By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. Lord Ashcroft wrote yesterday on this site, while analysing his latest poll from Conservative-Labour marginals, that he is more optimistic about the Tories' chances at the next election than the survey "might at first glance give reason to be". A brief look at its findings indeed provides no cheer […]
The outcome of the forthcoming German general election could be determined by the performance of a new eurosceptic political party called the Alternative for Germany (AfD). It's tempting to describe the AfD as Germany’s UKIP, but its leaders have made it clear that they have more in common with the British Conservative Party than with […]
By Tim Montgomerie Follow Tim on Twitter Andy Coulson, David Cameron's former head of communications, has written an article for the October edition of GQ (out this week) in which he gives some advice on how the Tories might counter UKIP. In summary… David Cameron, Ken Clarke and every Tory should abandon "dismissive, arrogant and […]
By Mark WallaceFollow Mark on Twitter UKIP is no stranger to internal disputes. I can think of no fewer than six bouts of bitter in-fighting over the years, peppered with dozens of smaller factional skirmishes. It also has a disturbing tendency to banish rather than simply agree to disagree when faced with a difference of opinion. To a […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. 6.30pm Update: I see that the Daily Mail has details of "the UKIP candidate who supports sharia law", plus more on some of the party's other candidates. None of the information is very recent, so perhaps the hand of Crosby is at work… One former UKIP MEP, Ashley Mote, […]
The Deep End has featured articles by Dan Hodges before (here and here) – which are typical of his fearlessly honest style. There are few political writers, especially on the left, so willing to take a subject close to their hearts and then poke around its underbelly with such ferocious abandon. His favourite topic is the Labour Party, of […]
By Andrew GimsonFollow Andrew on Twitter Conservatives have somehow lost what should be the natural and instinctive art of appealing to our patriotism. Edmund Burke was not so inhibited. As he says in a famous passage in his Reflections on the French Revolution: "To be attached to the subdivision, to love the little platoon we belong […]
By Mark WallaceFollow Mark on Twitter. The first of the Sunday newspaper polls to land in my inbox is that done for the Mail on Sunday by Survation. As some close followers of political polling may recall, Survation dropped a mini-bombshell earlier in the week when they reported the Conservatives on 24% and UKIP snapping at their […]
By Mark WallaceFollow Mark on Twitter It is impossible to mention UKIP without Nigel Farage springing to mind, a pint in one hand and a fag in the other. He has ridden to national fame on the UKIP wave, and played a huge part in driving it forward. By differing in every way from the main party […]
The prospect of a British shale gas revolution attracts broad support across the centre-right. As well it might do, because unlocking this potential resource bonanza would have major benefits. For a start, the economy would benefit – a home grown shale gas industry would undoubtedly boost growth, certainly help with our balance of payments and […]
Policies? What policies?! That used to be the cry when UKIP were less a political party and more a pressure group for our departure from Europe. But such scoffs and sneers are, if not entirely unwarranted, certainly less relevant nowadays. The party’s website provides a fairly clear list, split in to several sections, of their […]
By Mark WallaceFollow Mark on Twitter It is easy to blame the media for UKIP's recent run of success. "Of course they did well, Farage is on TV and in the papers all the time", runs the common narrative. Such an explanation may be widespread but it is not altogether accurate. Certainly their high media profile contributed […]
By Mark WallaceFollow Mark on Twitter This week, ConservativeHome's "Getting to Know U-KIP" series explores the reality of the party hitting the headlines – who they are, how they work and what they believe. Today's piece is an introduction to UKIPpers, and asks what motivates them, why they do what they do, and what implications that has […]
By Andrew GimsonFollow Andrew on Twitter UKIP has reached its highest level ever in an opinion poll: 20% in the Opinium/Observer poll. A ComRes poll for the Independent on Sunday and Sunday Mirror has UKIP on 19%, while ICM in the Sunday Telegraph puts the party on 15%. The three established parties are all in the […]
Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter There's an interesting YouGov poll in today's Times (£). We know what most voters think of Europe. They want it changed back to something more like a free trade area. We know what voters think of a referendum. They want to have one. But do voters think the politicians are […]