Looking at the General Election results, it is clear that most of UKIP's best results nationally came in areas where the Party has stood regularly in local elections and gained elected councillors.

The examples of the Liberal Democrats, SNP and now even the Green Party, show that working hard at local level can cause Party's even with the most unpopular policies to win seats in Westminster.

Imagine what UKIP should be able to achieve given that our policies actually reflect public opinion!

2011 will not be a 'dead year'.  With elections taking place in the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, Northern Ireland and local elections across the country, we have another opportunity to make further progress.

Young Independence:

The Chairman of Young Independence, Michael Heaver, has spoken out after the Centre of Economics and business Research in London advised Greece to leave the Euro.

http://michaelheaversblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/hate-to-say-we-told-you-so-but.html

Jails -  £44M Scandal of Junkies:

Taxpayers are forking out more than £44 million per year to maintain the drug habits of thousands of prisoners.

Shocking figures out yesterday show that every day the state pays for one in six of the entire prison population to be given Methadone or other heroin substitutes.

http:www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/178372

We say:..........

Prison is supposed to be a punishment, and is supposed to rehabilitate offenders. How are addicts going to get off drugs and stop offending when they are released from prison, if they have had their addiction fed when they are in prison?

If they were forced the 'get clean' in prison, they would be much less likely to offend again on their release.  Once again the judicial system is acting more in favour of the criminal than the law abiding public.

Cash cuts will risk an Olympic outrage:

Intelligence chiefs have warned that if security cuts go ahead then Al-Qaeda bombers could wreak havoc at the 2012 London Olympics.  Agency bosses need more cash not less to stay ahead of the terrorists.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage//news/2994769/Cash-cuts-will-risk-an-Olympic-outrage.html

We say:..........

It is the first job of government to protect its people. 'Call me Dave' and 'Nobody Nick' are so desperate to appear as a government that can control spending, that they are making cuts we can't really afford.

Defence of our nation is an expensive business, but what price can you put on the lives of the British people?

In the run-up to the Olympics, more than ever, we need to spend more on defence, not be advertising to terrorists that we will be cutting our level of protection.

UKIP are the only Party that would increase the amount spent on keeping our country safe.

So, if you are in tune with our policies and find that they reflect your feelings, please support us. Phone us on 0800 587 6587

Another Pro-EU myth destroyed:

The pro-EU lobby like to try and play down the influence of the European Union, and the number of people employed by the European Commission.  Have you ever heard this claim: "The European Commission is a relative small bureaucracy; in fact, it has fewer employees than Leeds City Council"?  This claim is often used with other large councils.  Let's shoot down that argument quickly:

1. Even if the figures were true (and they're not!) it would be a misleading statement. The European Commission employs people to write new laws affecting our daily lives; a local council employs bin men, teachers, social workers, park rangers, street sweepers.  The two should not be compared.

2. Again, even if the figures were true, it doesn't count the army of officials that have to implement the Regulations and Directives that come from the European Commission. The Environment Commission, Customs & Excise and others have to pay more staff to implement those decisions.

3. At any given time, there are thousands of lobbyists lobbying the European Commission. The Commission pays for some of the lobbyists to be there in the first place.

4. But the biggest reason of all that this statement is disingenuous is this:

The Commission employs about 35,000 people - but what of the staff for the European Parliament, the Court of Auditors, the Court of Justice, the Europeam Council or the Committee of the Regions?  What about the staff employed by the various committees that draft legislation?

In total, the EU employs 170,000 people. The British Army employs just 107,000 regular personnel.  When we talk about an army of bureaucrats, we mean it!

For more information see:

http://www.openeurope.org.uk/media-centre/pressrelease.aspx?pressreleaseid=82