Banksy weighs in on UKIP

It seems Bristol’s greatest living artist has delivered a verdict on the UK Independence Party. Here it is:

150416banksyUKIP

It seems unlikely that the Fuhrage will approve…

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39 Comments

  1. daijohn April 16, 2015 at 4:49 pm - Reply

    A fleeting feeling of euphoria followed by total nausea!

  2. Nick.H April 16, 2015 at 8:53 pm - Reply

    You did notice that the image isn’t real, right? It’s photoshopped…

    • Mike Sivier April 16, 2015 at 9:31 pm - Reply

      Really?
      What a shame. But there’s a reason I say “it seems” at the start of certain articles. If there’s no way of verifying the information, then you can only say what you see.

      • Adam April 18, 2015 at 10:37 pm - Reply

        As bad as the politicians…

        • Mike Sivier April 19, 2015 at 10:38 am - Reply

          I don’t know what you mean.

      • teddy barlow April 19, 2015 at 4:11 am - Reply

        Of course there are ways of verifying info, it isn’t difficult to do 5 minutes research. I found the original image easily.

        • Mike Sivier April 19, 2015 at 10:33 am - Reply

          I didn’t have five minutes when I posted the article – I was on my way out the door for a meeting. In any case, it was interesting enough to merit being seen in its own right – and at the time of writing, more than 30,000 people have done so.

      • teddy barlow April 19, 2015 at 2:43 pm - Reply

        Well you’d think that considering you rank Banksy as ‘Bristol’s greatest living artist’ you’d either be familiar with his work or bother to research it. The original doesn’t contain either Union Flag or reference to UKIP, so even the title of this is a deception. In times like these the world desperately needs honest journalism not more of the same mainstream BS. And you sound like you’re proud of 30,000 views based on a fake story…why?

        • Mike Sivier April 19, 2015 at 4:17 pm - Reply

          It’s not a fake story, though. Someone used a Banksy to satirise UKIP and it has proved to be very popular.
          So what’s your problem?
          You’re not a UKIP supporter, are you?

      • teddy barlow April 19, 2015 at 9:09 pm - Reply

        No, I’m not a UKIP supporter. I’m someone who, like many others, is sick to death of media deceptions, political lies, wage slavery, police killings, and all…many people want an alternative to the mainstream corporate bull**** thrust at us from all directions and seek like minded people to offer truthful journalism with some integrity at least.
        So what’s your problem?
        You’re not a JOKE site, are you?

        • Mike Sivier April 19, 2015 at 9:12 pm - Reply

          I don’t have a problem; clearly you do.
          Perhaps you should find a joke site and send your comments there.

      • teddy barlow April 20, 2015 at 1:10 pm - Reply

        So tell me what my problem is exactly with expecting better from the alternative media.

        • Mike Sivier April 20, 2015 at 1:58 pm - Reply

          Your own subjectivity. You get better from the social media – you just don’t think you do.

  3. beastrabban April 16, 2015 at 9:16 pm - Reply

    Hi Mike – I got a snotty comment by a Kipper, who claimed this wasn’t a real Banksy, but a photoshopped version of Banksy’s ‘Love Sick’. So I’ve altered the blog post to say ‘in the style of’. Even if it’s not by him, it’s still very cool.

    • Mike Sivier April 16, 2015 at 9:34 pm - Reply

      As I just mentioned to Nick.H, that’s why some of my articles start “It seems…” There are some cases in which you can only write what you see, and let the facts come out in time.
      I wonder what Bristol’s greatest living artist thinks about this use of his work, then?

  4. The Infamous Culex April 17, 2015 at 7:43 am - Reply

    It is plainly quite wrong.

    It shews UKIP coming out from the wrong end.

  5. Barry Davies April 17, 2015 at 11:48 am - Reply

    Well it shows the real feelings of the lunatic anti British fringe, that the union flag is making this woman sick. I can’t believe that anyone can find that acceptable.

    • Mike Sivier April 17, 2015 at 2:01 pm - Reply

      At the time of writing, nearly 10,000 people have enjoyed the article.

      • 2johnredmond April 17, 2015 at 9:20 pm - Reply

        Well considering that 5% of the country can vote for a party as blatantly loony as the Green party, why does that not surprise me.

        • Mike Sivier April 18, 2015 at 12:50 am - Reply

          That’s an argument by bad analogy – which is a false argument. The fact that five per cent of the country votes green has nothing to do with 10,000 people enjoying this post.

      • 2johnredmond April 18, 2015 at 2:04 am - Reply

        I take your point. About this one: Ukip are the only anti EU British party. If the other parties have their way, the UK will be little more than a province in the EU, so under all the other parties this flag would mean next to nothing at all.

        • Mike Sivier April 18, 2015 at 10:57 am - Reply

          Is that a line from the UKIP ‘message script’? The Liberal Democrats have one; it makes sense that UKIP would as well. If so, it seems to have an even lower factual content.
          UKIP is the anti-foreigner party. Nigel Farage made it perfectly clear on Thursday evening that he believes foreigners to be the cause of all the UK’s problems. He’s mistaken – migrant workers contribute hugely to the National Health Service and pay more into the tax and benefit system than they take out. I trust you won’t ask me for references because this is public knowledge.

