UKIP has always had some lousy racist policies and politicians. But now Brexit is happening, it’s had the rug pulled from under its main campaigning platform. And its campaign strategy now appears to be full-on Islamophobia.
The new platform…
Alongside plans to ban face coverings, UKIP’s “Integration Agenda” includes annual genital checks for female genital mutilation (FGM) on girls from at-risk communities. But quite how subjecting girls to a yearly humiliating procedure is the answer to a barbaric practice is anyone’s guess.
One FGM survivor tweeted:
As someone who does not like the burka but knows many who wear it & have chosen it & being an #FGM survivor #UKip need to Fuck off right now
— Nimco Ali (OBE) 🪬 (@NimkoAli) April 24, 2017
And as Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas stated:
This is full throttled Islamaphobia and UKIP should be utterly shamed. @TheGreenParty will always fight the politics of hate. https://t.co/ueEv12qy1w
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) April 24, 2017
Could you do better?
So with UKIP’s election policy looking increasingly like full-on Islamophobia, people started tweeting ideas for #SuggestAPolicyForUKIP. And it quickly started trending.
Many highlighted UKIP’s racism:
https://twitter.com/RedGerry/status/856524697600757761
Others centered around their immigration policy:
Siamese cats to be allowed only on a strict points based system. Must be branded with UKIP APPROVED on forehead #SuggestAPolicyForUKIP https://t.co/qEp3nXTP1X
— NickTaleTeller (@Hippomember) April 24, 2017
Deport all German Shepherds! #SuggestAPolicyForUKIP
— Andy Icke (@littleIckey) April 24, 2017
There were also suggestions for renaming British things:
https://twitter.com/rach__hell/status/856574289977520130
For redesigning aircraft:
https://twitter.com/AndrewsC1973/status/856583514493509632
For changing TV-watching habits:
https://twitter.com/dect69/status/856523280186052608
For adding a touch of environmentalism into the party’s manifesto:
Manifesto to be printed on soft paper, to be recycled as toilet paper#SuggestapolicyforUKIP
— Graham Haller 🇪🇺💙 (@GrahamHaller) April 24, 2017
And even for fulfilling previous promises:
https://twitter.com/HuwCollins1996/status/856587651113250816
But ultimately, the best policy was:
#SuggestAPolicyForUKIP
Oh that's easy. Disband. At best, they have served their purpose and are currently outliving their usefulness.— Robert Carey (@Robjection) April 24, 2017
Just go away now, please
UKIP has served whatever purpose it had. It wanted a referendum on leaving Europe. It campaigned to leave. And we’re now leaving the EU.
But in the process, it has injected a toxic dose of racism and hatred into British politics. And this has led to what Lady Warsi described as a rise of “respectable racism”.
UKIP should be shamed and despised for what it does. But the best way to truly get rid of it is to send a strong message in the upcoming elections. The era of fear and hatred is over. Now’s the time for a hopeful and positive politics.
Get Involved!
– Register to vote in the 8 June general election. If you don’t have a national insurance number, a 5 minute phone call on 0300 200 3500 will get it sent to you in ten days.
– Discuss the key policy issues with family members, colleagues and neighbours. And organise! Join (and participate in the activities of) a union, an activist group, and/or a political party.
– Also read more Canary articles on the 2017 general election.
Featured image via Wikimedia Commons
