Sir,
We in UKIP need to have a far better grasp of what makes
Labour voters tick.
My grandfather was a Labour activist before WW2: he fought
for trade union rights for agricultural workers; he was scrupulously fair;
honest; pragmatic; sacked from two jobs for his support for farm labourers – and
a local preacher to boot. He believed in ‘a fair day’s work for a fair day’s
pay’ – and to him this was a two way process. Labour to a fault; hated Tories;
he could never have been realistically called a socialist. He was patriotic too.
His type once formed a majority amongst Labour voters – in many ways, perhaps
still does.
In his day, the Fabian Society luvvies were only one element
of the Labour movement – not the ‘liberal’ control freaks of today who totally
dominate the party structure.
These form that sinister element who have attempted to
change traditional morality and replace it with the ever vile political
correctness which is profoundly despised by so many traditional Labour
voters.
We only have to look at Frank Field MP to remind ourselves
that there was once a time when Labour MPs consisted of a body of people, many
of whom were actually electable.
Labour politics became part of the DNA of local communities
which were solidly anti-tory and who would vote Labour as a family, generational
thing. Thought was seldom part of voting.
These groups accepted the ‘liberal mindset’ – even if they
entirely disagreed with it – a small price to pay to keep the Tories at bay.
Now, that price has become too great.
Consider Thurcoft in S. Yorks. It is one of a number of
former mining communities sending UKIP councillors to represent them on
Rotherham Council. So many are starting to recognise that the Scargills, Blairs,
Kinnocks, and especially the Corbyn’s of this world, are not representing the
British working class in any way at all. (Ask Jonathan Arnott MEP to tell you
about his father-in-law should you happen to run into
him.)
Labour voters now see that these politicos have other
agendas than what is best for them. They are beginning to spot the overweening
hubris which has been the stock-in-trade of Labour politicians for a number of
decades.
As a youngster, I could already see this sad process
developing way back in the 60s. The penny has been slow to drop with many Labour
voters, but latterly, huge numbers of working people are finally seeing what so
many established Ukippers have known for a long time, ‘The working man or woman
cannot be represented by Islington, dinner party, liberal
leftists’.
One extremely vital point to remember is how many of these
voters are, by nature, non-Tory centre right. This grouping may even form a
majority. They must be our principal target. Many northern Tories would
obviously be able to accept that particular pitch from UKIP. Dyed-in-the-wool
Lib Dems would hate both it and us. Win/win.
Offer these people honest policies which are equitable and
UKIP can take enormous numbers of Labour votes.
Stop the immigration which is stealing so many of their
jobs; punish the criminals who wreck their communities; reward honesty and
decency; stop the lowlifes who milk the system; sort out the NHS on which they
depend; ensure that their kids have the chance of a future etc, etc. These kinds
of policies, explained so that all can understand, will attract many people
higher up the social ladder too.
What happened in the Headland and Harbour Ward in Hartlepool
can happen in many hundreds of others. Win Labour wards and you can start to
take Labour constituencies! After all, Labour could not do much more to help us
achieve victories than they are doing at present.
Respectfully,
