The EU referendum is upon us. Whatever the result, questions are going to be asked about UKIP – a party that set out to get the UK out of the European Union and has campaigned for a referendum since its first day. So expect some speculation as to what is the point or purpose of UKIP now that the referendum is a reality. Some will argue that the party could, and will, simply fade away.
The fact of the matter is however that regardless of referendum result, UKIP has never been more important. Indeed, this could well be its moment to shine.
In the event of a Leave result, one could be tempted to assume that was it, the battle was over and Britain is again a free and sovereign nation. But at risk of being a spoil-sport, a Leave result is just the beginning of the road, the starting point of the enormous task of removing ourselves from these shackles.
Those of us who support Leave should remember that the majority of MPs in the House of Commons back the campaign to Remain. As a result, plans are already afoot in Parliament to find a way to effectively circumvent the will of the British majority. According to the BBC, “Pro-Remain MPs are considering using their Commons majority to keep Britain inside the EU single market if there is a vote for Brexit”. The Remain majority in the Commons is 454 MPs vs 147 for Leave. Significantly, the BBC report points out that “Staying inside the single market would mean Britain would have to keep its borders open to EU workers and continue paying into EU coffers”. This means that some of the key reasons people want out of the EU – public spending and immigration – may not be affected at all, irrespective of the will of the people.
The EU itself has a history of ignoring referendum results in member states. Referenda held in the Netherlands, France, and Ireland, have all been dismissed, and there is little to suggest that the exact same Eurocrats will now gracefully accept defeat and allow one of its greatest assets to walk away with no hard feelings.
Article 50 of the Treaty of European Union governs the withdrawal of a member state from the Union. It provides that both parties, the EU and the withdrawing state, will negotiate an exit agreement. Who knows what this agreement will contain? There’s a two year period between informing the European Council of withdrawal and the country’s exit from the Union – this can however be extended – who knows for how long?
Of course I do not expect European politicians to be seen to ignore a Leave result from the UK, but if we do vote to withdraw, I suspect machinery might spring in to action immediately; if not to prevent our withdrawal, then to frame it in such a way that it constitutes something of a semi-withdrawal at best. For that reason, those who vote to get out of the EU should consider whether or not they trust the current establishment with Brexit, or whether they think greater UKIP influence might be a safer bet.
If the vote is for Remain, then so be it. But to listen to some, a Remain result will cancel British democracy forever and we will never get the chance to leave again. Nonsense. If we had UKIP MPs in Parliament, the option of leaving the EU will never be off the table. The more UKIP MPs there are, the more likely we can get out if (and when) things change to our even greater disadvantage in the future.
There is every reason to believe that UKIP can elect MPs post-referendum if it realizes that the EU is far from its only attraction. For many people, UKIP is about a lot more than that. I’ve known people who want to stay in the EU, or am ambivalent about it, but have voted for UKIP for other hugely important reasons. The courage to speak out on immigration is one of UKIP’s greatest strengths, and this will become more and more important as our population continues to rise and our culture continues to be dismantled. I trust no other party to speak out against mass immigration (regardless of how much of it there is). On this matter, UKIP has never been more valuable; particularly so if the borders remain open after June 23rd.
Another great strength, and equally important, is UKIP’s unique willingness to speak out against the poisonous suppression that is political correctness, or the racist obscenity known as multiculturalism. UKIP is the only party that has done so in the past and will do so in the future. Like immigration, these will become more and more relevant if Britain’s borders stay open.
UKIP is the sole voice in mainstream politics to present a clear and unambigious defence of British and Western culture. Such a position has also never mattered more. Internationalism is growing in power and intensity, and as it does, the nation-state will fade away and bring accountable governance along with it. Unless actively prevented, the nation will be replaced by a self-appointed elite that won’t recognize borders or peoples because this would be too empowering of those at the bottom – it would give them unity, strength, and belonging to something worth defending, all things inconvenient to the fantasy leftist global government.
UKIP is often the only party with any courage at a local level too. In Essex for example, long-running arguments about traveller sites are common. Tensions are understandably and inevitably high when travelling communities are simply not held to the same standards as other people, or expected to obey the same laws (i.e. planning laws). In my experience in that part of the country, UKIP has again been the only party to argue that everyone, including travellers, must obey the law. This is vital. It is a fundamental requirement of a peaceful and workable society – fairness. UKIP gets this, and should be grasping every opportunity to remind the electorate.
But there is one issue on which UKIP really should now step up to the plate – Islam and Muslim immigration. The party must admit and publicly acknowledge that Islamic culture is simply not compatible with our own. That doesn’t mean every individual of course, but it does mean the culture and its commonalities and norms. We don’t need to guess or speculate, we know that Islamic immigration has brought enormous levels of violent crime (particularly against women and girls) which we do not prosecute because the imams know well how to stop us, they simply accuse us of racism.
Islamic immigration has also had the most profound effect on democracy and political debate because countless people, including politicians and journalists, are terrified to talk about it because it might get them killed. Publishers are afraid to publish, networks are afraid to broadcast, politicians are afraid to say what they think, and people are afraid to so much as mention any of this in case they inadvertently cause ‘offence’ and suddenly find themselves on the dole.
A recent ComRes poll found that the majority of Britons believe Islam does not fit easily in to this country. Similar figures can be found across Europe. Former Equality and Human Rights Commission chief Trevor Phillips even admits to this now. He warned of Muslims creating ‘nations within nations’ and said that many Muslims are “living in a different Britain to the rest of us”.
Put simply, Islam is as great a threat (if not greater) to British and European democracy even than the EU. The EU may have stifled our speech and tried to neutralize our vote, but it hasn’t brought death to the table. Islam though has done just that.
Islam is rapidly becoming the global issue of this age, and there is no major party in Britain willing to take it on. UKIP can be the party to change this, if it has the courage to present the right arguments and get the right people to do it. My suggestion would be to tell the truth and stay true to it no matter how many names we are called.
We are heading in to a historical week, and I am convinced that Britain needs UKIP more than ever and for more reasons than escaping the EU. The political establishment in Britain is as one on immigration and on Islam, and cares nothing for the voice of this country’s backbone. If UKIP can grasp these matters with courage, and if it assumes the responsibility of trying to ensure that a Leave result is made good, the future for the Party could be bigger and brighter than ever.