{"id":8710,"date":"2016-05-13T12:14:43","date_gmt":"2016-05-13T11:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=8710"},"modified":"2016-05-13T14:54:19","modified_gmt":"2016-05-13T13:54:19","slug":"backwards-vision-wales-cant-afford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=8710","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Backwards vision\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Wales can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t afford"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UKIP\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s move into Welsh politics was facilitated by fear-mongering and empty promises \u00e2\u20ac\u015bin areas that feel abandoned\u00e2\u20ac\u0165, according to the campaign group, Hope Not Hate.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The right wing party made unprecedented gains during last week\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s regional elections, winning seven Welsh assembly seats \u00e2\u20ac\u201c predominantly in areas that are struggling as a result of Tory cuts from Westminster.<\/p>\n

 
\nDespite its successes cracks are already beginning to appear, with UKIP leader Nigel Farage and newly appointed assembly member (AM) Neil Hamilton trading public insults over Hamilton\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s appointment as UKIP\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Senedd chief.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe news did not surprise Hope Not Hate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s regional organiser in Wales, Tom Godwin.<\/p>\n

 
\nGodwin said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI would only expect that these people would continue their fine traditional of saying awful things and falling apart on the job.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nHope Not Hate has warned for some time that UKIP stood to make ground in Wales through the use of divisive and disreputable politics.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThey are essentially a right wing populist party. My experience of campaigning against them and seeing their leaflets in different areas was there was no consistency. They went for whatever they thought would work in whatever area,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Godwin explained.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIf they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in an affluent area they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d focus on issues there, in other areas they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d say \u00e2\u20ac\u0098we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the only party that will defend the NHS\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, despite their leaders having said publicly and privately that they want to move to a privatised system.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nAccording to Godwin, UKIP, following an established pattern, apparently focused on gaining traction within two specific demographics in Wales, which in its view are susceptible to narratives that scapegoat immigrants.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

These were Labour voters in impoverished areas concerned about their economic security and pressured public services, and Tory voters from more affluent areas worried about national identity and integration.
\nIt is the former group that has made the most difference in Wales, believes Godwin.
\n\u00c2\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Targeting areas <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe saw during the general election last year that UKIP was really targeting areas where there used to be mining or steel making. They went to areas that have had decades of job insecurity and real disenfranchisement, where people feel abandoned and believe politics doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work for them anymore,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Godwin said.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn those places there has been very little immigration and then an increase in the last decade. Combined with job insecurity and low wages they are ripe grounds for UKIP to come in and blame all the ills of society on immigrants.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nAnother reason behind the party\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s progress is UKIP\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s use of the upcoming EU referendum to mislead the electorate, Godwin pointed out.<\/p>\n

 
\nHe said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn most of their campaign literature there was a conflation between the Welsh Assembly elections and the EU referendum. Because there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a lot of coverage of the referendum and less on the regional elections, I believe there was some confusion between the two \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and UKIP took advantage of that.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nIn terms of the individuals elected to office \u00e2\u20ac\u201c including disgraced former Tory MP Neil Hamilton, who lost his seat in 1997 after being implicated in a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098cash for questions scandal\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Godwin has a similarly low opinion.<\/p>\n

 
\nHe added, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bOnce the referendum is over I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be very interested to see what happens, because the EU is the only reason UKIP has to exist.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nUnite Wales secretary, Andy Richards, expressed his disappointment at UKIP\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gains and called on progressive parties in the Welsh Assembly to cooperate in order to defeat its \u00e2\u20ac\u015bdivisive and dangerous ideology.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165
\n <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to recognise that there is a new momentum in Wales \u00e2\u20ac\u201c in the performance of our schools, in the number of new jobs being created and in the performance of our NHS.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWales is a country on the up. Wales and the last Welsh Labour government achieved this and so much more in the face of Tory cuts from Westminster,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Richards.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe know that our communities and the most vulnerable are under threat from Tory austerity and cuts to vital support, but having UKIP Assembly Members will not help us stop that. They offer a vision that will take the lives of working people backwards, and that is something Wales cannot afford.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UKIP\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s move into Welsh politics was facilitated by fear-mongering and empty promises \u00e2\u20ac\u015bin areas that feel abandoned\u00e2\u20ac\u0165, according to the campaign group, Hope Not Hate.   The right wing party made unprecedented gains during last week\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s regional elections, winning seven Welsh assembly seats \u00e2\u20ac\u201c predominantly in areas that are struggling as a result of Tory […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8711,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[154,53],"wps_subtitle":"UKIP wins won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help fight Tory cuts ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8710"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8710"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8712,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8710\/revisions\/8712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}