| In a recent Economist blog piece a regular columnist suggested that 'UKIP does not need to win a single House of Commons seat at the next general election to have an outsized impact. The party just needs to threaten, credibly, to siphon off enough Conservative votes to deny David Cameron’s party victory in a decisive number of seats.' I want to put paid to this notion that UKIP has nothing to offer other than being a pressure group seeking to lurch Mr Cameron and his inner circle towards a more eurosceptic position. This is not what we are about as a party and it is certainly not the view of the vast majority of the UKIP grassroots support that I meet on a regular basis. In fact, I'm sure most, like me, find this patronising in the extreme. Votes: UKIP must win seats in parliament if it is to push aside the Tories and create a place within British politics (file picture) UKIP does not and should not exist to enable and articulate a disgruntled voice within the Tories, It seeks its own piece of the 'market'. Much has been of the recent local elections results for UKIP. Our share of the vote went up and the Tories were denied several seats as a result. But I was not leaping for joy for this reason: Political parties exist to get bums on seats. It doesn't mean much if your vote goes up tenfold if this does not translate to positions on councils, the London Assembly or indeed Westminster and Brussels. Of course it is always nice to poll well, but if you don't get representatives elected then what is the point? This is the crossroads at which UKIP finds itself today. Does it accept this narrative that it exists solely to pressure the Tories or does it forge its own path and create its own space within the British political spectrum? I know which option appeals to me and believe this is what most UKIP supporters feel is best. Of course there is much in common that we share with the Conservative Party, free-market economics, a tougher line on immigration, a less burdensome regulatory framework for business and our public services to name but three. Mainstream: The majority of the public want a referendum while 70 per cent of Tory MPs would vote leave the EU But we are not Tories in the same way that Greens are not Liberal Democrats. On Europe we disagree fundamentally. To flesh this out further a recent opinion poll carried out by Conservative Home for Channel Four news showed that 70 per cent of grassroots conservatives would vote to come out of the EU if there was an in/out referendum now. Downing Street conceded that this was expected and even suggested that up to 100 MPs would do likewise if they were free to vote how they wanted to. This is the nub of it. If the conservative whips threatening and witholding key positions for the new intake of eurosceptic MPs means that these MPs do not have the strength of their convictions to stand up to them, then the 70 per cent and 100 MPs adds up to precisely nothing. What use then is UKIP 'pressure'? If the Tories won't articulate the mainstream view that we espouse we shouldn't seek to 'pressure' them, we should take their seats and push them aside. This is how you grow. Without naming names I sought to do an event in Westminster recently on cutting the EU Budget (a budget by the way that gave 285 Billion Euro - an astronomical amount of taxpayers money - to Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain over the last 10 years.) A sympathetic eurosceptic Tory MP pulled back from booking a room for me on the basis that the whips were not happy. Cutting our contributions to the EU budget is precisely the kind of debate that we need to have in Westminster, but we don't have any UKIP MPs to make the case. All the 'pressure' in the world can't change this at present. To illustrate this point further, after a well received speech I made at the People's Pledge event in London, people came up to me and said they enjoyed my speech but who should they vote for at Westminster as UKIP doesn't have any MPs. What to tell them? Simple answer: Our conservative 'allies' may not have the strength to change our relationship with the EU but we do. So let us go out and have this conversation with the British Public. Let us convince them that UKIP can be much more than a protest vote. We should exist to offer british voters a credible alternative to the pro-European parties. If the Tories feel pressurised by this then all the better, but 'pressure' should definitely not be our raison d'etre. Marta Andreasen is a former European Commission Chief Accountant and UKIP MEP for the South East of EnglandTories aren't voicing the popular eurosceptic view:
UKIP must take their seats and push them aside
Friday 22 June 2012
'Our conservative ''allies'' may not have the strength to change our relationship with the EU but we do'
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