UKIP Defence Policy launched tonight

The press launch of UKIP's Defence Policy, "In the National Interest" is taking place tonight at the East India Club. Here is a brief summary of the paper,

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

UKIP's Defence Vision - Executive Summary

Our recommendations:

1. To defend our national interests, maintain the NATO alliance, support our traditional partners. To disentangle our forces from the EU To keep our independence by retaining – always – ultimate command and control over our national forces.

2. To stop trying to buy defence on the cheap. UKIP will spend an extra 1% GDP year on defence – an increase of 40% on current budgets. UKIP believes in establishing a defence budget which will properly sustain Britain's defence commitments. To keep defence costs down by smarter defence procurement, and with more involvement of British industry wherever possible.

3. To increase the Army to at least 125,000 personnel (trained requirement) in order to enable it to cope with its existing deployment and roles. To double the Territorial Army in size from 37,000 to 75,000 soldiers.

4. To restore the Navy to its 2001 strength, with 3 new aircraft carriers (one extra), 4 assault ships, 30 destroyers and frigates, 12 Fleet Submarines, 25 coastal vessels and 50 Merlin helicopters, with around 7,000 extra personnel to 42,000 (2003–41,550). UKIP would guarantee the futures of Plymouth, Portsmouth and Rosyth and not close any of these ports.

5. To increase the Air Force's capabilities by enlarging the tanker fleet, modernising the transport fleet, buying more helicopters and 50 extra JSF aircraft, and increasing RAF personnel to 50,000.

6. To restore many traditional regiments, such as the Black Watch and Staffords, subsumed as battalions of EU-inspired 'super-regional' regiments such as the Royal Welsh, Royal Mercian and Royal Regiment of Scotland, in order to serve in EU battle groups.

7. To renew the Covenant between the Country and those who are asked to risk their lives on its behalf: through better pay, generous compensation for injury, restoration of Crown immunity, private medical and dental care, reinstatement of military hospitals, decent accommodation, an offence of treason for those UK citizens who seriously attack serving personnel, and above all, respect and support.

8. To withdraw our forces from Iraq, in good order, at an early date. To reappraise our operations in Afghanistan to a single mission.

9. To maintain Britain's independent nuclear deterrent with existing Trident submarines, and to replace them with four British built US missile armed
submarines.

10. To retain and increase Army and Territorial Army personnel by pay, free medical and dental care for them and their families, retention 'warrants', school recruitment and other incentives.

I will write a review of it when I have seen the whole thing.

Looking forward to next weekend

First up will be the regular Charlton Marshall First Thursday meetuing of the association. Updates on activities of the party and what we have been doing over in Brussels and at home.

Then on Saturday 8th there is the South Western Counties Conference for UKIP which will be taking place at Exeter University and promises to be a lot of fun.

All who can come along should try.

Bald men and combs

I have just received by a tortuous route a UKIP press release that deserves a little more air,

UKIP and the inheritance squabbleCalm down dears, it's only a policy. Instead of this unseemly tiff over whofirst thought of scrapping Inheritance Tax, just take a deep breath and let ussolve it for you. It wasn't either of you. It was us.

Yes, we admit it. As long ago as October of last year when David Miliband was still in short trousers, we came up with the idea to take millions of people out of the inheritance tax trap. We released it as part of our flat tax policy and we sent it to lots of nice journalists who could tell the nice people all about it.It was such a good idea, that the big boys pinched it.

While we know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and we are flattered, it's a little undignified to squabble over who stole it first. If you need any more ideas, please don't hesitate to contact UKIP, available in any decent policy store.

Ends

Note to editors, please feel free to ignore this UKIP policy all over again.

Whilst we in UKIP are delighted that yet again our policies are being taken up, it would be nice once in a while to get the credit where it is due

Candid talk 19 07 10

Pondering the Constitutional Treaty signing in Lisbon last night

Three cheers for Peter Roberts

You will remember Peter Roberts. He was the businessman who set up the Number 10 petition against road pricing. Well according to reports in both the Telegraph and the Daily Mail her has forced a Government U-turn.
However neither paper has seen fit to mention theat Peter is the UKIP PPC for Telford in Shropshire, so just to let you know, here are his comments about today's news.
"At last the Government has seen some sense on road pricing", said Peter Roberts, the man behind the 1.8 million strong petition against the new tax. Mr Roberts, a UK Independence Party PPC in Shropshire, was delighted the Government had changed its policy on the introduction of pay per mile taxation.

"This was always going to be an additional tax on the motorist and I am pleased it is being dropped", he continued. "However, we must not be complacent: The EU's Galileo satellite system was one of the reasons the government wanted to introduce a national road pricing system. This expensive and controversial copy of the American GPS system was at the heart of the tracking technology required for Road Pricing and the intention was to make the motorist to pay. Now the EU has decided to raid the Agricultural budget to pay for it instead, rather than reimburse the taxpayer. Whatever happens now the taxpayer still picks up the bill".

The campaigner has already set his sights on another objective, to support what is left of Britain's once proud automobile manufacturers, "We have some of the best and most respected car manufacturers in the world producing in the UK. Land Rover, Jaguar, Bentley, Rolls Royce and Aston Martin operate in a market of luxury vehicles which will always be at the high end of C02 emissions. They are fairly low volume in global terms and the environmental impact of their products is negligible. The anti –car environmental policies of both the Government and opposition seem deliberately designed to destroy these companies with their punitive taxation of British made products. You could stop making cars in the UK and it would have absolutely no effect on global CO2 emissions".

"It is about time British policy makers concentrated on British interests rather than following fashionable fads" he said.

Nigel Farage on UKIP's National Conference

This posting has been purloined from Devil's Kitchen via 18 Doughty Street,

Live blogging the Conference

Here at the Troxy in Limehouse

Farage speaking now

Thanks for Marta Andreason for becoming Treasurer,

Launch of a immigration policy that calls for a moritorium on immigration for a period of five years.

Good joke about work permits,
If Goldman Sachs needs a banker...they can get a work permit
If a Kentish fruit farm needs some short term fruit pickers...they can get a work permit,
If a political Party needs to employ a Spanish citizen...then she can get awork permit.