www.vote-jonathan.co.uk

UKIP best-ever opinion poll rating

UKIP General Secretary Jonathan Arnott has hailed UKIP's best-ever opinion poll rating as an 'enormous success' and as evidence that UKIP are now drawing support from Labour and Liberal Democrat voters as well as Conservatives.

Jonathan Arnott was speaking after the details of a Harris poll for the Metro newspaper were released, showing that UKIP would take 10% of the vote if a general election were held tomorrow.  Politicians across the political spectrum argued that UKIP's amazing result in the European elections was a one-off, but the party's poll ratings continue to rise.

Mr Arnott said "This just confirms what we've been saying all along - over the last couple of months, there has been a real change in the way voters look at UKIP.  Years ago, we led the way in kicking out any UKIP MEP who treated the electorate with contempt over expenses, and now the other parties are paying the price.  We're no longer seen as just a party of ex-Conservatives - we're taking support from everywhere.  8% of people who supported Labour and the Liberal Democrats are now saying they will vote UKIP at the next general election"  

Details of the poll can be found at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/europe/pubs/Metro_UK_elections_final.pdf

"With a general election coming up, it's not just our policy of withdrawing from the EU that is going down well on the doorstep.  Our 'flat tax' policy of raising the threshold so that no-one pays tax on minimum wage is especially popular with traditional Labour voters."

UKIP's next electoral test is the Norwich North by-election and the party has high hopes of a successful result.

New website 'IndependenceHome' launched

Young UK Independence Party members Michael Heaver (who represented UKIP on the BBC's student edition of Question Time after winning a national public speaking competition) and Harry Aldridge (South-East European elections candidate) have launched an excellent new website Independence Home: http://www.indhome.com/

Sheffield Star covers UKIP Sheffield campaign launch

THE UK Independence Party in Sheffield has launched its campaign for the European elections.

The launch at St Mary's Conference Centre at Bramall Lane was attended by Paul Nuttall, UKIP party chairman, and Jonathan Arnott, UKIP general secretary, together with 25 local activists.  Mr. Arnott is a candidate for the Yorkshire and the Humber region and chairman of the Sheffield branch.  The party say they are confident of success in the June 4 elections as last time the European elections were contested, in 2004, UKIP took more than 2.6 million votes nationally, knocking the Liberal Democrats into fourth place.

 

Sheffield members say they have already delivered more than 20,000 leaflets in what they describe as the "most professional national campaign that the party has ever run".Mr Arnott said: "We're in the middle of the biggest global recession in my lifetime and we're fighting it with one hand tied behind our backs with Brussels red tape.

"Our small businesses are being strangled before they can become big businesses. If you're right-wing, you should oppose the EU for its interference in sentencing and belief in unlimited immigration. If you're left-wing you should oppose it for its callous foreign policy and state aid rules that won't let the government help failing businesses.

"But whether you're left, right or centre we should all be opposing the EU for its wastefulness, bureaucracy and cost.  If you're in favour of the European Union you have a wide range of choices – Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat or Green. If you're opposed to the European Union then there's just one moderate show in town and that is the UK Independence Party."

UKIP Sheffield launch European elections campaign

The UK Independence Party in Sheffield launched its campaign for the European elections this afternoon.  Last time the European elections were contested in 2004 UKIP shocked the political establishment by taking over 2.6 million votes nationally, knocking the Liberal Democrats into fourth place.  

The campaign launch at St. Mary's Conference Centre on Bramall Lane was attended by Paul Nuttall (UKIP Party Chairman) and Jonathan Arnott (UKIP General Secretary), together with 25 local activists.  Jonathan Arnott, is also the no.2 candidate for the 'Yorkshire and the Humber' region and the chairman of the local branch in Sheffield.

Paul Nuttall spoke of his delight that this year's campaign is shaping up to be "the most professional national campaign that this party has ever run" and praised the local UKIP Sheffield organisation which has already delivered over 20,000 leaflets in April.    

Jonathan Arnott spoke on the reasons for voting UKIP at this year's European elections: "We’re in the middle of the biggest global recession in my lifetime and we’re fighting it with one hand tied behind our backs with Brussels red tape.  Our small bus inesses are being strangled before they can become big businesses.  If you’re right-wing, you should oppose the EU for its interference in sentencing and belief in unlimited immigration. If you’re left-wing you should oppose it for its callous foreign policy and state aid rules that won’t let the government help failing businesses.  But whether you’re left, right or centre we should all be opposing the EU for its wastefulness, bureaucracy and cost."

Jonathan also reminded activists that the European elections are a 'single-issue election'.  Jonathan said "UKIP are often accused of being a single-issue party.  We're not a single-issue party but this is a single-issue election about our relationship with the European Union.  If you’re in favour of the European Union you have a wide range of choices – Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green.  If you’re opposed to the European Union then there’s just one moderate show in town and that is the UK Independence Party".

Immediately following the launch, UKIP activists took to the streets in the city centre handing out leaflets and received an encouraging response from the public.  

Response to the Budget

It’s difficult to know where to begin when analysing this year’s budget; spin not substance, gimmicks not economics. Some measures will undoubtedly be popular but loopy. The £2,000 incentive to scrap vehicles over 10 years old when buying a new car, for example. It can be argued that it’s no bad thing to support the car industry at this time. The argument basically runs as follows: the market for the car industry will recover when the economy does. But if skills developed over long periods of time are lost because of too many redundancies, the industry may be in no position to recover properly.

