I must register for my vote

Disaffection with mainstream parties in British politics has paved the way for the “fringe” parties to gain ground. The election of the BNP leader to parliament shows how far some voters are prepared to go. It seems to be the far right that currently offers the greatest appeal.

The UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party) has been known primarily as a single-issue Eurosceptic party composed of disaffected Tories. They only spoke about what they wanted to abolish but over the next two months the party plans to publish papers on a number of policy areas such as welfare into work, transport, healthcare and tax. Its manifesto will specify policy measures, — a clarity that UKIP says other parties lack.

UKIP has said that it would increase Britain’s military budget by 40 per cent and bring back grammar schools. The party also believes that fewer school leavers should go to university, and that the less academic teenagers should be encouraged to learn a trade. It would also seek to revolutionise teacher training. Lord Pearson said that the current process was “rotten”.

IUKIP is also calling for a ban on the burka and the niqab — the Islamic cloak that covers women from head to toe and the mask that conceals most of the face — claiming they affront British values. The policy, which a number of European countries are also debating, is an attempt by UKIP to broaden its appeal and address the concerns of disaffected white working-class voters.

At the core of its appeal to many, the party talks about Britishness, about the national identity and the genuine threat that Sharia law poses. They say that alarm bells should have sounded when the Archbishop of Canterbury said that the adoption of Sharia law in the UK was unavoidable.

You will recall that two years ago Rowan Williams triggered a row over Sharia when he argued that Britain had to “face up to the fact” that some of its citizens do not relate to the British legal system and that adopting parts of Islamic law would help to maintain social cohesion.

With an election looming on the horizon, these could prove to be “interesting” times for British politics. Disaffection with both Labour and Conservative could result in a very different parliament in six months or so time.

I must fill in that form to register my postal vote.