UKIP: They don’t like it up ’em!

UKIPpolicies

Was anybody else astonished to read, on Facebook this afternoon (May 12), that police had visited a person who had posted a version of the above meme on Twitter, and told said person to remove it as UKIP had made a formal complaint?

The truth of the matter became irrelevant very shortly after, when the image was merrily shared and re-shared across the social media by those of us (let’s face it; a version is directly above these words. VP is as much a part of this act as anyone) who weren’t going to put up with even the rumour of such heavy-handed behaviour.

Shortly afterwards, the referenced version of the meme appeared – it’s what you saw when you loaded up this article.

Readers with good taste in comedy will recognise our headline as a catchphrase of Lance Corporal Jones in Dad’s Army, made with reference to the German Army and to the “fuzzy-wuzzies” – as Jones refers in casually racist (yet of-the-times) terms to his erstwhile opponents when he was fighting colonial wars in South Africa. Although they’re not likely to enjoy being ranked alongside either of Jones’s targets, UKIP supporters proved that they really don’t like it up ’em – and responded with fury.

“This is not doing the right thing by Britons by posting propaganda rubbish like this one,” wrote one outraged ‘Kipper’.

Propaganda?

That would be “misleading information that is systematically spread”, according to the VP dictionary. Thank goodness we can look up the websites referenced on the image and make up our own minds! But it should be noted that anyone trying this should hurry – some of the sites mentioned have already been changed.

For example, VP is informed that Amjad Bashir has changed his website to remove the reference to maternity pay and other employment rights. Fortunately, another member of our online community had the presence of mind to keep a copy of the site as it was before the edit, and created an image that demonstrates the differences.

140512amjadchanges

The point is confirmed on UKIP member Keith Rowe’s website, where item 3.2 states: “UKIP proposes to vastly simplify this legislation. It would be up to each employer to decide whether to offer parental leave.” That would mean the end of Statutory Maternity Pay.

Further down, Mr Rowe confirms UKIP’s plan to raise Income Tax for most of us, while also cutting it for the richest people in the UK: “The cornerstone of UKIP’s tax policies is to roll employees’ National Insurance and basic rate income tax into a flat rate of income tax of 31 per cent for all sources of personal income (except pension income).”

On holiday entitlement, Mr Rowe tells us: “UKIP would put an end to most legislation regarding matters such as weekly working hours, holidays and holiday, overtime, redundancy or sick pay etc.”

UKIP supporters would argue strongly that the party does not intend to speed up privatisation of the NHS, and Mr Rowe’s website expends a large amount of verbiage trying to obfuscate what is intended. But the gist is here: “UKIP will abolish the complex competitive tendering rules which currently make it very difficult for smaller companies to bid; as a result of which, a small number of large companies have a disproportionate share of NHS business. In addition, the UKIP will require the NHS to use people with commercial experience to negotiate with the private sector.” This means that UKIP would continue the Coalition policy of inviting private companies to bid for the right to provide NHS services, making a profit from the taxpayer in doing so.

The section entitled ‘Looking Ahead’ suggests worse to come: “UKIP would like to offer people a choice of how they wish their health care to be delivered… We believe that other models are worth considering to see whether lessons can be learned from abroad… which appear to offer more choice, shorter waiting times and objectively better health outcomes at comparable cost and have been praised for their lack of bureaucracy.”

On climate change, the UKIP leaflet referenced in the meme states: “UK’s cuts in CO2 emissions will have no meaningful effect on global climate and … the Climate Change Act’s unilateral action is in vain”. Further on, it states: “We criticise the EU for creating serious market distortion by favouring some low-carbon technologies (wind, solar) over others (e.g. nuclear). There are, however, some clear priorities: gas, nuclear, and coal.”

UKIP’s own ‘issues’ page makes it clear that the party will “remove the UK from the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights” (even though this would be a travesty – the UK was instrumental in setting up that institution and wrote much of its rule book).

Coming to marital rape, if the reference in the meme does not provide help, then try this link. It shows that, of the 14 MEPs who voted against ‘Combating violence against women’, which included “to recognise sexual violence within marriage as a crime and to make rape within marriage a criminal offence”, nine were members of UKIP. Thanks to Rachel Harvey (on Facebook) for this information, and for sourcing the image on maternity pay.

Ms Harvey adds: “The ‘no’ vote to rape within marriage being a criminal offence was also a no vote to making FGM [female genital mutilation] illegal. Such lovely blokes these UKIP MEPs.” Indeed.