Of course, EU rules prevent direct state aid – leading the Chancellor to jump through hoops to find a way of supporting the car industry. But bizarre things will now happen to the second-hand car market as a result. A small car aged 19 years will be worth far more than a family car aged 9 years. How will the government stop people from buying a cheap old car for the sole purpose of trading it in?

The 50% tax on top earners is another gimmick. Basic economics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laffer_curve) tells us that increasing tax on high earners doesn’t necessarily lead to increased revenue. Entrepreneurs have less incentive to take risks and hire new staff, and the very rich simply have new incentives to take their money (and tax) abroad to tax havens. If the idea is to use it as a smokescreen to play on public feelings of jealousy then it may well succeed – but the politics of envy do not make for a healthy economy.

But behind the soundbites, another 2% rise in alcohol duty is unhelpful. With 6 pubs closing every single day, a freeze was the very least that the pub industry should have been given.Raising the price of fuel in a recession is one of the worst things that the government could do. Almost every business relies on transportation in one form or another. That oil prices fell from their recent peak is one of the few crumbs of comfort for ailing businesses; the Chancellor plans to take even that away.

So what should the Chancellor have done? He is already operating with one hand tied behind his back because of the government’s commitment to EU membership. The most audacious moves are already prevented under EU rules. He cannot reduce fuel duty, he cannot provide state aid, he cannot cut public spending by sacking an army of bureaucrats, he cannot relieve business red tape, he cannot simplify the VAT system or even ask the government to legislate to ease employment law for small businesses. The UK Independence Party has a simple solution to give the Chancellor the power to deal with the credit crunch. As bad as the Labour government has been, we have heard little from the Conservatives to oppose the government’s economic strategy. With good reason – their proposals too are limited by their commitment to EU membership.

Even so, there are other options available. How about UKIP’s simple, fair flat tax policy? Let’s be bold and imaginative to stimulate economic growth. In what kind of system do we have a minimum wage (below which people would be in poverty) THEN tax them on it to bring them below the breadline THEN force them to fill in reams of paperwork to qualify for poorly-administered tax credits? Why are so many people stuck in a ‘benefit trap’ where they cannot afford to take a job? At the other end, flat tax encourages business to invest – to take a risk, to create new jobs. Not only would all taxpayers be better off – usually by well over £1,000 per year – but we would be able to create the jobs needed to get the public spending again, and get us out of this recession.Alistair Darling lacks such imagination to deal with the economic crisis, or perhaps he fails to grasp the scale of the problem. As the Taxpayers Alliance has already shown, revised borrowing figures now exceed in real terms the entire cost of both World Wars and the Napoleonic wars put together (see http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/research/2009/04/brown-bombshells-bigger-than-debts-from-the-napoleonic-wars-first-world-war-and-second-world-war-com.html)!

Overall, a dull budget from a dull Chancellor with a few counterproductive gimmicks thrown in. Where is the support that the British public deserve? In a time of crisis we should have expected much more.

UKIP welcomes Deva Kumarasiri

UKIP Sheffield Chairman Jonathan Arnott has welcomed the latest new member of the UK Independence Party, Deva Kumarasiri - who was recently sacked from his job as postmaster for insisting that customers make some attempt to speak English.  See here for more details.

Jonathan said "Isn't this exactly what Britain should be all about?  Someone who comes to this country to make an honest living - and becomes committed to preserving our great nation and our way of life?  And yet in today's society apparently you get the sack for it." 

Multi-millionaire donor announces UKIP support

The UK Independence Party in Sheffield has welcomed the news that spread-betting multi-millionaire Stuart Wheeler has gifted UKIP with £100,000 and said he will be voting for the party in the European elections this June.

UKIP Sheffield Chairman Jonathan Arnott said "We are delighted to have Stuart Wheeler's support at this critical time.  June's European elections will be a defining moment in the future of our party" 

Mr Wheeler told the News of the World that Brussels was a bigger threat to Britain than the global economic crisis and was fed up with David Cameron's decision to ignore it.

He said: "The EU is doing so much damage to our economy and our way of life that I can no longer vote Conservative at the European elections."

He now says he has serious doubts that Mr Cameron will carry out his promise to hold a referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty.

And he thinks British voters still believe Britain's future in Europe is a major issue.

He said: "The public know that the EU is incompetent, ineffective, hidebound and riven with fraud but the current political class in Westminster don't want to talk about it. I believe that millions of people want a say on the matter, and by voting UKIP they can be heard."

Mr Wheeler's decision means David Cameron may have to expel one of his biggest financial backers 15 months before a possible General Election.

Delighted UKIP Leader Nigel Farage said: "We are thrilled to accept Stuart as a UKIP donor.

"His support proves yet again that the issue of who governs Britain is far greater than any traditional tribal party loyalty and that many Brits plan to lend UKIP their vote on June 4." 

Read the full News of the World article here. 

 

Cutting VAT - but just a little bit!

Incredible!  The British government has decided to cut VAT to exactly 15% (the minimum allowed under EU law).  If we wished to cut VAT to 14.9%, we would have to obtain the consent of each of the other 26 countries in the EU. 

The Centre For Economics & Business Research suggested that VAT should be cut from to 12.5% in order to make a substantial difference to the amount of money that people spend.  After all, if you do the Maths, the government's cut in VAT will make prices on average 2.1% cheaper - IF retailers pass on the full cut to customers.

