Who to vote for if you hate the assembly
Wednesday, April 04, 2007

UKIP continue their assembly election campaign today under the banner 'Abolish the Assembly and Leave The EU'. With a manifesto that looks like it's been knocked up by someone taking their first tentative steps into the world of Microsoft Office, UKIP may not appear to be much of the threat. But don't rule out a protetst vote having some impact.

That's because it's not all rosy in the squiggly tree meadows of the Tory heartlands. Remember, this is the first election the Conservatives will fight as an entirely pro-devolution party. They are in unchartertered territory and there are still die-hard Tories who think the whole idea stinks.

Last time round the Conservatives did well despite remaining unconvinced about devolution, so UKIP will be hoping that it can soak up the votes of Tory discontents. Ironically, the beneficiaries of such a scenario could be Plaid Cymru, a party whose aims are inimical to almost everything UKIP stands for.

Labels: , , , , ,

posted by Blamerbell @ 8:45 am, ,


Tory defections a slap in the face
Monday, January 15, 2007

The Welsh Conservatives didn't choose the best day to welcome a former senior Labour councillor into their ranks.

It was supposed to be a kick in the teeth for Labour, as the shadow Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, greeted the Tories' latest convert - Giles Howard (previously a cabinet member for Labour on Monmouthshire county council).

But the event has been somewhat overshadowed by the announcement of two major party figures that they will defect to UKIP unless the Conservatives change their attitude towards Europe.

Stuart Wheeler has thrown money at the Tories in the past, and Lord Kalms is a former party treasurer. Today, they both revealed they'd consider voting UKIP.

It makes little sense for the Tories to trumpet defections in the present climate, as they obviously have no guarantee over the loyalty of their own followers. Just last week two peers, Lord Pearson of Rannoch and Lord Willoughby de Broke, also switched allegiance to UKIP.

Meanwhile, a leading think tank has renewed its calls for a cap on donations to political parties in response to today's events. Director of Unlock Democracy Peter Facey said:

"The implication to the Conservatives of Stuart Wheeler and Lord Kalms switching allegiance is clear: they will lose a major source of income and possibly see a political rival boosted by millions of pounds in extra revenue. This is a transparent attempt by a couple of rich individuals to use their chequebooks to influence the policy of a political party."

Labels: , , , , ,

posted by Blamerbell @ 3:01 pm, ,