They're only really of any significance in the Euro elections, but they came third in 2004 and second in 2009, helped this year by the fact that they were (wrongly) perceived to be free from the taint of the expenses scandal which The Telegraph helpfully broke in early May.
One problem is that they look like (and to a degree are) a single-issue party: take the UK out of the EU. But they're mostly made up of people for whom the Conservatives are too left-wing; on immigration and crime and punishment, they're not that far from the BNP. In many respects, it's who they are rather than their explicit policies per se that's the problem. Look at the policy documents on their site, and any libertarian will find a lot to agree with.
But then it's worth looking at this discussion of UKIP's non-policy on LGBT rights, which illustrates the problem in more than one way. Firstly, it illustrates the huge gap between their theoretical policies and their individual stances. Secondly, it highlights their doublethink on several key issues: 'We are non-discriminatory but we don't support equal rights for homosexuals,' and that's from their lesbian then party secretary (now an MEP). Thirdly, it illustrates how much of what anyone knows about UKIP policies comes from remarks made informally by individual members, rather than official party briefings. Lastly, it was written in 2004 - UKIP may have changed their views since then, but no one seems to know.
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One problem is that they look like (and to a degree are) a single-issue party: take the UK out of the EU. But they're mostly made up of people for whom the Conservatives are too left-wing; on immigration and crime and punishment, they're not that far from the BNP. In many respects, it's who they are rather than their explicit policies per se that's the problem. Look at the policy documents on their site, and any libertarian will find a lot to agree with.
But then it's worth looking at this discussion of UKIP's non-policy on LGBT rights, which illustrates the problem in more than one way. Firstly, it illustrates the huge gap between their theoretical policies and their individual stances. Secondly, it highlights their doublethink on several key issues: 'We are non-discriminatory but we don't support equal rights for homosexuals,' and that's from their lesbian then party secretary (now an MEP). Thirdly, it illustrates how much of what anyone knows about UKIP policies comes from remarks made informally by individual members, rather than official party briefings. Lastly, it was written in 2004 - UKIP may have changed their views since then, but no one seems to know.