Part of the reason for the Credit Crunch is that people have borrowed too much money for a long period of time.  Ironically, the government's solution is to borrow money now to fund tax cuts - and pay later.  The principle of tax cuts to cope with recession is a correct one - but who's going to pay for it?  At the moment it seems like the taxpayer will be funding it through big tax rises later.  At a time like this, the government should be finding ways to cut non-essential spending.  Quangos, bureaucracy and the EU are obvious targets - leaving the EU would save £915 per year for every man, woman and child in the UK; more than triple the amount required to pay for these tax cuts!

What can we say about the government's decision to cut VAT?

1.  It's a step in the right direction in theory.

2.  A bigger cut in VAT was needed to have enough effect on prices to affect spending, but that would be illegal.

3.  A tax cut now has to be paid for later; the UK Independence Party has clearly set out how it could save more than enough money to finance these emergency measures.

So what ARE our taxes going on?

http://www.openeurope.org.uk/research/top100waste.pdf

Sadly, these are all true - courtesy of leading research organisation and think tank Open Europe.

Would cutting VAT solve the credit crunch?

The Times newspaper suggests a simple meaure to help the current economic crisis: reduce VAT from 17.5% to 12.5% for the next two years - instantly cutting almost all prices in shops by around 5%. The argument for doing this is quite simple:

1.  The economy is shrinking.  Only tax cuts will give people more money in their pockets to go out and spend more, which will in turn help the economy and create jobs. 

2.  Cutting VAT in particular would boost business because it would lower prices for consumers. 

3.  VAT hits poorer people hardest, and so does the credit crunch.  Lowering VAT would give the most help to those on low incomes. 

There's a lot to be said for this idea in principle.  

Unfortunately, the idea is a complete non-starter for any party except UKIP.  Under European Union law, our government doesn't have the power to cut our own VAT rate below 15% because we have to pay some of the money we collect in VAT directly to the EU.  Remember, without leaving the EU we are powerless to control our economy. At a time like this, we need every option at our disposal.

Click here to read the Times article online.  

 

UKIP demand action on Compulsory Purchase Orders

UKIP Sheffield Chairman Jonathan Arnott has demanded action from Sheffield City Council over Compulsory Purchase Orders.  In the latest case to hit the Sheffield papers, an offer of just £10,000 was made by the Council for land which a land tribunal eventually valued at £330,000.  The Sheffield Star reports that business owner Mick Todd was 'nearly bankrupted' by a four year legal campaign to receive the true value of his land.

Jonathan said, "A Compulsory Purchase Order is a terrible thing, sadly necessary at times.  To force someone from their home, or from their business premises, causes massive anguish and upheaval.  At such a time, no-one wants to have to fight tooth and nail to get a fair deal.  Sheffield City Council have a clear moral responsibility: make sure that a generous settlement is paid straight away.  Amazingly, the Council's penny-pinching has led to them having to pay out tens of thousands of pounds extra in legal fees"

Jonathan Arnott on BBC1's 'The Politics Show'

UKIP's Jonathan Arnott was featured on The Politics Show on this Sunday 14th September.  Jonathan Arnott has just been appointed as the new UKIP General Secretary, becoming at age 27 the youngest General Secretary of any major political party.  During the interview, Jonathan was asked about the European elections in 2009, and said "In 2009 we will do better, and for one simple reason.  If you like the EU, you can vote Labour, you can vote Lib Dem, you can vote Conservative, you can vote Green.  If you don't like the EU, in these single-issue elections there's just one show in town: the UK Independence Party".

To see Jonathan's interview and the section on the UKIP conference, click here and fast-forward to 45 minutes and 20 seconds into the programme. [Note: This link is to the BBC iplayer and will work for 7 days only]

UKIP Sheffield throw spanner in works at taxpayer-funded EU day

 When the European Parliament’s UK Office decided to hold a publicity day in Sheffield on the 13^th September, of course UKIP had to attend and throw a spanner in the works!  All the local MEPs were invited and although UKIP’s Godfrey Bloom MEP was unable to attend due to commitments with the British Army, we were entitled to hold a stall and give out UKIP booklets, leaflets and DVDs.  Several members of the public said that they will probably be joining UKIP over the next few weeks.

 The main event was a ‘Question Time’ style panel.  At first, the European Parliament's UK office had offered Jonathan the chance to be on the panel as Godfrey was away.  Then, they sent an email changing their minds at the last minute.  The Lib Dems were also not allowed a place on the panel.   BBC Yorkshire’s Political Editor Len Tingle chaired the session and was fair to UKIP throughout. 

Jonathan Arnott asked "Last week I met Marta Andreasen, the European Commission's former chief accountant.  When she blew the whistle on sharp practices within the EU finances, she was sacked for telling the truth.  The EU's accounts have not been signed off for 14 years in a row.  How long will it be before we accept that over 30 years of attempted reform of the European Union have failed?

Les Arnott asked why Labour refuse a cost-benefit analysis of our EU membership and Mr. Simpson asked about Labour’s broken promise of a referendum on the EU Treaty.  Needless to say, Conservatives and Labour gave politicians’ answers to all three questions! Thanks to: Jennifer Ruchat, Les Arnott, Nigel James, Gerald Bower, Peter Boardman and Mr & Mrs Simpson who either helped on the stall or took part in the question and answer event. 

Major update to quiz

The 'Which Party Should you Support?' quiz has now been updated.  It now takes into account which issue is the most important one to you.  Some of the questions have also been updated, and this should hopefully give a more accurate result.  Click here to try the quiz for yourself.

