Holy Trinity of Doomed Strategies

As the dust settles on UKIP's dramatic European Elections win, we are now being treated to the unsightly spectacle of politicians trying to quell the threat posed by Nigel's Peoples Army. We at The Purple Revolt have looked at the three main strategies being used to combat the purple surge, and how they are all doomed to failure. It has become quite evident that the most effective UKIP recruiting officers seems to be representatives from other parties. Watch any politics show you wish, and you will see politicians handling the UKIP issue like someone wearing boxing gloves trying to handle a slippery bar of soap. The truth is, they can take one of three paths, all of which are as impotent as the next.


Firstly, we have the well trodden "protest vote" path. By diminishing the UKIP vote as a protest, politicians are insulting the five-million people who voted for the party, as well as hardening their resolve to vote for them again. By writing off UKIP's election win as a "protest" the message given out is that the political elite have still not got the message. In patting the voter on the head and dismissing their vote as just a two fingers to the establishment, people will become even more determined to stick with the party at the General Election next year. Much of the establishment find it difficult to believe, and we are not sure why, that people might just be voting for UKIP on policy. There are large swathes of this country who are sick of pointless EU laws, are unhappy with the effects of mass immigration and want a return to nation state democracy and self government.


Secondly, there is the Conservative Party strategy. This involves nauseating levels of patronisation and incredible levels of arrogance. Judging by those attributes, it is perhaps no surprise that it is the Conservatives who are employing this particular method. By saying, as they often do: "UKIP can't give you a say on Europe, so in 2015 please step back in line like good little voters" they are only making voting UKIP more attractive. To put it one way, it's the equivalent of a teacher telling off a naughty schoolboy for writing crude messages in the back of a textbook. Next lesson, the words "Cameron is a tosser" are twice as likely to be scribbled down in biro. The irony of a party who finished well behind UKIP last week arguing that UKIP are too small to give answers on Europe is not lost on us, and it won't be lost on the voter.


The third and final route which many have gone down is to try and appease the UKIP voters. Politicians put on their best fake concern face and their most patronising tone and re-assure you that they are listening to concerns very closely. In recent days we have seen Ed Miliband address a select few hand picked members of the public, assuring them that contrary to Labour's past beliefs, it is in fact not racist to talk about immigration. Not only that, but he has gone on to admit that mass immigration has caused some difficulties and his party understands these concerns. This approach is equally doomed, as anyone with the most basic grasp of politics knows they cannot, or more accurately will not, act. By admitting some of the perils of mass immigration, but then refusing to even offer a referendum on EU membership, Miliband has backed himself into a corner. The gross output of this strategy is to vindicate UKIP's position, but then admit they do not want to do anything about it.


So there we have it. The holy trinity of doomed strategies employed to counter the UKIP threat which are all about as effective as each other. Thank you very much for reading, feel free to comment, share or sign up to our mailing list.