It started on May 2 when the anti-EU anti-immigration UK Independence Party scored over 20% in local English elections, more than double the pollsters projections. Since then the reality has begun to set in to the political elites of all stripes that immigration is an issue that people really do care about and that must be addressed.
It’s still baffling that politicians drift toward the bleeding heart position on this. The 1970’s saw a rise in strength of the obnoxiously patriotic National Front who nevertheless garnered support enough to field parliamentary candidates because of unchecked immigration. Margaret Thatcher seized on the issue and her Conservatives rode it to victory in the 1979 General Election.
In the 1990s it was the horrendously racist British National Party who were able to garner support with simple anti-immigration positions leading, in 2009, to 6.26% in Euro elections and 2 seats in Strasbourg. British people were tired of their culture being overrun and were willing, in small numbers, to elect racists because nobody else was willing to do anything about the problem.
Now UKIP, a much more reasoned organization, has crossed the 20% threshold and Westminster is taking notice. On May 8 Conservative MP Nadine Dorries had the whip restored to her after a ridiculous suspension. In reality, she would have become a high-profile defection to UKIP that would have done further damage to a reeling Conservative Party.
Dorries situation illustrates the nose-in-the-air blindness that dominates the current Conservative leadership. Electing to appear on a reality TV show for 12 days (having not been on holiday all year) the party leadership took offence despite the fact she did not miss a vote. The truth is that she has not been afraid to challenge the party leadership where she believes they are wrong; and they made an example of her as soon as they came up with a good enough excuse.
Now the situation is turning around, but not within Westminster hearts. The government and opposition are recognizing that immigration and an EU referendum are important to people so it’s become important to them. They don’t care about it anymore than they did in April, it just that now their elected friends are losing their jobs.
So here come the election friendly talking points from Westminster. ‘It will be easier to deport illegal immigrants and stop people accessing services they are not eligible for.’ That or whatever other lies have to be spun in order to convince a bewildered electorate that they are finally getting it right. Mrs. Thatcher knew the price of milk; some of today’s leaders don’t know the cost of a new car.
While Westminster spins, real campaigners like Nadine Dorries are busy working on solutions – not to win re-election but to fix problems. The attractive 55-year-old Liverpudlian could be busy twisting the knife into Tory #2 George Osborne who opposed her re-instatement. Instead she has already proposed ideas to create a more effective right-wing coalition.
Dorries is backing the idea of a Conservative-UKIP coalition put forward by another Conservative MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg. This is beyond the current government coalition of necessity because someone had to create a majority in parliament. This would be a partnership where 1) UKIP would not contest seats in constituencies where the Conservative candidate is in fact sufficiently conservative; 2) UKIP MP’s would receive cabinet posts whether they were needed to make a majority or not; and 3) Nigel Farage would ascend to Deputy Prime Minister. The latter, according to Dorries, would be a big improvement on Nick Clegg.
But some backbenchers are impatient and rightfully distrustful of the Prime Minister. There is already a move forward with a motion to force a referendum on EU membership. Three Conservative members of Cameron’s cabinet have gone on the record opposing the current position on EU membership. Education Secretary Michael Gove said he would vote to remove the UK from the EU; while Home Secretary Theresa May and Defense Secretary Phillip Hammond will, at the very least, not stand in the way of legislation being tabled.
What a difference 10 days has made. Since the local election Tory disaster on May 2; leading Conservatives have gone from accusing UKIP of, as David Cameron put it, being “fruitcakes and loonies and closet racists”; to the idea that they may need to get into bed with them. Will they need a nightcap or should we just turn off the lights?