Jonathan Arnott: Why we must say NO to an EU Olympic team

The phrase ‘You Couldn't Make It Up' sounds more and more hollow every month as, sadly, the latest bizarre ideas become all too predictable.  Now there is a suggestion (here) to field an EU team at the Olympics in order to beat China. 

No-one seems to have paused to consider the effect that it would have on promising British athletes who would already have to compete against 26 other countries just to be selected for the team.  How many hundreds of British competitors would be denied the chance to compete in the greatest Games in the world?

There has been no Great Britain football team at the Olympics in recent years because of the selection difficulties involved in arranging for English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish players to train together.  Who would manage such a team?  How would the team be selected to be fair to each nation?  Which FA would oversee the team?  These wrinkles will probably be ironed out by 2012.  But imagine the difficulties involved in a full EU team where 27 countries would all be scrapping for places in the team!  Imagine the language difficulties involved in training for team sports!

Where would it end?  An Asian team to beat the EU team, or perhaps an African team?  Whatever happened to the diversity of nations that are represented in the rich tapestry of the Olympic Games? 

The reason given for having an EU team is to counter ‘nationalism'.  But it seems that they have managed to fall for the classic mistake of confusing nationalism with patriotism.  I have never seen anyone use the Olympic Games as an excuse for jingoism or racism; the skills and talents of the world's greatest athletes are showcased for all to see.  I don't recall much hatred or opposition when Usian Bolt smashed the world records for the 100 metres, 200 metres and the relay.  The British press and public simply applauded the skills of the fastest man on the planet.  That is what the Olympic Games are all about: celebrating the essence of humanity, our constant pursuit of excellence and spurring ourselves on to greater success.

That should be the mindset of any true patriot.  We may love our country, be proud of our national achievements (and weep for our national failings) but we must also have the sportsmanship to admire the successes of others, and to be gracious in victory rather than denigrate the opposition.  Patriotism is a wonderful thing, a tool to bring our young people together with confidence and self-belief.

Who really feels an affinity for the artificial political construct that is the EU?  Does anyone feel truly loyal to Sweden and Finland but not to Norway and Iceland, or to Italy and Luxembourg but not to Switzerland?  And even if by some miracle we did feel such an affinity, it would suffer from the same mindless ‘football hooligan' nationalism as any nation state. 

But if we want to eliminate such hooliganism, then we need to promote the positive concept of pride in our nation and its achievements.  Our country can choose to be a positive role model or a negative one; our choice is to either undermine patriotism or to use it as a tool to build a bright future for our nation.  Those who seek to rewrite our history and destroy our common values as a nation must take a large portion of the blame when more and more of our young people lack vision and turn to extremism.

Letter published 18th August in the Yorkshire Post

Conservative MEP Timothy Kirkhope (Yorkshire Post, August 13) claims that European Directives give merely ‘general advice' such as telling the UK that we must ensure we have a competitive postal service.   It is true that the UK has some freedom concerning how an EU Directive is enforced, but if a Directive says we must open postal services to competition, then to competition our postal services must be opened.   This competition leads to an uneconomical postal service.  Why? Because the Royal Mail has a statutory duty to deliver daily to every UK household; its competitors do not.  The Royal Mail used to subsidise the unprofitable business of delivering letters with its other profitable business.  Since postal services have been opened to competition, companies have cherry-picked the easy profits, leaving the Royal Mail out of pocket.  This was a foreseeable consequence and the reason why UKIP opposed the relevant EU Directives.   EU competition laws also prevent the UK government from increasing subsidies to deal with the shortfall.  If the postal service remains uneconomical, it must close branches.   The EU may not have issued a Directive saying ‘Close UK Post Offices' but EU legislation remains the effective cause of the closures.  Timothy Kirkhope supported the legislation that precipitated our Post Office closures, yet now campaigns to keep them open.  He blames the Labour government when in reality the Conservatives and Lib Dems must share Labour's moral culpability for the demolition of our traditional Post Offices.

Letter published in the Sheffield Star on Post Office closures

Local Lib Dems, Labour and Conservatives unite in indignation at the proposed closure of 53 South Yorkshire Post Offices, and rightly so. Yet it begs the question: why are Post Offices threatened?

A daily delivery to the entire country including remote rural areas is unprofitable. Hence the Royal Mail made profit from other services such as couriering, and relying on government subsidies.

Thanks to European Union Directives 97/67/EC and 2002/39/EC, competing companies can now cherry-pick the Royal Mail's most profitable services. Meanwhile EU competition laws prevent the Government from increasing subsidies. There is a black hole facing the Royal Mail's finances, and it is local Post Offices which suffer.

Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem MEPs voted for the EU's Postal Services Directives; only UKIP consistently opposed them.

Jonathan Arnott (UKIP Sheffield Branch chairman)

Site now up and running again

This site has been temporarily offline for the last couple of months. The url has been used as Jonathan Arnott's personal website for the internal UKIP selection procedure whereby members of UKIP in Yorkshire & North Lincolnshire choose their candidates for the 2009 European elections. Normal service will now resume as soon as the links to the left hand side of the page are fixed.

Some of Jonathan Arnott’s media appearances from June 2008

Yorkshire Post - June 27th: Jonathan demolishes europhile misinformation over Lisbon Treaty

JAMES Wagstaff (Yorkshire Post, June 23) claims that the whole point of the Lisbon Treaty was to "improve democratic accountability and efficiency" in the EU, and that therefore eurosceptics should support it.

