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BRITAIN’S ANTI-EUROPEAN Union UK Independence Party (UKIP) is set to claim its second seat in parliament a month, after gaining its first foothold as voters went to the polls in the town of Rochester.
The by-election in southeast England was called after MP Mark Reckless defected in September from Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative Party to UKIP, which wants strict quotas on immigration.
Rochester
The Conservatives have campaigned hard for the Rochester and Strood seat, leading experts to portray the election as a historic moment in British politics if polls indicating a UKIP win bear out.
“UKIP was not supposed to win this by-election,” explained Matthew Goodwin, politics professor at Nottingham University.
The party’s victory in Clacton on October 9 was more predictable as it was “perfect territory for UKIP”.
“It is filled with the types of voters who have fuelled UKIP’s rise since 2010 — older, white, working-class and struggling voters who have few qualifications.
“But Rochester and Strood is a different matter — which is why the Tories were confident they would smash UKIP.”
Cameron vowed to “throw everything” at the battle and defeat would deal a blow to his reputation, but that could turn into a full-blown crisis if the result triggers further defections.
Reckless on Wednesday said that two more Tory MPs were thinking of jumping ship, increasing pressure on Cameron ahead of next year’s general election.
The prime minister has already promised a referendum on Britain’s EU membership if his party wins the general election and has taken a harder stance on immigration in an attempt to stem the flow.
UKIP ‘living in the past’
Eric Pickles, the Conservative communities secretary, dismissed Reckless’s claims.
“I don’t think there will be any (defections),” he said during a campaign trip to Rochester.
“We have brought the economy back from the brink. At times when we talk to our friends in UKIP it sounds as though the only thing they really like about our country is its past.”
Polls opened at 7am and will close at 10pm tonight with results expected early Friday.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage was in Rochester to back his candidate, who said campaigning had gone according to plan.
“Today is not a day for politicians but for the people of Rochester and Strood,” said Reckless, shortly after casting his vote.
“Elections are the purest aspect of our democracy and I always enjoy them.
“The first week or two of the campaign were quite tough, then it has been going as hoped.”
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You have to agree with UKIP on immigration though surely?
UK aside there has been too much immigration,too fast and too soon into this country.
I agree and I’m an immigrant naturalised Irish. So many people disrespecting Ireland trying to impose the same habits we are trying to get away from. We need an Australian/Canadian immigration system
No. You really don’t have agree with UKIPS view on immigration at all. They are led by a clever opportunist but staffed & supported mostly by desperate fools & wilful n0bheads. Unilateral migration will be the greatest step forward for mankind since the industrial revolution
Padriag O’Traged with all your respect, immigrants say things to me they wouldn’t say to you because they don’t see me as real Irish, they think I empathise with them as many do. Many criticise, moan and yak about how “this’ or “that’ is stupid and how they got it right back in their country. I have ended up more than once telling them that if is so mediocre here and so good where they’re from why are they here here? You see, if someone called Padriag O’Traged tells says that is racism, therefore Padraig prefers to keep it quiet, but if I say it they’ll just have to take it and dún do bhéal
With that amount of moaning & whining about Ireland, sounds like they should fit right in with the locals.
Not the same Padraig, when they moan they do it with sense of superiority of their culture better than ours. I moan and whine, we should all be free to complain, you should not be restricted to express your anger at the government, but the difference is that we do it in a constructive manner and we try to do something about it and debate solutions for the greater good of our society.
Saying that “This is stupid, I had to wait 5 hours for a doctor in an ugly hospital, the health system is a joke, back in Russia is better and cheaper, Irish doctors don’t have a clue, Russian doctors do”
Where is the empathy and the solution to that problem in that argument?
Great to see UKIP doing so well. Nigel Farage has been an inspiring voice for many who believe the EU has gone too far. He promoted the No campaign in Ireland against the Lisbon treaty and he is one of the wittiest speakers I have ever listened to. This is good news
Bad for working class people. Bad for sick people. UKIP are Tories on a bad morning
UKIP and the British media hate the EU because it’s too left wing and liberal.
The Irish media hates the EU for other miscellaneous reasons. Our media tells us that the EU is right wing because we have been brainwashed into thinking “right wing is bad, left wing is good”. Just like the American media has them brainwashed into thinking “socialism” and “socialist” are bad negative words.
The Irish media definitely doesn’t “hate” the EU.
Jack
The irish media does not hate the EU and it’s not about a false left right paradigm. It’s about Nationalism versus Federalism. I want us to have control of our country again. The genius that is Irish Water came from the EU. It would be great if we could vote to remove its architects but there is no mechanism citizens can initiate to do that. Hence we have no control over out future. Ireland needs to leave the EU ASAP
The city of malmo in Sweden a once staunch and beautiful city,is now over run with immigration,because of the Eu,they are having problems with Muslims their trying to enforce their ways,its a disaster,and it will happen here too,unless we quickly upend incompetent Kenny and co,who have cut back immigration police so much they are practically non existent ,coupled with open borders and relentless passport sales.