      • 2johnredmond April 18, 2015 at 11:15 pm - Reply

        Eh no, its a statement of fact. Ukip are the only anti EU British party. Tell me where I am wrong? Yes, but overall migration has cost more, only eu migration has contributed more. And even with the contribution, that totally ignores the complex effects on the working class. Whats wrong with having an immigration policy like 200 other countries? Wether or not the UK’s huge population growth has anything to do with immigration, lets just say it doesnt, lets just say there is huge population growth which is nothing more than a statement of fact. Now, there is going to have to be massive investment in housing, nhs, etc to keep up, which is not exactly great for a country in huge debt. And if you look at most of the main parties, they actually have pretty similar immigration policies to ukip.

        • Mike Sivier April 19, 2015 at 10:58 am - Reply

          Yes – UKIP is anti-EU. But only because UKIP is anti-foreigner. It is the party for xenophobes and racists.
          You mention overall migration without admitting that the UK has always retained control of migration into this country from outside the European Union. EU migration is the only contentious issue, and EU migrants make a net contribution to the country’s well-being.
          You ask what’s wrong with having an immigration policy without admitting that the UK does have an immigration policy.
          You say the UK has had huge population growth but the facts don’t bear this out. The population has grown, but not exponentially. Don’t forget that the EU’s open borders mean UK citizens have been able to move to Europe as well – and they have in numbers that roughly correspond to those of migrants into this country.
          We need massive investment in housing, the NHS, schools and so on because the Conservative-led government has starved the UK of that investment for the last five years (and New Labour did not build enough houses either).
          The country’s debts are also the result of economic mismanagement by the Conservative Party. As UKIP is a party run by former Conservatives, you cannot expect better policies from that organisation.

  6. Gary April 17, 2015 at 10:24 pm - Reply

    I usually object most strongly to ‘Nazi’ references (Fuhrage) however oblique as they trivialise the deaths of millions of innocents. However, this IS different.

    Between UKIP and the Conservative Party we have seen actual candidates for the British Parliament advocate; COMPULSORY ABORTION OF DISABLED CHILDREN and FORCING PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS TO WEAR WRIST BANDS SO THEY’RE PUBLICLY IDENTIFIABLE.

    This isn’t the outpourings of someone on the fringe of those parties, these are two people who are standing for parliament. These candidates could win, take their seats and begin implementing policies just like these.

    I am not only disgusted but scared.

    • Mike Sivier April 18, 2015 at 12:53 am - Reply

      I certainly agree with you about the advocacy of unacceptable measures by UKIP and Tory candidates – have been meaning to put an article together but time has been against me.
      Disagree about the commentary on Farage, though. Such comments place his xenophobia in context, in my opinion.

  7. Andy B April 18, 2015 at 9:17 am - Reply

    quite badly photoshopped too.

    • Mike Sivier April 18, 2015 at 10:58 am - Reply

      Everyone’s a critic. Whoever did the work probably won’t be reading this, though.

  8. martyn April 18, 2015 at 10:59 am - Reply

    Ooh a chavvy tart doesn’t like ukip? Who cares. All the other parties insist on handing the country my ancestors fought and died for to a bunch of sponging foreigners.

    • Mike Sivier April 18, 2015 at 11:01 am - Reply

      Here’s someone who really didn’t get the point.

  9. Billy April 18, 2015 at 3:44 pm - Reply

    Mike, I feel for you, in good faith you posted an amusing picture that you thought was Banksy, you’ve been lectured, had bonkers political ramblings and 90% of your respondents totally lost the plot. Rest assured there are sane people out here shaking our heads thinking “poor Mike, last time he’ll post a Banksy, however apt!”

    • Mike Sivier April 18, 2015 at 3:50 pm - Reply

      I’ve posted another one.

  10. Mike Sivier April 18, 2015 at 3:50 pm - Reply

    If it was that good, why didn’t you put your real name to it?

  11. tom hill April 19, 2015 at 4:15 am - Reply

    Up the ukip

    • Mike Sivier April 19, 2015 at 10:31 am - Reply

      Right up the UKIP. Until their eyes water!

  12. Craig April 19, 2015 at 12:14 pm - Reply

    I do find the way people throw around words like “racist” to suit their political agenda really sad.

    We all have our views, but to support ukip, doesn’t make you a racist. I support ukip, I assume I just have friends from Pakistan, Poland, Netherlands, America, South Africa just to make me feel less racist?

    I support many of their policies whole heartedly. And they don’t blame everything on immigration. We shouldn’t discriminate between EU and non EU migrants, as we do now.

    And we shouldn’t wholesale allow unskilled labour into this country. For this reason, we have a surplus of labour, and an employment sector that doesn’t have to pay a living wage, or even value it’s staff.

    Our nhs is being supported by Spanish workers, on permanent double time, and they still can’t hack the work. Why? Because nurses in this country are being forced to work 12 hour shifts, without a break, and then held liable if anything happens that shouldn’t.

    Our housing policy is horrendous. You can own 300 houses and rent them out, or have 5 personal ones you hardly ever use, but the majority of young people cannot afford one, and never will, but it’s fine to make a few people rich from this. Ukip have the only housing policy that is set to reverse this.

    You can sit there, and join in with the bbc’s smear campaign if you wish, and you can turn a blind eye to things happening right under your nose, but when you have governments jumping into wars, an EU that is just hell bent on ruining countries like Ukraine, by offering trade deals designed to split a nation, and the ensuing civil war, and mass loss of life.

    Then no, I will ask for change

    Whether we stay in or leave the EU it cannot be negotiated with, and whether the public as a majority want to stay or leave the EU is up to them. But they deserve a right to have a say. This is supposed to be a democracy after all.

  13. Matthew Brown April 21, 2015 at 5:32 am - Reply

    Why does this seem fake?

    • Mike Sivier April 21, 2015 at 7:18 am - Reply

      You’re a bit late.

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