I've read the full text of the Lisbon Treaty and the measures claimed to improve democratic accountability are pure window-dressing: citizens and national parliaments jumping through enough near-impossible hoops will be allowed to ask the Commission to merely consider or reconsider a decision.

If by "efficiency" he means reducing the UK's power to block unwanted EU legislation, the surrender of vetoes, a common EU Foreign Minister and foreign policy, common EU asylum policy, moves towards a common defence policy, and allowing the Treaty to be amended at will without need for a fresh Treaty - then the Lisbon Treaty would make the EU more "efficient". But I cannot see why James Wagstaff believes that eurosceptics should support it.

Yorkshire Post - June 17th: Jonathan responds to Ireland's courageous vote against the Lisbon Treaty

CONGRATULATIONS to the people of Ireland for voting "no" to the Lisbon Treaty. Despite huge opinion poll leads at the start of the campaign and the backing of Ireland's biggest political parties, the "yes" campaign wilted when the arguments were aired on
both sides.

But why is the UK's future determined in Ireland? Shouldn't our Government have had the courage to allow us to make up our own minds?

(Also published 14/06/2008, ITV Teletext) 

TalkSport Radio - June 9th: Jonathan speaks out against proposals for a Congestion Charge in Manchester

Jonathan spoke out against the ‘cosy consensus' of the so-called main parties.  He pointed out the huge difference between London and Manchester: although he opposes the Congestion Charge in London, at least London has a public transport system which is quick and efficient due to the Underground and a far higher population density.  Jonathan hit out at Labour, Conservatives and Lib Dems, asking "Why can't the government understand that we need more carrot, less stick?" - and advocated the UKIP policy of lower fuel tax, whilst claiming that the government should reduce tax on the most fuel-efficient vehicles. 

Yorkshire Post - June 9th: Jonathan supports UKIP's policy of referenda on key issues

GEORGE Senior (Yorkshire Post, June 4) presents arguments in favour of reintroducing the death penalty; the Rev Tony Buglass (May 27) is firmly opposed.

However, since no country can remain members of the European Union and reintroduce capital punishment, it is a complete non-issue for Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats who remain firmly committed to Britain's EU membership.

I fully support the policy of the UK Independence Party on this issue, which would allow the public to call a referendum on capital punishment.

For many years, I have grappled with my own personal opinions on the death penalty, and cannot honestly say which way I would vote - so I shall neither endorse nor condemn either view. The issue should be resolved by the people who matter - the voters.

Labour’s tax ‘cut’ hits working people

Gordon Brown's final tax ‘cut' when he was Chancellor is now finally starting to take effect.   But when he cut the basic rate of income tax to 20%, he also removed the starting 10 pence rate - which had been brought in to protect low earners.  Up to 5 million people could now be worse off as a result.  The figures below (based on figures from the Office of National Statistics) show how much poorer on average the following types of workers will be each year:  

Nursery nurses - £154

Bar Staff - £67

Catering assistants - £161

Retail Cashiers - £227

Library clerks - £203

Hairdressers - £198

Receptionists - £167

Home Carers - £157

School Secretaries - £140

Cleaners - £45

Dental nurses - £132

Typists - £110

Call centre operators - £103

Bakers - £89

Florists - £79

Caretakers - £78

Van drivers - £51

Road sweepers - £49

Pub managers - £48

Security guards - £21

New videos added to the site - see videos section for the full selection.

Labour - “It’s okay to lie in a manifesto”

Stuart Bower is an ex-Labour activist who has now joined UKIP.  He went to court claiming that the public had a right to expect Labour to keep its promise of a referendum on the EU Treaty. 

Cecilia Ivimy, the barrister representing Prime Minister Gordon Brown, said "Manifesto pledges are not subject to legitimate expectation".  Yesterday the judge agreed, refusing Stuart leave to continue the case.

Jonathan Arnott, chair of UKIP Sheffield, said "How can anyone ever believe aother word that the Labour Party says?  How can anyone possibly consider voting Labour ever again?  Their ‘defence' was that political parties can't be expected to keep their manifesto promises; let's hope that the public remember Labour's cynicism next time they cast their votes." 

Article by Jonathan Arnott published on national site

Jonathan Arnott's article on privatisation can be found on the national UKIP website here: http://www.ukip.org/ukip/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=408&Itemid=41

Sheffield’s buses

Over the last few weeks there seem to have been more and more complaints about the quality of service on Sheffield's bus services. 

Even the 52 service - which I used to use almost every day whilst I was at Sheffield University, and ran every 5 minutes - is now irregular.  The 52 is one of the main bus routes in the city, yet I keep receiving complaints from local passengers waiting up to half an hour in the cold weather for a bus.  With a monthly pass on Sheffield's buses now costing over £50, is it any wonder that more and more people feel the need to travel by car?

This problem isn't just the case in our ward - a couple of weeks ago, I was contacted from this website by someone who had suffered even worse problems on the 11/12 and 81/82 routes.

Part of the blame for the inadequate service lies with the bus companies, but only part.  The 52 route has been affected badly by the changed road system around the Wicker, and by roadworks on the Parkway near Catcliffe. 

The clamour from unhappy passengers is certainly growing louder - just look at this discussion on the Sheffield Forum website:

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=279124

The bus companies need to take action - it's their responsibility to ensure customer satisfaction if they expect people to continue using the service.  It is no good for them to simply assume that the poorest passengers who can't afford a car will have no option but to continue using the service.  If the bus companies will not take action, the Council should - contracts do not have to be renewed. 

