The United Kingdom Independence Party is an example of how new political ideologies may have a transformational effect on the status quo by splitting the public opinion on contemporary issues. Established in 1991 by Alan Sked, London School of Economics Professor, UKIP’s influence in the political scene has vastly grown since its triumph in the 2004 European parliament elections. (Robert Ford, 2011). While political pundits may argue otherwise, it is crystal clear to all that UKIP’s growth in British politics is due to the party’s persistent anti- European manifesto. UKIP’s hard stance on national issues such as immigration, The European Union, and the British Economy has seen the party gain a lot of support from the lower income voters and the old aged Britons. (Gohil, 2016). In fact, the people seem have realized that UKIP is ready to address the issues they perceive to be politically legitimate. Because of this, UKIP has become a strong political contender for the European parliament seats.
After UKIP’s success in the May 2004 European parliament elections, the single-party re-wrote history by being the only party, in almost a century to rival Britain’s two most established parties- The Labour Party and the Conservatives. (Global Counsel, 2014). Indeed, the United Kingdom Independence Party has had a substantial impact on Britain’s political atmosphere since 2004. This impact is also evident by the way most of the people are regarding UKIP’s political ideology on the issues of Immigration, diversity, Britain’s economy and Britain’s position in the European Union. (Abedi, 2009).
As a matter of fact, most of the Britons have ditched Britain’s established political institutions like the Labour Party, the Conservatives and the democratic Liberals with the view that they failed to chair the country’s licit political issues. (Deacon, 2007). As a single political party, UKIP has pushed through the main agenda behind its establishment- Making British Independent from the European Union. Although there are whispers in the political corridors that UKIP may have an uphill task in their bid to make Britain quit the European Union since the Labour party and the Conservatives may campaign against UKIP in fear of the single party's rising political influence.
In the subsequent paragraphs, I have critically analyzed the ramifications of the United Kingdom Independence Party on British politics since 2004.
The Issue of the European Union
UKIP has been very vocal in addressing Britain’s position in the European Union. Due to The failure of the Labour party, The Conservatives and The Democratic Liberals to publicly show interest in the matter, UKIP has recently received great popularity out of the issue. Apart from UKIP’s recent reluctance over Britain being an EU member state, the party was formed because of the discourse that surrounded Britain’s membership in the European Union back in the days. (Georges, 1998). Despite the fact that Britain joined the European Economic Community (present-day EU) in 1975 after a unanimously upheld referendum in the Westminster parliament, Britain has never shown full commitment to the regional block. The lack of commitment was confirmed by Britain’s prime minister of the time, Margaret Thatcher Bruges in her speech in 1998.
In the speech, Thatcher’s criticism of the EU fuelled further negativity towards the EU within her party and among some Britons. Despite the fact that Prime Minister Thatcher- and a greater population of the people were against Britain’s integration in the EU, the Conservative party fully backed Britain’s full economic and political integration in the EU. (Parker, 2016). During that period, the UKIP had not gained popularity because the issue of Britain being a member state in the EU had not caught a lot of attention and interest from the public. Through the media, the issue has become very viral and is the topic of discussion among nearly all the British citizens, termed as Brexit and Euro-scepticism. A poll by The Global Counsel ranks UKIP as the major threat in Britain’s campaign to leave the European Union unlike during Margaret Thatcher’s regime as UK’s prime minister. According to David Cameroon-the, former Britain’s prime minister- the division in the issue regarding the European Union has led to UKIP’s growth of fan base. UKIP has had a great impact in British politics due to the party’s agenda to ensure that Britain abandons the European Union. (Reuters, 2018).
In the current political landscape, UKIP’s impact through the party’s vested interest in British abandoning the European Union resulted in a referendum in June 2016. (Parker, 2016). The referendum saw the United Kingdom vote to leave the European Union in favor of the United Kingdom’s Independent Party.
The Major Change in Voter Alignment
Another major milestone realized by the United Kingdom Independent Party is the current voting pattern. Today, the UKIP has successfully displaced the Conservatives Party in the Northern parts of Britain. This is evident in the results of the by-elections held in 2016 which left UKIP second only to the Labour Party in South Shields, Middlesbrough, Rotherham, and Barnsley. (Reuters, 2018). While the low voter turnout of 38% might indicate no concrete claim towards the rise of UKIP, the numbers clearly indicate a slight shift from the previous elections where the contest was between The Labour Party, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. (Deacon, 2010).
Some of the factors that accounted for the consideration of UKIP’s plight by voters are the ever increasing energy bills, the government’s inefficiency to offer public services, job insecurity, the issue of taxation and contracts. UKIP seized the opportunity by attracting most the population’s middle earners, the aged and the jobless.
Besides the 2016 by-election triumph, the UKIP also realized the same success in 2012, in fact, the year’s election saw the party record a very significant percentage since the 2004 European parliamentary election. In the elections, UKIP recorder a significant 14% in Corby in November while during the same year, UKIP recorder 12% in Rotherham by-election. This marked a steady rise in favor of UKIP while the Liberal Democrats had fallen down the pecking order. (British Politics and Policy, 2013).
Conclusion
From the paper, it is evident that UKIP’s persistent motion against the European Union is the key reason behind the party’s impact on British politics. Through the ant- European Union manifesto, UKIP gained identity and support from the people in the party’s European 2009 elections.
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