Admittedly, policies are mentioned for which proof is not directly available at the time of writing (although any help with this would be appreciated). Nevertheless it should be clear that the image at the top of this article is absolutely not “propaganda rubbish”.

It is a genuine attempt to alert the British voting public to the true nature of the United Kingdom Independence Party.

And no – I didn’t create it.

Follow me on Twitter: @MidWalesMike

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15 Comments

  1. […] UKIP: They don't like it up 'em!. […]

  2. maxwell1957 May 12, 2014 at 10:19 pm - Reply

    Hmm…nicely deconstructed…

  3. Rachel May 12, 2014 at 10:22 pm - Reply

    “Hello and welcome to my website.

    I am Amjad Bashir, though those who know me well call me Peter.

    I am proud to be a British family man with Pakistani roots and on a UKIP platform. Where is the racism?”

    http://www.amjadbashir.co.uk/

    • Mike Sivier May 12, 2014 at 10:30 pm - Reply

      D’oh!
      That’s what I get for trying to get this done quickly. “More haste, less speed”, and all that.
      Thanks.

  4. sdbast May 12, 2014 at 10:27 pm - Reply

    Reblogged this on sdbast.

  5. Barry Davies May 12, 2014 at 10:38 pm - Reply

    So Mike do you think that deliberately spreading lies dressed up as if they come from a specific party is ok, as long as it isn’t people telling everyone how labour are adopting tory polices, for example, mind you that one would be true. It is after all illegal to use trade marks which the UKIP logo is without specific permission so the anti ukip gentleman deserved to get his collar felt.

    • Mike Sivier May 12, 2014 at 10:58 pm - Reply

      Where are the lies, Barry? Are you going to say they’re the parts where it says “no source found for this claim”? I have a feeling those sources will come.

      You’ve been reading this blog long enough to know that I criticise Labour when I believe it is justified, so I hope you don’t expect your comment about that party to bother me.

      Trademark law is designed to protect the consumer, by preventing the public from being misled as to the origin or quality of a product or service. In this instance, nobody was passing themselves off as members or representatives of UKIP, so the organisation’s trademark was not infringed. In fact, the creator of the meme was trying to alert people to the actual policies of UKIP (as proved in the references and in the article), and therefore the use of the logo was entirely appropriate. It’s like when you see stories on the TV news about a business that has behaved improperly, like Barclays Bank during the Libor scandal. Up goes the Barclays logo and you don’t hear a squeak from the bank about it.

  6. vicmart009 May 13, 2014 at 3:32 am - Reply

    Keep it up em VP that’s the way to do it, they don’t like it do they .
    Me thinks the real battle begins after May , get ready for 2015 !

  7. beastrabban May 13, 2014 at 5:53 am - Reply

    Reblogged this on Beastrabban’s Weblog and commented:
    Mike here describes the way UKIP have tried to suppress an internet meme showing their real domestic policies, which also show just how nasty the party actually is. It demands the further privatisation of the NHS, even further tax cuts for the rich, with the burden passed on to everyone, the ending of paid maternity leave and holidays, and the legalisation of marital rape. There is absolutely no reason why women and anyone in the working class should vote for this highly reactionary, exploitative and misogynist party.

  8. […] article (UKIP: They don’t like it up ‘em) delved into the facts behind a controversial meme that has been doing the rounds on the social […]

  9. W*T H*L*B*T May 13, 2014 at 2:39 pm - Reply

    I agree with you. I just hope we UKIPpers don’t become seen as wingeing b’stards. Keep prodding.

  10. jaypot2012 May 13, 2014 at 4:11 pm - Reply

    What a disgusting “party” Ukip is – I wouldn’t vote for them if my life depended on them!!
    As for the way that they treat women and how they degrade them – well, words fail me!
    This party is worse than the BNP and that’s something I thought I’d never say!

  11. jaypot2012 May 13, 2014 at 4:32 pm - Reply

    Reblogged this on Jay's Journal and commented:
    I’m appalled at this…

  12. […] you thought the Tory manifesto was a deceitful joke, or the row over UKIP’s policies was damaging, have you seen what the Liberal (?) Democrats have been sending […]

  13. […] Worse still, you put UKIP in second place. UKIP! The party that, besides supporting the destruction of the NHS (you’ve come out very strongly for private healthcare, Newark, I hope you know that) wants to put your taxes up (although they’re trying to hide that now because people found out and didn’t like it), and supports marital rape. […]

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