On a positive note, the current £5 weekly saver for passengers just using one major bus route has been greatly welcomed by many passengers.  Let's hope that this special offer continues.

Iceland & Norway - the two world’s best places to live

According to a UN report, Iceland and Norway are the two best places in the world to live.  This of course couldn't have anything to do with the fact that they didn't choose to join the EU - could it?

Why we need a referendum on the ‘EU Reform Treaty’

1.  The government promised a referendum on the EU Constitution.  The new treaty contains 96% of the content of the old Constitution.  Governments should keep their promises.

2.  Unlike any previous treaty, this treaty allows the EU to amend it later - without consulting the people.  This treaty is like signing a blank cheque; we don't know what's in it yet. 

If you want to understand more about this issue but don't want to read it for yourself, surprisingly The Sun has written a decent summary: http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2004240000-2007440318,00.html

If you want to read the draft text, you can download it from http://www.openeurope.org.uk/research/comparative.pdf - and see for yourself just how close it is to the old Constitution.

Richmond Park Road repaired

The road humps on Richmond Park road have now been repaired after Jonathan contacted Streetforce. Poor tarmacing when the humps were installed led to car and bus passengers complaining of discomfort even when going over the humps at very low speeds. People with back problems were most affected.
When this was pointed out to Jonathan, he ensured that action was taken and the humps have been fixed.

Gordon Brown to be next Prime Minister without a vote

Not even Labour Party members will have a say over who will be Britain's next Prime Minister.  This sort of thing has happened in the past, most recently when John Major took over from Margaret Thatcher.  This time there are two differences:

1.  Tony Blair promised to serve a full term if elected.  With Gordon Brown taking over, this promise has been broken.
2.  When John Major took over as Prime Minister, Labour demanded an immediate general election.  Yet when Labour are in power, they refuse to hold one.
If Gordon Brown wants to restore the public's confidence in the system, he should call a general election and find out whether the public want him as Prime Minister.

Election results

Mick Rooney (Labour) 2307

Jonathan Arnott (UK Independence Party) 681

Chris Bingham (Liberal Democrats) 530

Laurence Hayward (Conservative) 514

John Gant (Green) 267

Across the country, UKIP won five seats at this year's local elections.  We narrowly failed to win a sixth after a UKIP candidate tied for first place but lost on the drawing of lots.

Thanks to everyone who helped with the campaign

Now that the campaign is over, and polling stations open in just a few hours' time, I would like to thank everyone who has helped with my election campaign this year.  Thanks in particular to Jeffrey Shaw, Jennifer Ruchat, Sally Stracey, Jim Laurie, Charlotte Arnott, Les Arnott & Pauline Arnott - who have all helped with leafleting, and to Peter Edley for designing this website.

This year's election has been remarkable for the lack of interest shown by the other parties in Woodhouse ward.  Many residents have commented to me about having received no leaflets from the so-called ‘main' parties - Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.  They have far greater resources than I do, yet many houses have received 3 UKIP leaflets, and none from Labour, Lib Dems or Conservatives.

Thanks to every local person that I've met whilst campaigning, and a big thank you to the people who have gone out of their way to contact me with messages of support.

Now it's time for you to have your say, so please consider voting for me!

Yours,

Jonathan Arnott

Telephone and internet voting trial

I've been informed by a local resident that some people who have registered for this year's e-voting trial have had problems casting their vote by telephone or internet for technical reasons.  If you have had a similar problem and been unable to vote by these means, you should contact Sheffield City Council's Electoral Services department on 0114 2734093.

Ban the Ban

We've recently been contacted by a number of people in Sheffield who are horrified about the smoking ban due to come into force in British pubs. 

From July, smoking will be illegal in all British pubs.  I can understand why the government wants to allow customers to have the right to visit a pub without breathing other people's smoke.  I'm a non-smoker myself, and I prefer a smoke-free environment.  But I don't see why I should be able to force my opinions on others in a free society. 

There's a simple compromise: the government could require every pub to offer at least one smoke-free room.  Smokers and non-smokers could visit the same pubs in freedom - who could possibly have a problem with that?  And of course, individual landlords could choose to be a non-smoking pub if they wanted to.

There's an online petition to the PM with over 1,000 signatures already.  The wording isn't ideal but I'm signing it.  http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/repeal-the-ban/

Sheffield potholes ‘worst in UK’

In a BBC poll, Sheffield has been voted the UK's worst city for potholes.  The scale of the problem is such that the leader of Sheffield's Lib Dems admitted that even with extra funding, some residents may not see improvements until the year 2020.

Jonathan Arnott said, "I understand that Sheffield has financial obligations - such as paying off the debt from the World Student Games.  But some of the potholes on Sheffield streets are dangerous.  Far better to deal with the problem properly now than end up paying more in the long run if the Council is sued after an accident."

French Presidential Election - 85% turnout

At UK general elections, turnout is not much more than 60%.  Of course, in the UK there's little to choose between Labour, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives in terms of policy.  But in France, there was a real choice.  From the communist Besancenot to the national front's Le Pen, with a complete range in between - at least the French people had a real choice, and something to fear if they made the wrong decision!

Jonathan said, "I'm standing in Woodhouse ward because I believe it's important that people have a genuine alternative to the ‘big three' parties.  People care about political issues, but they need to feel that their vote will make a difference."

Could there be 30,000 ‘ghost’ voters in Sheffield?

