Nigel Farage represents the realistic threat to the status quo in UK, as Ukip kicks off their election campaign with slogan ‘Believe in Britain’, as to Sturgeon’s progressive alternative gospel across England, more chance of her spreading germs than ideas

Dear All

Yesterday, unpopular Nicola Sturgeon gave another disastrous rant about wanting £180 billion to support Ed Miliband and the Labour Party to put them into Number 10.

A gift she cannot deliver on as the polls show that Labour in Scotland is starting to make headway into the SNP polling lead. It seems the Yes voters who backed indy don’t feel the same way about backing the SNP for Westminster.

Salmond’s vision of an independent Scotland turned off voters, and now it is the turn of Nicola Sturgeon to be sent a similar message.

There is only one genuine challenge to break the status quo in British politics; that lies with Nigel Farage and Ukip. Ukip is put up people in every seat in Britain, the SNP are only put people up in Scottish seats.

Just as Sturgeon wants a deal with Miliband, Farage wants a deal with Cameron, although he might be able to do a deal with Labour if they concede on an immediate European Union referendum. Personally, I think Farage would rather do a deal with David Cameron; Labour is firmly against people having a vote on the EU.

Ukip stands a realistic chance of holding the balance of power at Westminster than the SNP if they get their act together and do an aggressive grassroots campaign to pull both Labour and Conservative voters to his cause.

Nigel Farage is right to dismiss the Nationalists claim they will decide who enters Downing Street, because Sturgeon has already said she won’t do a deal with the Tories. If Miliband can’t get the numbers and fails, the SNP if it makes headway will stand accused of putting a Tory Government back in power, that won’t sit well with parties of the left in Scotland or the people in Labour heartlands.

Voting Labour in Scotland is the only to help put a Labour Government into power, voting SNP does nothing, if you have a flight of fancy and buy into the Nationalists winning a large body of seats, you would see their 'confidence and supply ' model fall apart leading to another election probably within two years.

Stupidity and greed will kill off that agreement.

To support his case, Nigel Farage said:

"If you look at the SNP vote .. they are taking every one of those seats directly off the Labour party. So the arithmetic suggests that whether the SNP win 10, 20 or 40 seats, that potential electoral pact that seems to be on the centre-left of politics does not go up. The arithmetic does not change if the SNP win seats. The arithmetic changes hugely if Ukip win seats like Heywood and Middleton from the Labour party, seats like Eastleigh from the Liberal Democrats and who know, perhaps even wins seats like Thanet South (where Mr Farage is the candidate) from the Conservative party".

He added:

"If Labour and the SNP are there on the left - that does not actually increase the number of seats available on the left".

Another point that Nigel Farage makes is something that I commented to other people in politics, Ukip isn’t at the stage to make their massive breakthrough yet because the vote isn’t fluid enough. In Scotland, it is highly unlikely that Ukip will win a single seat because they don’t have a developed network of activists in the communities to the extent they need.

I would agree with Farage’s assessment that Ukip’s time would be better served by the 2020 election. The British people haven’t reached a tipping point to detach from their traditional voting patterns, whoever forms the next government won’t be listening to the people and that lays the foundations of Ukip breaking into Westminster in a meaningful fashion.

Sturgeon wants £180 billion and Farage wants an in/out referendum- on the EU, on a cost basis alone, Farage offers best value for money, Cameron is already committed to a referendum to appease his backbenchers.

And he has to deliver it!

 

Unsurprisingly the SNP has declined to comment on Mr Farage's remarks, preferring to stay in their own little Sturgeon created world of delusion.

Alex Salmond likened the Ukip leader to a "meteorite" which will soon "crumble to dust".

A bit like his leadership termination within 24 hours after being wiped out on the 18^th September 2014?

Farage’s star is still on the rise unlike Salmond’s which is falling, his ‘career’ is heading towards dust, he is a spent force, Westminster is his retirement ‘old folks home’, day centre (London region).

Two things which Farage touched on during his campaign launch which should attract voters is that Ukip has committed to campaign against both the bedroom tax and the mansion tax.

Both these measures are equally unfair, particularly the bedroom tax.

Westminster 2015 is a bit like the ‘Wacky Races’ but we should remember that Dick Dastardly (Alex Salmond) and Mutley (Nicola Sturgeon) don’t have the horsepower or the experience to win this race.

As to the idea of the SNP that as part of a Labour deal they could get control of immigration for Scotland.

Niet!

Ukip will want stricter controls on immigration; this measure could be introduced fairly easily and quickly.

There may be a queue of people going back and forth to see David Cameron and Ed Miliband, Nigel Farage will be near the front but unpopular Nicola Sturgeon will certainly be at the back of the conga line.

Ukip has to become better organised in terms of policies, grassroots and their professional image, if they can tackle these issues then 2020 could see their breakthrough as a permanent force.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University