Nigel Farage hails UKIP's 'political earthquake'
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| Jeremy Hunt and Chuka Umunna defended their parties' performances |
It will have been
impossible not to notice that yesterday (23rd May 2014), the results
of the local council elections of the previous day were filling the
media and television news coverage on all channels and “special”
programmes aired specifically for analysis and comment. The blanket
media coverage will clearly be repeated on Sunday evening and
continue into Monday morning, after the results of the European
elections are announced when the polling stations across Europe close
at 9pm tomorrow (25th May). One indisputable fact, commonly confirmed
in every interview, analysis and story is that the three (formally)
major parties, Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat have learned
nothing from the results of the local elections and will continue
with their head in sand attitude generally and their failure to
understand or accept what the ballot box is telling them.
Time after time, from
early morning to late last evening, a procession of MP's or activists
or both, from all three parties, Labour, Conservative or LibDem,
filled our screens to offer their interpretation of the results from
the vote. No doubt over the coming days, even more “pundits” will
join the ranks of those in the studios of BBC or Sky News or will be
interviewed from Parliament Square (usually amid noisy traffic and
emergency service vehicle sirens) or some constituency around the
country all offering their “take” on the events and results.
All, bar none, will have
the same basic response. After the perfunctory admission of a less
than satisfactory performance from their own party, there will follow
the word “but”. After that there comes the cliché ridden
distortions of how, notwithstanding their own performance, the result
was in fact some form of victory as “if you look at the full
picture” or “our share of the vote has held up” or “of course
(insert any of the other parties on the ballot paper) has not done
anywhere near as well as they were expected to do” or “our
message has struck a chord with the voters which is reflected in our
share of the vote” or one thousand and one other phrases so loved
and so overused by these “politicians” who are unrelentingly
convinced that we actually accept or more worryingly believe, what
they are saying. They, and their predecessors, have been repeating
this clichéd garbage for more than 30 years, but may well now have
to face a different reality.
| The "new reality"? |
Whether we like it or not,
and regardless of whether they got our vote or conversely our
censure, UKIP has introduced a new dynamic into the political arena.
Clearly, the almost hysterical mud slinging and innuendo, so common
over the last few months (and incredibly, repeated by a few
interviewee's as late as last night), has not had the effect that the
other parties and the media, had in mind. It will be interesting to
observe the conversations and analysis following the announcement of
the European election results. The other parties and some sections of
the media, have given the impression of believing that the emergence
of another political party to challenge their position as the
“natural leaders” of the country would be so implausible, that it
would be nothing more than just a flash in the pan, a protest vote,
which would not last beyond a by election or a freak result. The
British voters would, they believe, return to their respective folds
and restore the three party status quo at “the next election”.
The illusion that Labour,
or Liberal Democrat (or a Lib and someone else coalition) or
Conservatives, have some divine right to govern the United Kingdom
should have been dispelled by the polls of last Thursday. One of the
other great clichés used by the three parties propaganda machines is
that “lessons will be learned”.
If their objective is to
remain as a major player in politics, then they will certainly have
to change philosophy, attitude and their relationship with the
British people, as history tells us that where the learning of
lessons is concerned, the complete opposite is the norm.
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