Having been thinking about it for many months, I ventured to my first UKIP Branch Meeting in Cardiff, on 18th January 2011. I had joined the party at the end of last year, as its manifesto is closely aligned to my own thinking on matters of political importance, and has sufficient scope for people of all religions (or none) to be able to express their beliefs without fear of intimidation or prosecution from the state.
I arrived late due to traffic, but caught the last hour of the meeting, which was held in a local business’s board room. There were about twenty people at the meeting, seated around a large table with a few packets of biscuits informally placed in the centre for everyone to help themselves. The atmosphere was cordial and despite my late arrival a seat was vacated for me by one kind person at the opposite end of the table to the Chair.
Various topical matters were discussed including:
- The Welsh Referendum on 3rd March 2011, and how the Welsh political elite were unanimously behind the ‘Yes for Wales’ campaign; and there was a call for support of the ‘True Wales’ grass-roots ‘No’ campaign press launch the following evening.
- The way the media and big businesses in Wales are totally supportive of the ‘Yes’ campaign because of the Welsh Assembly’s power on funding and awarding of contracts.
- The general media blackout of UKIP’s opinion and viewpoint, with the exception of the Daily Express and their crusade and petition to get the UK out of Europe. It was brought to the attention of the meeting that a special supplement on ‘Get Britain out of the EU’ was published in the Daily Express paper on 8 January 2011.
- The UKIP party conference in Scarborough on 4-5 March 2011
- Various election tactics for the May 2011 Welsh Assembly Elections
- The high cost of fighting the Barnsley bi-election and how that translated into additional votes for UKIP.
A collection of donations was swiftly taken to support Branch Expenses and the meeting ended and was followed by informal discussions. Above all, what struck me was that here were a group of very ordinary people united by a common, genuine, and deep concern about the UK and its future, and motivated enough to turn-up to try and make a difference. No egos, no spin, no false pretences, just a plain motivation: ‘Here I am. What can I do to change the political course of the UK and its people for the better?’
If you review the UKIP policies on their website, you will see that they provide sufficient scope for Christians to join and be involved in achieving political aims and objectives. Freedom of speech and religious freedom is still considered by UKIP to be vital for an effective democracy. The other three major parties are actively working to constrain these fundamental principles and bring in fascist policies under the guise of politically correct (PC) legislation. To put it simply, a Christian can no longer vote for the Conservatives, Labour or Liberal Democrats without compromising their faith. So don’t vote for them.
© 1 February 2011
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