The Electoral Commission has just released an estimate that nationally, up to 3.5 million registered voters may not actually be entitled to vote. 

Jonathan Arnott said, "Making the voting process fair, open and transparent is of paramount importance in a democracy.  People have a right to know that whichever candidate wins has won fairly.  I was sent a polling card by mistake when I was 15 and too young to vote.  Although it was tempting to use it, it would be unfair to vote when you know you're not entitled to - so I didn't."

Jonathan made it clear that he blames Government policy, not Electoral Services staff.  "The staff at Sheffield Electoral Services are courteous, friendly and above all helpful to candidates of every background in Sheffield.  They ensure that elections in Sheffield run as smoothly as possible, within government legislation and guidance given by the Electoral Commission.  I often hear candidates in other cities complain about the services provided by their elections departments - but never in Sheffield!"

See: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1687496.ece

Undercover journalism or deception?

Sunday Telegraph journalist Tom Harper used a different name, ‘joined' UKIP and volunteered to work as an intern at UKIP's press office in London - for the sole purpose of gathering a news story about UKIP.

Having spotted the plot and sent him packing, UKIP are now considering taking the case to the Press Complaints Commission.

Jonathan Arnott said, "I have emailed the Sunday Telegraph to tell them that I will no longer buy their newspaper unless they convince me that their attitude has changed. Anyone who wants to do the same should contact Patience Wheatcroft at patience.wheatcroft@telegraph.co.uk"

Austrian court - “It’s okay to drive an HGV when suffering blackouts”

On 7 May 2001, British citizen Paul Leader was driving in Austria when his car was hit by a Slovakian vehicle. Mr. Leader was left with significant injuries, both physical and psychological, as a result. After almost six years, Mr. Leader is still waiting for the Austrian legal system to deal with the case effectively.
Paul Leader has now returned to the UK and is living in Sheffield whilst he continues to pursue his fight for justice. He has never had a satisfactory medical examination by the court specialist. The court specialist has claimed that it is acceptable for Mr. Leader to drive a Heavy Goods Vehicle despite suffering from regular dizziness and blackouts. The Austrian court is proceeding with the case in the full knowledge that Mr. Leader is no longer in Austria, and has no legal representation in Austria.
Interestingly, Sheffield Social Services told Mr. Leader that they couldn't help him - because of the European Union. If Austria were not an EU country, they could give him as much help as an asylum seeker under the Habitual Residency Test. Jonathan Arnott has drafted a question to the European Commission on Paul Leader's behalf, which will be tabled in the European Parliament by your local UKIP MEP.

Jonathan slams Gordon Brown ‘hypocrisy’ over budget

Reacting to Wednesday's budget speech, Jonathan Arnott said:

"Gordon Brown told everyone that he was cutting the basic rate of income tax by 2p in the pound, but at the same time he increased the 'starting' rate of tax from 10% to 20%. Anyone earning under around £18,000 per year will pay more income tax under Mr. Brown's ‘tax cut'. Why can't he simply come clean and admit that he's increasing taxes on precisely those people who need to be rewarded by the government for their hard work?"

In addition to the income tax increase in the budget, there have been the usual tax increases on alcohol, cigarettes and petrol. For many people, a car is a necessity to get to work - making it even harder to make ends meet under Labour.

Jonathan said, "The average young person is earning slightly more under Labour, but paying a lot more in mortgage repayments and stealth taxes. We need policies that reward hard work. That's why UKIP's flat tax policy is so popular - we propose that nobody should pay any income tax at all on incomes under £9,000 - a move which would benefit everyone, and take over 4 million people out of tax altogether!"

Details of the flat tax policy, and how it can be paid for, can be found under the Policies section of this website.

Last one out, turn off the (energy-saving) lights!

• Energy-saving bulbs actually take up to 10 times as much energy to produce as normal bulbs.
• Energy-saving bulbs don’t cope well with being switched on and off - so for normal household use, they don’t last as much longer as manufacturers claim.
• Energy-saving bulbs use toxic materials such as mercury vapour. In classic EU joined-up thinking, products containing mercury can’t be put into landfill - so throwing away a lightbulb will now be expensive!
• Throwing away up to 1,000,000,000 light bulbs unnecessarily will harm the environment and mean more landfill.
• Energy-saving lightbulbs flicker far more than normal bulbs, making it unsafe to read for extended periods of time with them switched on.

How much more of your taxes are they going to waste?

Following last year's waste of £45,000 through the ‘Your Council, Your Say' questionnaire, Sheffield City Council has decided to repeat the process with a questionnaire so rigged that many people won't be able to state their views.
Conveniently, we're given three choices about green issues - and a space to add your own comments. Unfortunately, many people will find all three choices objectionable. I tried to submit a questionnaire online, but the website won't allow you to send it in unless you choose one of Labour's prepackaged options.
It seems that you're allowed your opinion on issues affecting Sheffield - but only if you agree with one of Labour's proposals. Perhaps Labour would care to tell us how much THIS year's propaganda exercise will cost?

Home Office sexism - “Don’t Jail Women”

A recent Home Office report has recommended that all women sentenced to under 2 years in prison should be let off custody, and that hostels should be set up for more serious offenders such as murderers and paedophiles - to spare them from the ‘hardship' of prisons which already have excellent facilities, including Sky TV in cells.  Courts are already encouraged to sentence women more leniently than men. Jonathan slammed the report presented by Baroness Corston, asking "How can anyone defend such shocking discrimination? Baroness Corston should resign immediately."  Jonathan also pointed out that the UK already waits for more serious offences before jailing people than most other countries.  As a result, the UK has to jail more people - because criminals in the UK don't fear jail.  Jonathan said, "Criminals are actually victims of our current sentencing policy.  How can someone reform when we keep sending out the message that society is going to tolerate criminal behaviour?  By the time anyone reaches UK jails, they are already hardened criminals - and it's very difficult to break the pattern of offending." See here or here for more information.

