UKIP is a relatively new anti-establishment/euro-skeptic party that won the Euro-elections in the UK and is very likely to do extremely well in the future domestic elections. It represents the voice of those who want to leave the EU and has become well-known across the European continent. Many of my followers have asked me whether UK’s Independence party is a racist party or not? Many of you assumed it is. I would argue that despite opinion polls showing that over 40% of UK’s citizens think it is a racist party, there is no easy answer to such question. A party is formed by its leader and team, a manifesto and its supporters. Nigel Farage has surely made some provoking statements. He publicly stated he felt uncomfortable that one time he found himself inside a train with foreign people speaking their own languages (despite the fact those people may be bilingual, just like his children). He also said he wouldn’t want Romanians to move next door (even though he framed it in a different way). He was also an ally of Speroni in the former european legislature. The list could go on. It is also true however he has publicly claimed that UKIP is not against immigration, but wants to control and perhaps limit immigration by leaving the EU. UK businesses and UK’s economy should decide what kind of skills are necessary. He has also condemned the words of racist party-members in the majority of cases. His own party has candidates with different origins and belong to different ethnic groups. It is perhaps for all these reasons that politicians such as Ed Miliband have never found the courage to define him racist. However, even though Nigel Farage does not want UKIP to be labelled as a racist or a nationalist party, in fact he is not an ally of Marine Le Pen in the European parliament, nor is he forming coalitions with other far-right parties, there are quite a few UKIP candidates who have taken racist stances and have been condemned for their offensive declarations. The electorate and supporters are surely not constituted solely by “extremist” or racist people. The party is also the hotbed of those people who believe the UK would be better off outside the EU, it may be appealing to those who want an alternative to lab/con/lib parties, or to those looking for an anti-establishment party. If, indeed, on the one hand it is undeniable that UKIP voters have very different backgrounds and may not have much in common, apart from wanting to leave the EU, on the other hand it is undeniable that UKIP has spurred to a certain extent hatred and increased friction amongst different segments society. It does try to put forward a common enemy for the British people. It surely has given rise in some regions of the UK to discrimination towards certain nationalities. It may speak the truth in some cases, but it is also evident that is has tried and perhaps been capable of offering a valid alternative to those far-right movements, such as the BNP, which people are less likely to vote due to strategic voting. Hence, as I said, there is no such thing as an easy answer to such question. The party is constituted by different elements and each one of these should be assessed individually. If you are curious to know more about Farage and his party you can watch these two youtube videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGI_kRNvI0k (in which he is having a hard time) and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4lmuLI81SU (in which he is debating in a superb way.)
Il cacciatore 