The chairman of the UK Independence Party has said the party will consider an alliance with Jim Allister's TUV in future elections. Paul Nuttall, UKIP MEP for the North West of England, was speaking to the News Letter yesterday after a low-key exploratory visit to the Province.UKIP has only one politician in Northern Ireland at present — Kilkeel councillor Henry Reilly, who defected from the UUP. Mr Nuttall described TUV leader Jim Allister as “a good guy” who worked closely with UKIP in Europe when an MEP.
“The reason we didn’t stand here in the last European election was to give Jim a free run,” he said, adding that UKIP “will explore” the possibility of an alliance with him in the future. They haven’t selected anyone to stand in next year’s General Election here, with this visit being to “put out feelers”. But UKIP is now beginning to take Northern Ireland “very seriously”. Mr Allister told the News Letter that his party would not be “slamming any doors” on the suggestion.
“Obviously I knew quite a lot of UKIP MEPs in Europe and had good working relationships with them on the big issues,” he said.
“I have a track record of working with them at a tactical level. We haven’t had discussions with them of that nature (about an alliance) but undoubtedly, on European issues, there is a fair degree of consensus between our parties.”
On Wednesday, Mr Nuttall met with students at Queen’s University and he said that the response was so positive that the party planned to set up a group there.
“We think there is a huge gap for a non-sectarian, pro-British party in Northern Ireland that believes in independence from the European Union,” he said, adding that the DUP have not voted on an EU referendum and are “not performing” in government while slating the Tories for backing out of promises for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
Although against “excessive immigration”, Mr Nuttall rails against the BNP for its “racist” stance on the matter, pointing out that prominent members of his party are black and Asian. He also dismissed the millions of pounds in EU Peace money which has come to Northern Ireland: “It was all our money in the first place. It costs us £45m a day to be a member of the EU and we get just under half of that back again.”
UKIP is about to launch a massive recruitment campaign in Northern Ireland with the delivery of 100,000 leaflets. Dr Fred McGlade regional organiser for the North West will over see the distribution
Josh O'Nyons is a former UKIP member.
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16 comments:
I have downloade the UKIP petition form and noticed that it demands a referendum from the "next Government of Great Britain". In view of a TUV alliance maybe it would be politically expedient to include the government of NornIron!
I've picked up on this propensity to call the UK "Great Britain" several times. It's not just UKIP, everyone seems to be at it. Just last night I pointed out to my son's Cub Scout Leader that the investiture booklet contains a map of the UK and Isle of Man with the title "Map of Great Britain". He said he knew but the map was years old. And then there's "Team GB" in the Olympics with covers GB, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man - there's no name that can be given to that team that is actually accurate.
true, but in UN-speak "GB" stands for "United Kingdom", which is why it appears on number plates and the Olympic team. At an Ulsterman that bothered me for a while too.
anyhoo, the TUV are good people.
WILL UKIP FOLLOW TUV DOWN THE PATH OF GROVELING "APOLOGIES" TO THE ENEMIES OF GOD AND ULSTÈR?!?!?!?
@TUV are lundies
Please don't shout its very rude.
Sorry I don't know what "lundies" are. The Urban dictionary tells me:
"The child that usually shits his pants before he has sex"
Is that what you mean?
Sorry I don't know what "lundies" are.
LEARN SOME BRITISH HISTORY!!!!:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lundy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qahwEgae5AU
http://tinyurl.com/SPEAK-THE-QUEENS-ENGLISH
DON’T FORM AN ILL-ADVISED “ALLIANCE” WITH THE COWARDS, TRAITORS AND BIG GIRLS’ BLOUSES IN TUV!!!!!
@TUV are Lundies
You are still shouting. The Caps lock key is on the left side of your keyboard beside the A key.
Thanks for the Wiki link. I vaguely remember hearing about Rober Lundy now.
Go raibh maith agat.
Sláinte Mhath
Guru maggot.
YE’RE WALCOME!!!!!
@TUV are Lundies
You are Ian Paisley and I claim my £5!
Using a couple of Irish phrases makes me a maggot does it? Thank goodness they aren't all like you.
Trust you aren't a UKIP activist as that would put me off.
makes me a maggot does it?
I QUOTED YOU.
BUT IF THE SHOE FITS....
AND WHY USE TERRORIST PRISON CODE WHEN THE QUEEN'S ENGLISH WOULD DO NICELY?
We live in a democracy that uses the first past the post system.
To get MPs elected to the British parliament at Westminster, UKIP will have to have electoral pacts with other anti-EU parites.
In the EU Elections 2009 about half the parties on the ballot paper were tiny anti-EU parties.
All these tiny parties split the vote and help the Lib/Lab/Con to succeed.
Unfortunately up till now UKIP has refused to have any electoral pacts with anyone.
@ Steve Halden
"To get MPs elected to the British parliament at Westminster, UKIP will have to have electoral pacts with other anti-EU parites."
No they won't, that would be pointless, at the last GE the other anti EU parties ( excluding bnp) polled a total of 30,000 votes.
You could barely take two safe seats with that if they were all in the same two constituencies but those 30,000 was for the whole of the UK.
What UKIP has to do is stop banging on about the EU and sell itself to the electorate about its full manifesto.
Shouldn't all the smaller parties be getting together? Hasn't the time come for all the smaller parties who work on the basis of policies to join together in a single message: Tory, Labour and Lib Dem, I will not vote for them again!
John
I think that is beginning to happen. Have you seen The Albion Alliance? Not sure whether UKIP are signed up to it though
I'm with John! UKIP,Libertarians,English Democrats,and the BNP should merge.It's the ONLY way to get out of the EUSSR. The establishment parties would be terrified,the lib dems would probably fold. We would have a real voice.Divided we are nothing but a minor irritation,united a powerhouse of freedom and democracy.
Urban11
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