Any blow to the EU is good for all of us.
Yes – that seventy years of peace has been so boring
There was peace in Europe for years before the EU.
Yeah, almost 12 years in fact.
we need a similar party to UKIP here,they certainly could not be much worse than the delinquents we already have.
The UK Tea Party!
He’d do great in the Irish political scene – he’s never out of the pub!
A Rich ex city banker and defecting ex Tories are supposed to be the friend of the working class. British society is going down the pan.
We don’t care! It’s a different country, if you’re going to give us UK political news than why not give us Spanish or Polish political news also?
Don’t forget some of us have moved to the UK and like to see UK stories alongside Irish ones when we read the Journal.
Also, if you ignore what’s going on outside Ireland you’re risking missing a lot.
Its relevant john since we are the “kith and kin” of the British according to UKIP
Irish people are interested in UK news, believe it or not.
What percent of our population could name the Polish or even Spanish pm/president?
When UKIP get the UK out of the EUSSR we will certainly follow and put an end to the stranglehold that Common Purpose and other ‘one world’ parasites have on us.
Melanie, if you live in the UK and you want to read UK news, then go to a UK website. Some of us have moved to Spain, Poland, Hungary, New Zealand etc but you don’t see their political news on this site.
No one here gives a hoot about Polak politics.
What happens in the UK affects us. If you’re not interested don’t click the story.
Spain has a king
They have been linked to ddi here, or at least ddi members say they respect farage
Humans share 95% of their DNA with chimpanzees. Similarly the Irish & British (England, Wales & Scotland) share 99% of their history, cultural & political DNA. Comments like John’s are just an attempt to differentiate and highlight the 1% difference.
How is this guy any different to the “no dogs or irish ” in the fifties. Just they want a specific type of immigrant to to the jobs that no British person wants to do.
I’m not sure about that. If he was a plain old racist he could’ve joined one of the existing racist parties. But he’s certainly toying with dodgy right-wing forces and attracting the wrong element. That’s why he has to expel more people than any other party leader. Remember the guy who said that all babies with Downs should be compulsorily aborted? Did anyone need to check what party he was from??
First, the old “No Irish” cliché is just urban myth. There was massive Irish migration into austerity struck UK (that still endured rationing) for years. Anyhoo to paraphrase Australian former PM John Howard “We will decide who comes to this country and the manner in which they come”.
Farage has a German wife. It’s not “racist” to have control over your own borders, nor to want control over the number and “quality” of people you invite in. At present it’s a free for all. The Irish have the same rights in the UK as UK citizens anyway, so wouldn’t be affected in any UKIP inspired policy.
If the forefathers of this fascist baboon had had their way we Irish would be confined to the bogs.
Farage is the anti PC hero we need in Eire. He knows how to run a successful business, he is worth a few mill, and understands the terror immigration brings. Ukip has received over 70 million pounds through its grouping in the EU and through fundraising over the past ten years. Who cares that nige received over 60% of that. He is a business man who is exploiting and highlighting EU inneficiency. He is also wise to the anti family homosex propaganda. Long live king Nigel. A man that stands up for the principles of the signatories of the 1916 rising, a true mate of Eire.
Nigel Farage is the Arthur Daly of british politics.
Well he’s in a sea of other Arthur Dalys then.
Politicians the world over are largely a scheming, corrupt shower. New faces are always welcome, they deserve a chance to do right by the people and if they turn out the same as the rest then so be it, just don’t give them the X next time around.
McBride do really believe they want out of Europe?
I think they would. I think they’d stay in though if European powers were restricted and each country got to decide their own immigration policies etc.
Its funny when life parodies an episode of the Simpsons…
Are these morons getting dumber, or just louder?
Dumber, sir.
They won’t give up the Bear Patrol but they won’t pay taxes for it either.
Ducking this issue calls for REAL LEADERSHIP.
People, your taxes are high because of illegal immigrants! That’s right! Illegal immigrants.
We need to get rid of them!
“Immi-gants” I knew it was them! Even when it was the bears, I knew it was them.
Nige is looking very smug entirely…..
For a party which says it’s against Europe, UKIP do a decent impression of the Polish government.
I find it amusing that the name of their party is an oxymoron
I be would worried if my MPs name was reckless
Would be
Anti family homosex propaganda ? If anyone thinks that homosexuality is propaganda/anti family then they need to deeply question their own sexuality.
So if the UK leaves the EU. They will stop people from continental Europe from coming in to work. We will be able to work in the UK because we’re “kith and kin”. So the millions of people who want to live in the UK will come here first, live here for five years, gain citizenship and then go over. Millions of able bodied workers coming here for five years could be great for our economy.
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