Electorate has lost faith with main political parties

Whether you think UKIP are a bunch of racist homophobes or a party with the right policies, nothing is more certain, the UK now has four serious contenders at election time – as long as the Lib Dems don’t disintegrate.

Almost a third of votes cast recently went to UKIP and 24 of their candidates were elected as MEP’s. The question is, why the sudden rise?

The UK electorate has lost faith with the deluded Tories, Lib Dems and Labour. They are sick of empty promises, frustrated at being ignored and fed up with politicians who look after their own interests rather than the people who elect them.

Broken promises and poor political performance feature high on the agenda. Labour refuse to hold an EU Referendum and four years ago almost bankrupted the country. The Lib Dems are more concerned with the rights of everyone other than UK residents and the Conservatives introduced “Localism” to give local communities more control. Of course they did!

UKIP campaign against a dictatorial EU and its effects on the UK. These elections saw an increasing number of the electorate share those concerns. So what about a truthful debate on our EU membership? I suppose “truthful” might be pushing it, but let’s hear both sides of the argument.

These three parties have been found out by UKIP’s political rise. Their lies and deceit have been exposed. The contempt with which they treat the electorate has been highlighted.

With less than 12 months to a General Election, what can we expect? You can bet your bottom dollar the political gravy train will be promising even more goodies than at previous elections, in an effort to win back your vote. But do you believe them?

They will be seeking as much media exposure as possible in a forlorn attempt to prove their popularity. Long lost MPs will return to the fold and be snapped opening galas and fetes in an attempt to assure us they look after our best interests.

The truth is, once elected they spend the next four years looking after their own interests until the merrygoround starts again.

British politics is party-orientated. MPs are told which way to vote by Party Whips and the majority obey, because they don’t want a black mark – it might damage a future promotion.

I am not advocating UKIP to be the answer, far from it. But each party’s political elite has to acknowledge their shortcomings by listening to the electorate and acting.

These recent elections send a clear message. We can give you power through the ballot box and just as easily take it away.

Steve Rush,

Clitheroe