United Kingdom Independence Party
From Skeptical Voter Wiki
The United Kingdom Independence Party (which also uses the expansion UK Independence Party, commonly known as UKIP) is a conservative, eurosceptic political party. Its principal aim is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.
UKIP's current leader is Nigel Farage.
Contents |
Election Manifestos
Historical manifestos available from: http://www.ukip.org/page/ukip-manifesto
The 2010 National Manifesto: http://www.ukip.org/media/pdf/UKIPmanifesto1304a.pdf
Analysis by Channel 4's FactCheck: http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/2010/04/13/ukip-manifesto-2010-expelling-foreign-criminals/
The 2013 Local Manifesto: http://www.ukip.org/media/policies/LocalManifesto2013.pdf
Comments from James Ball in The Guardian/CiF: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/30/ukip-manifesto-closer-look
Stance on Skeptical Issues
Climate Change
UKIP has several items on its website that question the scientific consensus on climate change:
- Climate: what they don't want you to hear (April 2008)[1]
- UKIP urges caution on climate laws (December 2008)[2]
- Stand up for the truth about global warming (December 2008)[3]
- Godfrey on global warming 'sham' (October 2009)[4]
- Expert blasts climate change lobby (December 2009)[5]
- What planet is Tim Yeo on? (December 2009)[6]
- Lord Monckton on climate change (December 2009)[7]
- So this is 'global warming'? (January 2010)[8]
In a March 2010 article on an ASA ruling against a Government climate change advert, UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom is quoted as saying "UKIP are the only party that believe man-made climate change does not exist, and our view has been vindicated by today's ruling."[9]
In an April 2010 interview in the Guardian, Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, the UKIP climate change spokesperson, stated:
- Ukip would immediately: Commission enough fossil-fuelled and nuclear power stations to meet demand; ... Relate Met Office funding to the accuracy of its forecasts; [and] Ban "global warming" propaganda, such as Gore's movie, in schools[10]
In September 2012 the party launched their "Keeping The Lights On" policy document[11]. Some quotes:
- "More and more scientists are challenging the conventional wisdom on Global Warming. The ground-breaking 2004 Channel Four film “The Great Global Warming Swindle” set out the scientific case against climate alarmism, with interviews with top scientists in the field."[12]
- "We do not however regard CO2 as a pollutant. It is a natural trace gas in the atmosphere which is essential to plant growth and life on earth."[13]
The Carbon Brief website looked at a number of claims made in the document: http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2012/11/keeping-the-lights-on-ukips-energy-policy-evidence-base
Homeopathy
A November 2012 statement on Health policy makes no mention on homeopathy: http://www.ukip.org/content/ukip-policies/2843-health-ukip-policy
In March 2013 when UKIP policy on homeopathy was raised on Twitter, Dr Jonathan Stanley responded to many questions. There were many tweets, we hope the following selection summarises his message:
- "The issue is "should politicians decide on which treatments to fund or not"? UKIP does not believe so."[14]
- "Essentially the role of healthcare is to restore health without harm. If there is no conventional treatment and a patient asked and it COULD in their mind ease suffering I would not object. I would never see it as alternative, only complementary"[15]
- "Complementary means working alongside conventional medicine, not instead of it. It simply means it can be used alongside conventional healthcare. We do not support anyone advising against the use of conventional medicine."[16]
- "If complementary medicine banned on NHS, risk of unscrupulous practice soars. I have seen many cases where desperate patients are taken advantage of and have felt abandoned. Permitting it inside the NHS protects vulnerable patients from exploitation and isolation. Psychosocial impact of treatment cannot be ignored in healthcare."[17]
The earlier (March 2010) UKIP Policy Statement: HEALTH[18] pledged support for NHS funding of homeopathy and rejected the findings of the Science and Technology Select Committee's homeopathy Evidence Check.
- "UKIP will support homeopathy through the NHS; and seek simple but effective regulation of psychotherapy and related counseling services." (para 3.12)
- "UKIP rejects the recent House of Commons report on homeopathy as an unbalanced and short-sighted dismissal of a branch of medicine that last year treated 54,000 people on the NHS. UKIP endorses the remarks of the Chief Executive of the British Homeopathic Association who pointed out that "the [select committee] inquiry was too narrow in its remit, there is plenty of evidence to support homeopathy, with 100 randomised controlled trials, and many more on outcome measures, which reflect how patients say they feel." UKIP believes that homeopathy has much to offer patients and notes that in a recent survey carried out at England's NHS homeopathic hospitals, some 70 per cent of patients said they felt some improvement after undergoing treatment. UKIP will continue to support homeopathy through the NHS." (para 15.4)
Stem cell research
From an April 2010 interview in the Guardian, with Viscount Monckton:
Should Britain be at the forefront of research in these areas? What benefits do you believe such research will bring for society?
- Wherever stem cells can be obtained by means other than the killing of very small children, it is ethical only to obtain the stem cells by means that do not involve the loss of little lives. On this basis, there is no reason why Britain should not play a leading part in stem cell research.[19]
The Overall conclusion of the Guardian science policy interview stated that "On science, Ukip is dire, with no credibility in the scientific community and candidates who have a demonstrably poor grasp of basic scientific principles".[20]
Same-Sex Marriage
From November 2012: http://ukip.org/content/ukip-policies/2863-ukip-policy-on-samesex-marriage
References
- ↑ http://www.ukip.org/content/features/552-climate-what-they-dont-want-you-to-hear
- ↑ http://www.ukip.org/content/latest-news/579-ukip-urges-caution-on-climate-laws
- ↑ http://www.ukip.org/content/climate-change/867-stand-up-for-the-truth-about-global-warming
- ↑ http://www.ukip.org/content/latest-news/1291-godfrey-on-global-warming-sham
- ↑ http://www.ukip.org/content/latest-news/1343-expert-blasts-climate-change-lobby
- ↑ http://www.ukip.org/content/latest-news/1358-what-planet-is-tim-yeo-on
- ↑ http://www.ukip.org/content/latest-news/1364-lord-monckton-on-climate-change
- ↑ http://www.ukip.org/content/latest-news/1393-so-this-is-global-warming
- ↑ http://www.ukip.org/content/latest-news/1496-asa-climate-change-ad-was-propaganda
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/apr/27/ukip-science-policy-general-election
- ↑ http://ukip.org/content/ukip-policies/2772-keeping-the-lights-on
- ↑ http://ukip.org/media/policies/energy.pdf (p3)
- ↑ http://ukip.org/media/policies/energy.pdf (p13)
- ↑ https://twitter.com/JonMarcStanley/status/313768047758417920
- ↑ https://twitter.com/JonMarcStanley/status/313747686174126081 & https://twitter.com/JonMarcStanley/status/313747913291485184
- ↑ https://twitter.com/JonMarcStanley/status/313679754450591744 & https://twitter.com/JonMarcStanley/status/313680747670147072 & https://twitter.com/JonMarcStanley/status/313681296108953600
- ↑ https://twitter.com/JonMarcStanley/status/313682320567705603 https://twitter.com/JonMarcStanley/status/313682578207035393 https://twitter.com/JonMarcStanley/status/313683017262575616 https://twitter.com/JonMarcStanley/status/313683308234022913
- ↑ http://www.ukip.org/media/policies/UKIPhealth.pdf
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/apr/27/ukip-science-policy-general-election
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/apr/27/ukip-science-policy-general-election
