This is Plymouth -- Declaring himself "the turkey who voted for Christmas", UKIP leader Nigel Farage yesterday kicked off his two-week national campaign tour in Cornwall. With purple battle bus, lorry-mounted billboards and an entourage of rosette-wearing admirers, he addressed an audience of around 300 at Callington Town Hall. Fielding questions on everything from education and the EU to immigration and gay marriage, Mr Farage said he was delighted by the "great turnout and level of debate". Defending his continuing role as a member of the European Parliament, he argued that it was important to effect change from within, claiming to be the most hard-working British MEP. "But I do not want anyone to be in any doubt," he added. "Whether I am speaking at a university, a Rotary club, or here at Callington Town Hall, I say the same thing – that I am campaigning as hard as ever to be removed from the European Parliament, along with every other British MEP. I am that turkey who would vote for Christmas." Boosted by his party's recent success in the Eastleigh by-election, when its candidate came second with 27.8% of the votes and pushed the Tories into third place, Mr Farage said the British way of life was under attack. "Eastleigh was an important moment. Of the people who voted UKIP, a third were disaffected Tories," he said. "There were also traditional Liberal Democrats, 'old' Labour voters, others who had not voted for 20 years and even some who had never voted in their lives. We are appealing across the board." Mr Farage said that while UKIP backed civil partnerships, as "absolutely right", he described gay marriage "a step too far", predicting that churches would eventually be forced by law to accommodate the ceremonies. "The problem is we are now run by an equality rights agenda, the trendy agenda of 'Dave' and the Notting Hill set and the European Court of Human Rights," he said. "We need to get the state off our backs. Surely we are big enough and ugly enough to have a cigarette in a pub or to hunt foxes?" Although it was impossible to gauge how many of those present were supporters and how many were observers or opponents, the level of applause and volume of "hear-hears" pointed to the vast majority being pro-UKIP. From Callington, Mr Farage moved on to further public meetings in Taunton and Tiverton. *UKIP LEADER TELLS CROWD: "I AM JUST LIKE YOU"* "I am just like you," was UKIP leader Nigel Farage's overriding message as he mingled with shoppers and dropped in at the Bull's Head for a pint. "I have the same hopes, the same concerns." Short on policy revelations and long on chumminess, the thrust of the first leg of his two-week pre-election itinerary was to reassure those who might be uncertain that UKIP was not a party of "eccentrics, fruitcakes and gadflies", as Mr Farage's arch-nemesis David Cameron would have it. Speaking to an audience of some 300 in Callington Town Hall, the man who touts himself as "Britain's most popular party leader" briefly laid out his aims, before offering the debate to the floor. With standing room only and some people listening from corridors, he fielded an hour of questions on subjects from education and immigration to the economy and – unsurprisingly – Europe. Boosted by its recent success in the Eastleigh by-election, where UKIP were second to the Liberal Democrats – with a 27.8% share of the vote – pushing the Conservatives into third place, he confirmed that his anti-EU party would field a record 2,000 candidates in the local council elections on May 2. Billed as an open meeting, with the minimum of stage management, Mr Farage found himself on largely friendly ground. And although party officials were at pains to promote a policy of open questioning, there were moments when the meeting felt like a series of prompts for UKIP policy pronouncements. Not so, said national campaign manager Rob Burberry, adding: "This meeting and the ones to follow over the next two weeks are all about bringing politics back to the people. "You might hate UKIP and hate Nigel Farage, but you are still more than welcome. You can tell him what you like – which is not the case at other party meetings, which are minutely stage-managed." One robust exchange between the stage and retired teacher Roger Catchpole saw Mr Farage squirming for a moment or two over a question key to UKIP's very existence: Who makes the laws in the European Union? Despite Mr Catchpole's accurate statement that the EU "proposes" laws and national parliaments "make" them, he was drowned out by the loud boos of a handful of audience members who were clearly only paying lip-service to the idea of free speech. To his credit, Mr Farage did listen to his political opponent – even if his response was flippant. Before retiring to the Bull's Head for a pint, the South East England MEP explained that the aim of his tour was to target traditional strongholds of the big three parties. He said: "Many ordinary people feel disenfranchised, but our policies appeal to them. The notion that everyone who votes UKIP is a retired lieutenant colonel living in Wiltshire who chokes on his breakfast because he can't believe the front page of The Daily Telegraph is a myth." However, a group of A-level politics students from Saltash Community School were not impressed with the rhetoric. Liz Morrish said that while leader Mr Farage had an "impressive and engaging" style, she did not agree with UKIP policies. Fellow student Tom Jordan added: "He's trying to target the people who don't usually vote or haven't voted before – people who sometimes don't fully understand the policies. They are only convinced by him because he is a charismatic speaker."
Reported by This is 4 hours ago.
