Quel est UKIP’s raison d’ etre? (What is UKIP's purpose?)

Above: An image those with an aversion to heights will not like.
The title of today’s article is a good question.
Today’s article is in two parts:
1. The text of an email we received this morning and;
2. The British Gazette’s response.
Herewith the text of the email:
“How many times have you heard “ What’s the point of UKIP now “ ?
After more than 20 years of hard slog under Nigel’s leadership, been reviled, laughed at, scorned, abused and thanked, UKIP forced a Referendum – In or Out of The EU – which was won !
UKIP has brazenly and uncompromisingly challenged the British and Brussels Establishments, exposing what they were up to, result being that voters gave us 4 million votes in The General Election making us the third political party in the country.
UKIP’s foot soldiers country – wide have made the party the force to be reckoned with since it started in 1994. This, we continue. But it must not be by a few on a local committee, but everyone.
General comments round the systems are that The Establishment is taking steps to de-rail Brexit which makes UKIP as relevant as ever.
Theresa May, the Chancellor (Philip Hammond) and Home Secretary (Amber Rudd) by temperament, conviction and public statement are Europhiles. The Foreign & Commonwealth Secretary (Boris Johnson) appears to be on our side, but is something of a loose cannon.
Theresa May showed in the Referendum Campaign that she seemed to want her political cake and eat it. She was a “remainer” whilst doing precious little campaigning for a remain vote.
True, she appointed two ministers (David Davies and Liam Fox), both solid Brexiteers, to oversee day-to-day Brexit progress. Are they “window dressing” to enable Mrs. May to allay suspicious Brexiteers that she works to arrange deals with Brussels for the UK to remain stitched into EU fabric? When Article 50 is (eventually) triggered, both could be dumped at any time!
“Common Purpose” seems alive and well and it’s up to us to expose it. Too many politicians fail to tell the public what goes on behind the scenes, – but UKIP does!
It is essential to show the public we mean business by sharp letters on many issues in local newspapers, public meetings constantly rattling the cage of MPs, getting on Radio Cornwall’s Lawrence Reed show, and so on.
Fly the flag for this great nation of ours.
Please join us. We have much to gain, but still too much to lose.
With acknowledgements to those on the internet that I took several “cribbed” comments from.
Stuart Guppy
Chairman, St Ives & The Isles of Scilly Branch
The UK Independence Party.
British Gazette comment: Stuart states, “Too many politicians fail to tell the public what goes on behind the scenes, – but UKIP does!” The first part of that statement is correct. The second is not for the simple reason that UKIP is not party to what is going on behind the scenes. The only people who can spill the beans are those involved!
Stuart’s statement, “When Article 50 is (eventually) triggered, both could be dumped at any time!” is one this organ fully endorses.
We have chosen today’s image with deliberation. Imagine if you will Dear Reader a plank of wood. It is 300mm wide, 100mm thick and 3,000mm in length. It is mounted on two concrete blocks both 300mm square and 1,000mm high. You are challenged to climb a few steps, step on one end and walk to the other. If you are able bodied and do not have arthritis in your knees, it is likely that walking a plank a fraction under 12 inches in width and just over 3 feet 7 inches off the ground will not pose a great problem. The fact is that jumping down from just over 3 feet 7 inches is not an enormous physical challenge to a person with healthy knees.
But now imagine that the plank of wood is not 1,000mm off the ground on two blocks of concrete but is fixed between the two towers at a height of 1,000 feet off the ground? How confident would you be of walking the same distance? Just over 9 feet 10 inches.
The reason for your caution would of course be the consequences of falling off!!!!!
Falling off the plank when it is just over 3 feet 7 inches off the ground is not a great problem unless you have arthritic knees or are otherwise disabled. Falling off the plank when it is 1,000 feet off the ground is a very great problem unless you have a parachute and have been trained and practised in parachute jumping!
Hopefully – for all our sakes – Mrs Theresa May is FULLY AWARE of the potential consequences of invoking Article 50!
One thing Stuart will feel confident about is his (correct) belief that those Europhiles at the heart of the European Project will draft treaties, regulations and directives to further Jean Monet’s dream of a United Europe.
Stuart should be aware that Article 50 is one such example! It was drafted specifically to make leaving the EU a very difficult and dangerous thing to do!
Why?
Because the people drafting it did not want any member state to avail itself of it!
This is why the sanguineous overconfidence of so many Ukippers is so alarming and in fact terrifying!
Worryingly, these Ukippers are not alone. Large numbers of Tories are equally unaware of the potential consequences of invoking Article 50.
The potential consequences are these: If two years after invoking Article 50, there is no agreement that has been duly ratified and put into effect, ALL TREATIES, REGULATIONS AND DIRECTIVES SHALL CEASE TO APPLY.
Shouting “hooray” at this point means that you are like the man who jumped off the top of the Empire State Building and after he past the floor 100 feet below his jumping off point said: “So far so good!”
The effect on the UK economy would be immediate and catastrophic. The M2 motorway and the M25 would become a gigantic lorry park. Trade would cease between the UK and the continent. The stock market would crash. Sterling would fall through the floor. Expect it to trade at US$3 to the £1 and the Euro similarly. All British clearing banks would require huge new bailouts. This could only be raised from foreign lenders by pledging large parts of the country’s assets in security. These might include assets previously privately held that would have been “nationalised” with paltry compensation way below their value.
Thousands of workers would be laid off or put onto short term working.
Prices of goods would skyrocket.
In other words: AGREEMENT MUST BE REACHED!
This is why this organ has throughout the EU Referendum Campaign and afterwards has urged support for FLEXCIT, complied by Dr. Richard North and others.
A so-called “Norway type arrangement” may not be UKippers preferred choice but there are ONLY TWO choices BEFORE invoking Article 50. These are:
1. Negotiate for a “Norway type arrangement” (FLEXCIT).
2. Abandon plans to invoke Article 50.
NB: Once Article 50 has been invoked it cannot be stopped.
It is important to bear in mind that even negotiating a “Norway type arrangement” that is, leaving the EU, rejoining EFTA and continuing membership of the EEA (Single/Internal Market) is not risk free. It is likely – in fact certain – that other EU members will try and push for advantages to them which they do not have with Norway. This is likely to be in areas such as Fishing and Immigration.
In other words, the UK will be very lucky to get a deal as good as Norway. The likelihood is that it won’t.
Be prepared to be disappointed!