[kirklancaster]

Originally Posted by Livia

Well, I can only speak from my own experience, I've never worked for UKIP... but the selection process for councillors, MEPs and MPs is the same as a job interview. You have to choose the best, most qualified candidate from a set of applicants. Sadly, fewer and fewer people are opting to stand and so the pool they're fishing from has got smaller and smaller. It gets to the point where you have to take anyone willing to stand in that area. UKIP being a small and virtually untested party suffer more than most when it comes to attracting suitable candidates.

Nice to see you back...I expect it feels positively arctic in comparison.

That's my thoughts exactly. It's a classic 'Catch 22'; a lot of people dare not approach to stand as a candidate for UKIP because of it's perceived 'racist' reputation - hell most people who do truly agree with most of UKIP's policies daren't even say so out loud for the same reason - so, as you rightly say, low quantity to select from, invariably means low quality of candidate selected.

People may not dare voice their agreement with UKIP, but if they speak instead with their vote in secret, and if Farage does establish his party as a creditable party with time and the racist 'bogeyman' is exorcised, then who can say whether UKIP becomes the number 1. party in UK politics or not?

Only time will tell.

I don't really subscribe to 'Better The Devil You Know' - not when each successive head Devils keeps promising to morph into Saints 'This Time', only to still boast horns, tails, and trident.