Ukip Leader Quits After 18 Days...

[Jomlett]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ukip-leader-diane-james-resigns-latest-a7345286.html

[dannyk13]

Farage has reiterated that he definitely will not be standing in a leadership contest.

[naomi24]

Mikey, someone - one of your chaps I believe - once said 'A week is a long time in politics' - but 20 years is longer. The past is gone - as are the dubious glories of the Labour Party. Time to stop bleating on about 1997.

[anotheoldgit]

mikey4444

/// It has now achieved its only goal and purpose. It never had any other policies.
It has no other role to play and never had. It was a one-issue Party. ///

Then why are you constantly frightened of them mikey?

[mikey4444]

Danny....in that case, the Party will be Leader-less....which isn't so very different from 1 day ago is it !

UKIP is a complete irrelevance as far as British politics is concerned, and they will never "change the face of British politics" as they, and some on here crowed that they would, so many times in the past.

I fully expect most of their active Members will now return to the Tory Party, from whence they came.

[ichkeria]

Not sure Nige needs the money ...

UKIP need a new agenda now, or at least, the other things on their agenda need to come to the fore now. One of them is grammar schools, for example, but that's not popular. The Tories have enough other baggage to drown that one out, but UKIP don't

[naomi24]

Mikey, //UKIP is a complete irrelevance as far as British politics is concerned, and they will never "change the face of British politics" as they, and some on here crowed that they would, so many times in the past. //

Some irrelevance! They have already changed the face of British politics - and they didn't need seats in parliament to do it.

[mikey4444]

AOG...I have never been frightened of UKIP......far from it, as they have provided so much comedic value over the years. I am taking this opportunity to pour derision over the Party, and I will continue to do so.

After all, they make it so easy ! Its a gift hat keep giving.

I notice that nobody has attempted to defend Ms James and UKIP in general here this morning.....not an easy task, I will accept.

[naomi24]

I've defended UKIP.

[ichkeria]

It doesn't look like she ever wanted to lead the party in the first place.

I disagree that UKIP changed the face of British politics. In parliament the main difference in the SNP, which is nothing to do with them. Otherwise, it looks remarkable like the early seventies, with both main parties struggling to get over the majority line, and the liberals almost nowhere.
Of course that doesn't reflect the votes, but that is irrelevant. Unless someone changes the voting system, the "face" of British politics is unlikely to change unless there's a realignment. And that's possible. But it hasn't happened yet.

[grumpy01]

Mikey,I agree with you entirely on UKIP..However you must see that consigning talented MP's to the back benches in favour of people like the gaffe prone Lady Nugge aka Emily Thornberry and Corbyn's old flame Diane Abbott and IRA sympathiser John McDonnell backed by that dinosaur Len McCluskey make Labour unelectable.As for 1997,Tony Blair realised what was needed to get labour elected and propel himself into number 10,the lunatics were not running the asylum then.So Theresa May speaking about reclaiming the middle ground is what people want to hear as they did in 1997 and unless Labour realise this and quickly the keys to Number 10 willelude them for decades.

[anneasquith]

Concentrating on this topic (goodness knows labour have their own problems) do you recall at school, prefects were elected on a monthly basis, could this work for ukip. Each party member could get a shot at being " the leader" for a month at a time ?

[Old_Geezer]

It's goal and purpose was not simply the referendum, it was getting us out after winning the referendum. Otherwise it would be near pointless. They need a further goal in two years' time, not yet.

[mikey4444]

anneasquith....that sounds like a recipe for a complete fiasco......although, come to think about it .........!

[ichkeria]

Labour are unelectable for now grumpy, but they do have Momentum, a huge youth organisation, which it's easy to scoff at now, but good could come of it in the future.
In fairness to Corbyn, the majority of the more able Labour MPs consigned themselves to the back benches.

[mikey4444]

Grumpy...I am glad that you agree about UKIP, although it would difficult to do otherwise !

I appreciate what you say about Labours present position, but exactly the same was said about the Tories, when they were in the wilderness years of 1997-2010.

Labour will come back....it always has done. As long as anybody can remember, there have only ever been 2 plausible players when it comes to the British political scene. Sooner or later, Mrs May will falter, and when she does, Labour will win. It has always been that way, and in the reverse direction as well. Parties win Elections, not just because they are more popular but because the incumbent Party isn't.

One of the main planks of present Tory Party policies is the issue of Grammar Schools, which isn't very popular with her Party, and she will have a struggle on her hands if she proceeds with it in its present state.

What is happening with UKIP, is just a side show, of course, albeit a highly amusing one.

I wish them every success in providing the laughs for many years ahead.

[grumpy01]

Momentum looks like a very dangerous and destabilising organisation to me.I believe that rather than good only bad things will come from it.I hope for the sake of young people's future I am wrong but fear I am not.

[ToraToraTora]

"UKIP is a complete irrelevance as far as British politics is concerned, and they will never "change the face of British politics" as they, and some on here crowed that they would, so many times in the past. " - have you been living in a cave mikey? UKIP have changed the face of politics, they've restored parliament to supremacy in this country and they managed it without actually getting into parliament! For an irrelevance they've had a huge effect. Now they can disband knowing that they have achieved their aim. I'd say that's a lot more success than Labour have managed, lately.

[ichkeria]

"Momentum looks like a very dangerous and destabilising organisation to me.I believe that rather than good only bad things will come from it.I hope for the sake of young people's future I am wrong but fear I am not. "

But it is made up OF young people. I don't care for a lot of the stuff in Momentum, and I certainly don't care for their leadership, but arguably young people's futures have been rather badly served up to now. Young people ARE the future. Bit of a cliche but like many cliches ...

[Baldric]

UKIP have a 100% success rating, despite Mikey's ramblings. They was set up to get the UK independence from Europe and once A50 is triggered their work here is done (successfully)