Well I've still not got it together enough yet to write a big piece on the election results, and things are still settling down out there.
I will say that the result has had the affect of turning almost the whole country against the so-called 'government' and it looks like most people are now looking locally at last.
One party existed purely for entertainment and humour and that was of course UKIP. As expected by most of us they won just one seat, but I think Dummy Nigel's after election cabaret did surprise most of us. He has of course now destroyed whatever political career that he thought lay in front of him.
And the 'party' itself seems to be in terminal decline, with the tories stealing many of their maddest ideas and presenting them as if saying something means it will happen. In/out referendum, bringing back foxhunting, trying to ban EU citizens living and working here etc etc. Mad stuff that wouldn't be believed in a work of fiction ...
UKIP's sole MP Douglas Carswell started flirting with the Green Party soon after winning his seat, suggesting we had a common issue over the way votes are counted, that we smaller parties should push for AV or whatever system is currently fashionable, so that small parties can get an appropriate amount of seats. (Of course the stunning SNP victory proves that a small party CAN win under FPTP, but he seems to have missed that).
It got me thinking how UKIP and the Greens resemble each other. Well the Greens aren't absolute supporters of the EU in the way that the big parties (and Labour) are. But our reasoning is completely different to the Little Englander drivel spouted by the kippies. I'm sure that eventually the EU will collapse under its own weight but for now the ability to live and work anywhere in Europe is esomething we don't really appreciate it - until some idiots threaten to take it away and force us to live in this bland little island!
If we did leave the EU we'd take a huge hit to our economy - I reckon anywhere between a 10% and 15% fall in GDP. Even the Greens don't want the economy to shrink that fast, but UKIP do! Greener than the Greens ....
And their other bete noire, immigration? Let's think about this ... why does immigration exist? The answer is simple - growth and demographics. Corporatism and consumerism is based on endless growth. Yeah, I know WE know that's impossible and unsustainable, but the less bright parties - all of 'em - don't. And demographics - we've an ageing and not particularly fertile population and if governments are going to continue to be able to pay pensions and benefits they need a supply of young, fit and employable imported people. UKIP wants to close this door so we have to imply that they also want to start reversing growth - and they plan to do it far quicker than we ever could. Again, UKIP, Greener than the Greens.
You couldn't make it up ...
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