Friday 14 November 2014

Nothing Reckless

No, of course Ed Miliband is not going to participate in some "debate" with Nigel Farage for the bobby prize of coming, well, where, exactly?
 
There are going to be far more SNP MPs than UKIP ones. There are going to be more DUP MPs than UKIP ones. There may well be more Sinn Féin MPs than UKIP ones.

There is a good chance, due to their more concentrated support, of there being more Green MPs than UKIP ones; undoubtedly, the number will be comparable.

There might be more Plaid Cymru MPs than UKIP ones; again, there will be much the same number of each.

Even next year, there are bound to be more Lib Dem MPs than UKIP ones.

UKIP is about to pull off for the second time the decidedly unimpressive trick of re-electing an incumbent against whom it did not field a candidate last time and whose views bare precious little resemblance to this week's on-the-hoof UKIP policy about anything.

Farage is in this week's New Statesman, offering to support a Labour Government. What, exactly, would he and Miliband have to debate, at least this week?

In any case, there is going to be a Labour overall majority.

As for David Cameron's appeal to Labour, Lib Dem and Green supporters to vote Conservative at Rochester and Strood, that's called ... oh, what is the word? Politics. That's it. That's called politics.

It is surprising, if to anyone, then only to people with absolutely no knowledge of, or interest in, political activity. If you find it remotely worthy of comment, then that is what you are: a person with absolutely no knowledge of, or interest in, political activity.

As for Mark Reckless himself, at least he does seem to have grown up in Britain, rather than returning to Kenya or Peru during the holidays from his eccentric educational institution.

He has not acquired his view of Britain entirely from the odd, not to say the very odd, book, to which he then demands that the place be conformed, screaming with rage because his vision is unrecognisable to the rest of us.

It is one thing to come here, including via the public schools, from elsewhere, to decide to stay, and to accept that that gives you a lot to learn.

But it is quite another to insist that you already know all about Britain, whereas the people who have lived most or all of their lives here have little or no understanding of this country's "real" or "true" character.

2 comments:

  1. I normally agree with you about leaders debates being a US phenomenon derived from the Presidential system but if Miliband believes leaving the EU would be a disaster for Britain as he said this week then let's have a real debate about it in front of the public.

    Nick Clegg Natalie Benett and David Cameron and the rest of the Establishment agree with Miliband. As Cameron made clear this week in his appeal to their voters.

    UKIP does not.

    Let's have it out. Name the time and place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Farage is now openly in favour of Miliband for Prime Minister. They have nothing to debate.

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