This is Plymouth -- Declaring himself "the turkey who voted for Christmas", UKIP leader Nigel Farage yesterday kicked off his two-week national campaign tour in Cornwall. With purple battle bus, lorry-mounted billboards and an entourage of rosette-wearing admirers, he addressed an audience of around 300 at Callington Town Hall. Fielding questions on everything from education and the EU to immigration and gay marriage, Mr Farage said he was delighted by the "great turnout and level of debate". Defending his continuing role as a member of the European Parliament, he argued that it was important to effect change from within, claiming to be the most hard-working British MEP. "But I do not want anyone to be in any doubt," he added. "Whether I am speaking at a university, a Rotary club, or here at Callington Town Hall, I say the same thing – that I am campaigning as hard as ever to be removed from the European Parliament, along with every other British MEP. I am that turkey who would vote for Christmas." Boosted by his party's recent success in the Eastleigh by-election, when its candidate came second with 27.8% of the votes and pushed the Tories into third place, Mr Farage said the British way of life was under attack. "Eastleigh was an important moment. Of the people who voted UKIP, a third were disaffected Tories," he said. "There were also traditional Liberal Democrats, 'old' Labour voters, others who had not voted for 20 years and even some who had never voted in their lives. We are appealing across the board." Mr Farage said that while UKIP backed civil partnerships, as "absolutely right", he described gay marriage "a step too far", predicting that churches would eventually be forced by law to accommodate the ceremonies. "The problem is we are now run by an equality rights agenda, the trendy agenda of 'Dave' and the Notting Hill set and the European Court of Human Rights," he said. "We need to get the state off our backs. Surely we are big enough and ugly enough to have a cigarette in a pub or to hunt foxes?" Although it was impossible to gauge how many of those present were supporters and how many were observers or opponents, the level of applause and volume of "hear-hears" pointed to the vast majority being pro-UKIP. From Callington, Mr Farage moved on to further public meetings in Taunton and Tiverton. *UKIP LEADER TELLS CROWD: "I AM JUST LIKE YOU"* "I am just like you," was UKIP leader Nigel Farage's overriding message as he mingled with shoppers and dropped in at the Bull's Head for a pint. "I have the same hopes, the same concerns." Short on policy revelations and long on chumminess, the thrust of the first leg of his two-week pre-election itinerary was to reassure those who might be uncertain that UKIP was not a party of "eccentrics, fruitcakes and gadflies", as Mr Farage's arch-nemesis David Cameron would have it. Speaking to an audience of some 300 in Callington Town Hall, the man who touts himself as "Britain's most popular party leader" briefly laid out his aims, before offering the debate to the floor. With standing room only and some people listening from corridors, he fielded an hour of questions on subjects from education and immigration to the economy and – unsurprisingly – Europe. Boosted by its recent success in the Eastleigh by-election, where UKIP were second to the Liberal Democrats – with a 27.8% share of the vote – pushing the Conservatives into third place, he confirmed that his anti-EU party would field a record 2,000 candidates in the local council elections on May 2. Billed as an open meeting, with the minimum of stage management, Mr Farage found himself on largely friendly ground. And although party officials were at pains to promote a policy of open questioning, there were moments when the meeting felt like a series of prompts for UKIP policy pronouncements. Not so, said national campaign manager Rob Burberry, adding: "This meeting and the ones to follow over the next two weeks are all about bringing politics back to the people. "You might hate UKIP and hate Nigel Farage, but you are still more than welcome. You can tell him what you like – which is not the case at other party meetings, which are minutely stage-managed." One robust exchange between the stage and retired teacher Roger Catchpole saw Mr Farage squirming for a moment or two over a question key to UKIP's very existence: Who makes the laws in the European Union? Despite Mr Catchpole's accurate statement that the EU "proposes" laws and national parliaments "make" them, he was drowned out by the loud boos of a handful of audience members who were clearly only paying lip-service to the idea of free speech. To his credit, Mr Farage did listen to his political opponent – even if his response was flippant. Before retiring to the Bull's Head for a pint, the South East England MEP explained that the aim of his tour was to target traditional strongholds of the big three parties. He said: "Many ordinary people feel disenfranchised, but our policies appeal to them. The notion that everyone who votes UKIP is a retired lieutenant colonel living in Wiltshire who chokes on his breakfast because he can't believe the front page of The Daily Telegraph is a myth." However, a group of A-level politics students from Saltash Community School were not impressed with the rhetoric. Liz Morrish said that while leader Mr Farage had an "impressive and engaging" style, she did not agree with UKIP policies. Fellow student Tom Jordan added: "He's trying to target the people who don't usually vote or haven't voted before – people who sometimes don't fully understand the policies. They are only convinced by him because he is a charismatic speaker."
Reported by This is 4 hours ago.