The Rise of UKIP and Labour's Rush to Keep Up

The Rise of UKIP

In recent years, we have seen UKIP polling double digits pushing the likes of the Liberal Democrats into fourth place. But this give rise to the question, is this support genuine or is it simply a protest vote? We can all say that we'll vote this way or that, but none of that means anything until we're actually in that voting booth and we're putting that cross against the candidate's names. Simply speaking, support means nothing unless it's turned in to votes.

          Regardless of whether this support is long term or not, we still have to ask why people heading towards UKIP in the first place? In my view, it's not down to UKIP's policies, but the failure of the major political parties to talk about the real issues real people care about. This is further fuelled by the fact that these parties never give a straight answer to these questions meaning no one really knows what they actually stand for. People might not always agree with UKIP's policies, but at least we know where their principles lie.

          If the major parties are to win back support away from UKIP, they need to start addressing the real issues that people care about. When I say this, I don't mean political posturing and one off announcements; I mean they really need to address these issues head on. This should not simply be reflected in their policies, but also in their culture and in the way they answer questions rather than beating around the bush as they always do. But saying that, this change in culture and policy needs to be coherent, consistent and with the long term future in mind. Even though Labour has recently tried to become more real and relevant to voters, they failed to address this last point making them appear as reactionary and increasingly incoherent.

Labour: Revelling in their Irrelevance

          In recent months we have heard Labour first go on about the economic crises, then the energy companies, then the cost of living crises and now the need to break up the banks. True, these issues need to be addressed, but from what I've seen, Labour has only been addressing these issues out of protest rather than fundamental belief in what they're saying. That and the fact that they only move onto the next issue when they're arguments on the previous one become invalid or out of date. No serious political party can create policy in this way and expect to be taken seriously by the electorate.

          Rather than becoming reactionary to events, Labour needs to become proactive and credible in their approach. This means creating policies that are fundamentally sound and are real long term solutions rather than short term sticky plasters. An example of this was in respect to Labour's policy in regards to energy policy. Rather than having a populist policy of fixing energy prices in the short term, we must have a long term policy that keeps energy prices under control. This includes having a diverse energy mix while gradually replacing high carbon emitting energy sources with cleaner more efficient forms of energy. But that's going off topic so I won't dwell on it here.

Conclusion

          In conclusion, unless labour develops long term credible policies, they will become increasing irrelevant and side-lined by the electorate. And in respect to UKIP, the party's support beyond it's core electorate is yet to be proven as sustainable and real. In the years to come, as the economy and standards of living improve, support for UKIP may gradually fade away. This is unless they move away from simply being a part of protest even though they would argue otherwise. However, all the major parties have something to learn from UKIP. This includes their willingness to be frank and open with the electorate rather than beating around the bush like most modern politicians do. But this on its own won't secure UKIP's long term success, they must adapt in order to survive.


Thanks for reading,
Jason Cates