When I became a member of UKIP some 13
years ago - it was very different to what it has become
today.
In my local branch, finding an ex-Tory
was nigh on impossible but nationally the party was a very broad
church.
UKIP ran from solid left to Tory right and
just about everything in between - united by a hatred of the EU. It was abundantly
clear that the party could never move forward from that base which also
incorporated a top-heavy libertarian element which has seemingly diminished to more acceptable levels over recent years.
The party has had 'to find itself'. My
preference was to try to take the centre right and make it our own - after all,
the Tory Party did not seem to want it. And to my delight, that is pretty much
what the party has done. A huge swathe of the population is centre right but despises Tories. Meat and drink to the 'new kids on the block'.
It was not really fair to describe us as
'loonies and fruitcakes' - indeed, I would argue that there were far fewer than
in the LibLabCon. Not that that matters a jot - as UKIP has cleared 'em out.
Very few remain - if any. The most noticeable change is the move
from a finger-wagging detestation of the EU to a much more populist and broad-based way
of approaching politics in general. Purest common sense is to be the new way
forward.
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