Douglas Carswell's Blog

How to deal with UKIP?

1. Agree with them about Europe. Let's face it, Britain would be better off out. You almost have to be a career politician, or other kind of weirdo, not to see it.

We should not only push ahead for that elusive referendum. I'm making it clear that I want Britain to leave the EU – and I'd advise colleagues to vote accordingly at every opportunity in the Commons.

2. Quit trying to "deal with" .... and govern: UKIP did well not simply because of Europe. I sense it is part of a revolt against a bogus, inauthentic politics, which we've had in this country since Tony Blair and triangulation came along.

Instead of asking what they need to say to "deal with" things, we MPs need to set out, in clear, unequivocal terms, what we are going to do. Hey, party chiefs could even write a book in that vein called something like, The Plan?

3. Modernise: No, I am not suggesting we mess around with A lists or the open-neck look.

But the fact is that the centre right does need to do much more to widen its electoral appeal. The trouble is that we have had almost precisely the wrong kind of modernisation; inward looking, centralising, philosophy free, alien to our core supporters.

The centre right in this country could be an awesome electoral force. In the age of the internet, it has never been easier to build mass membership movements. We live in a country where unlimited choice and self-selection are becoming a cultural norm. So, in order to make our candidates representative of the country, quit imposing shortlists and hold open primaries instead.

People yearn for frankness and honesty in politics. So rather than mark the cards of those in SW1 with the character to speak up, give them a proper say.

Despite what all the clever clogs in Westminster told us, it turns out there is a market for small state, free market, Euroscepticism after all. Realise that, and we can gain a share of it.

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