with Golden Dawn who is administering food at food banks now to only Greeks and turning away so called foreigners and immigrants. This strategy whilst providing fascist and anti immigrant propaganda is a way of getting people on side and I can see being a tactic of the far right in this country too in the future providing a service which the state no longer does whilst offering you a deep message of hate for other people be them disabled, benefit claimers, poles etc etc you can imagine it now. But what is for certain UKIP’s populairist right wing nationalist politics are a sign of this crisis despite being around before the economic crisis but finding much more of an echo now in darker times. I can’t ever imagine UKIP being a party of government but when the ruling class is desperate they can take decisions which are not always in their most obvious interests at first. UKIP are certainly a useful tool for the ruling class right now who may also want to cut across any protest vote going to a left wing alternative too they can channel anger into UKIP and fuel and deepen divisions further this way too. Be aware of UKIP but don’t over play their threat to the left still needs to get its act together in Britain but also by UKIP’s rise this may jolt some into speeding up that process. We will see.

Remembering the dead on workers memorial day

As every year we stop to remember those who have died and lost loved ones in accidents at work and those brave workers who do some extremely dangerous jobs for their employers.


The day is also intended to serve as a rallying cry to “remember the dead, but fight like hell for the living”.
Toll. The TUC says in the UK over 20,000 people die prematurely every year as a result of injuries or accidents caused by their work. This year it has called on unions and safety campaigners to make 28 April a day of action to defend health and safety from attacks by the press, politicians and employers. The union body is concerned that the UK's workplace safety record could be about to get worse as a direct result of government policies. Not only do funding cuts - both to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and to local authorities - mean there will be fewer official safety inspections, the government has also said that workplaces like shops, offices, schools, docks and farms no longer need to be routinely visited. TUC adds that 'health and safety bashers' should be reminded what safety law is really all about - not pointless regulation but necessary protection to stop employers taking risks with workplace safety and which prevents people from being killed, injured or made ill as a result of their work. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Sensible employers who are happy to work closely with unions improving safety and occupational health at work don't see safety regulation as an intrusive burden. But rogue employers, who are happy to cut corners and take risks with their employees' safety, do. It's these reckless employers that we need to target and the government's rhetoric will only encourage yet more of them to think they can get away with unsafe workplaces - without fear of ever getting a visit from the HSE or their local council.' UK events have been organised in over 50 towns and cities from Aberdeen to Penzance.
With the rights calls for slashing red tape in other words cutting health and safety measures will only make the workplace more and more dangerous for workers young and old.
Coupled with the fact that workers are being asked to work long and longer while the contradiction that there is record young people unemployed is ridiculous. Those older workers can be putting themselves in unnecessary danger by carrying on working past the age they’d normally retire due to not being able to afford to retire.

Its time we fought back and fought back for all workers young or old.