So the mighty populist party that once boasted one whole member of parliament has now lost control of the only local authority it controlled.
But those politicians who cowered in terror at the awesome force that was Ukip should still beware. Remember, in March 2017, Arron Banks announced the birth of a new, improved Ukip 2.0 from the smouldering ashes of the old Ukip:
The page has is no information about what those "fresh ideas" are and provides no concrete information about the party, or even proof that it exists as more than a single web page, but if you're interested enough, you can leave your e-mail address and "pre-register" with The Patriotic Alliance.*
But Banksy's not the only one with big plans for a new, improved, Ukip. Last month, the ex-Ukip candidate best known for his "Gay donkey tried to rape my horse" claim, founded another brand new political party - complete with donkey logo, naturally.
And now Ukip's latest ex-leader has released Ukip 4.0, a dynamic young party otherwise known as OneNation, a piece of branding which deftly combines reassuring echoes of Queen Victoria's favourite prime minister with the up-to-the-minute aesthetic of InterCaps. No wonder Henry's such a big hit with the youngs.
This is the mighty popular wave holding Parliament's feet to the fire over Brexit. No wonder they're too scared to change course.
*Update - Since writing this post, I've come across a statement from Banksy, published on the 25th of March 2017, "introducing" the The Patriotic Alliance. To be fair, there's a bit more information about the "fresh ideas" TPA are kicking around. Although "fresh" is stretching the truth a bit - from what I can see, TPA is about reheating the familiar leftovers from the Kipper wish-list: an Australian-style immigration points system, ensuring only the "right" migrants are allowed to live here, a cap of 50,000 migrants per year and making prisons more unpleasant.
Other than that, Banksy wants YOU, potential TPA supporter, to spEak You're bRanes in an "experiment ... in direct democracy", presumably designed to reanimate some kind of Frankenstein's policy monster from the collective id of the Daily Mail's comments section.
When will this exciting experiment start? The TPA's web site was "set for launch in May" according to Banksy's introduction, although he didn't specify May of which year.
In an article last April, David Lawrence of Hope Not Hate speculated that the hyped launch of The Patriotic Alliance got delayed, following Theresa May's announcement of a snap general election, because "Farage is lining UKIP up for failure in the hope that they bomb so badly that the need for an alternative – in the shape of Banks’ TPA – is obvious."
If this analysis is correct, maybe Ukip's poor showing in last years' election wasn't quite poor enough for the strategists behind TPA and maybe they're still waiting for Ukip's final implosion (which can't be far off now the party apparently lacks the funds to even stage elections for a new leader), before animating its zombie web site. Either that, or Banks is all mouth and no trousers. Time will tell.
But those politicians who cowered in terror at the awesome force that was Ukip should still beware. Remember, in March 2017, Arron Banks announced the birth of a new, improved Ukip 2.0 from the smouldering ashes of the old Ukip:
Arron Banks, the Ukip donor who bankrolled the multimillion-pound Leave.EU Brexit campaign, has said he has quit Ukip and will now set up a new political force...So how's it going? Well, at the time of writing, something called The Patriotic Alliance exists as a single web page, which claims to belong to "a grassroots movement built on the success of the EU referendum", with the stated aims of "holding the political establishment to account and introducing fresh ideas to the national policy debate."
He also described his new movement on Tuesday as “Ukip 2.0, the Force Awakens”, although it is unlikely to use the Ukip name. He has previously suggested it could be called the “Patriotic Alliance”.
The page has is no information about what those "fresh ideas" are and provides no concrete information about the party, or even proof that it exists as more than a single web page, but if you're interested enough, you can leave your e-mail address and "pre-register" with The Patriotic Alliance.*
But Banksy's not the only one with big plans for a new, improved, Ukip. Last month, the ex-Ukip candidate best known for his "Gay donkey tried to rape my horse" claim, founded another brand new political party - complete with donkey logo, naturally.
 |
| AKA Ukip 3.0, or UCRAP (Unusually Camp Rapey Animal Party). |
 |
| He’s big, red and has a nice friendly smile which makes him one of the most popular policy vacuums in the UK. |
This is the mighty popular wave holding Parliament's feet to the fire over Brexit. No wonder they're too scared to change course.
___________________________
*Update - Since writing this post, I've come across a statement from Banksy, published on the 25th of March 2017, "introducing" the The Patriotic Alliance. To be fair, there's a bit more information about the "fresh ideas" TPA are kicking around. Although "fresh" is stretching the truth a bit - from what I can see, TPA is about reheating the familiar leftovers from the Kipper wish-list: an Australian-style immigration points system, ensuring only the "right" migrants are allowed to live here, a cap of 50,000 migrants per year and making prisons more unpleasant.
Other than that, Banksy wants YOU, potential TPA supporter, to spEak You're bRanes in an "experiment ... in direct democracy", presumably designed to reanimate some kind of Frankenstein's policy monster from the collective id of the Daily Mail's comments section.
In an article last April, David Lawrence of Hope Not Hate speculated that the hyped launch of The Patriotic Alliance got delayed, following Theresa May's announcement of a snap general election, because "Farage is lining UKIP up for failure in the hope that they bomb so badly that the need for an alternative – in the shape of Banks’ TPA – is obvious."
If this analysis is correct, maybe Ukip's poor showing in last years' election wasn't quite poor enough for the strategists behind TPA and maybe they're still waiting for Ukip's final implosion (which can't be far off now the party apparently lacks the funds to even stage elections for a new leader), before animating its zombie web site. Either that, or Banks is all mouth and no trousers. Time will tell.
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