Jonathan Arnott elected chairman of UKIP in Sheffield

Jonathan Arnott has just been named as the next chairman of UKIP in Sheffield, an appointment which lasts for the next 12 months. Jonathan said, "My top priority as the new chairman will be to publicise UKIP in Sheffield to the best of my ability. Most people agree with what UKIP stands for, but too many simply haven't heard our message"

Jonathan paid tribute to the outgoing chair, who had to step down because of work commitments. "I am sure that everyone will join with me in congratulating Maurice Patterson, who has done the job excellently until now"

Jonathan attacks press for pandering to ‘blackmail’ against UKIP

UKIP member Gerald Price in Manchester has stood as a UKIP candidate in 2 general elections and 5 local elections. As he has been completely blind for the last 50 years, UKIP provide funding to help him deliver his leaflets. Jonathan knows this is true because he designed Gerald's posters last year, and arranged printing and delivery for him.

This year, the UK Independence Party selected disabled member Jack Biggs as a local election candidate in Dorset. Knowing that he was disabled, like with Gerald Price UKIP offered help and funding for his campaign.

But when Mr. Biggs found out that UKIP was standing in a seat where his daughter is currently a councillor, he asked UKIP not to stand against her - and sent an email threatening to tell the press that ‘UKIP do not want disabled candidates'.

Mr. Biggs said "I am a good friend but a very bad enemy. You have 24 hours to reconsider before I see one of my friend reporters on the Echo with the disability story.

Jonathan described Mr. Biggs' actions as ‘insulting' to the millions of people with disabilities in the UK and said,

"Many of my friends and relatives have disabilities, but none of them would ever use their disability as a weapon for blackmail. My congratulations go to the Guardian newspaper - the only national paper that has so far dared to publish this blackmail in full, and make the truth known."

See here to judge for yourself - read the full text of the emails.

But the national press condemned UKIP before bothering to read the emails, claiming ‘discrimination' without first checking the facts. Gerald Price said "It is nonsense to say that UKIP discriminate against disabled people. They have given me all the support and help I have ever needed and when I stood at the last council elections I took 13.9% of the vote, top in our group in the area".

UKIP to launch its first-ever Manifesto For Sheffield

The UK Independence Party has announced that it will be producing a Manifesto For Sheffield in advance of the council elections on May 3rd.
Jonathan Arnott, who is writing the document, said "This is a massive step forward for the UK Independence Party in Sheffield. Some people still think that UKIP are a single-issue party, but the fact is that we have common-sense policies on local issues affecting Sheffield residents."

Jonathan challenged the other parties in Sheffield, saying "We're so confident that our manifesto will appeal to voters that we're going to deliver it door-to-door. When people see our policies, they will agree with what we have to say. I'm challenging the other parties to do the same - dare you tell people what your policies for Sheffield REALLY are?"

Sheffield holidaymakers forced to cancel trips?

On March 26th the Government will be opening the first group of ‘Investigation Centres’ for passport applicants. The Sheffield centre will open on Charter Row, and other centres are planned across the country.

These centres will be used for what the government is calling “Authentication by Interview”. The interview will demand official numbers, addresses for the last few years and your educational institutions.

That information will be used to look up everything that can be found out about you on all the government and private sector databases they can lay their hands on including school records, social services, police, credit checking and family details. This will enable the government to build a single dossier on you containing personal information.

Over the next year every new applicant will be called in to their nearest interrogation centre. There you will be fingerprinted and photographed, and put through what they describe as an ‘intrusive interview’ to check that you can give answers about private details of your life that agree with the official ones. If you can, you’ll get your passport. If not… it is not clear, but trying to get a passport under ‘false pretences’ - if the computer says “no” - could be quite serious.

UK Independence Party spokesman Jonathan Arnott said, “The government has already estimated that 1 in 4 applicants will have to cancel their trip because they don’t get their passport in time. Apart from the obvious civil liberties issue, depriving people of their holidays because of an under-funded system is yet another government disaster”

And Yorkshire’s UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom added “It is true that the Labour Party is the only one that supports ID cards, but anybody who applies for a new passport between now and the end of this government will have their files kept forever. The answer is simple. Apply for a passport now, or risk the government holding all your information on file”.

The UK Independence Party is a member of the cross-party NO2ID campaign.

See here and here for more information.

British minister says UK government incapable of basic legislation

In the Independent yesterday, Environment Minister David Milliband was asked "Please could we legislate that all items must have a "power off" switch?"

He replied "The European Union is leading the way on this - one reason you cannot protect the environment if you are a Eurosceptic."

But Sheffield UK Independence Party campaigner Jonathan Arnott blasted the UK government, saying "Is David Milliband being serious? Either he's saying that his department isn't fit for the purpose of legislating (in which case he should resign) or he's saying that as EU members, we don't even have the power to make electrical goods have an Off switch. If that's true, he's made a very good case for leaving the EU so that we CAN take measures to protect the environment without having to wait years for the EU to take action."

Don’t deport Mark Coleman - sign the petition today!

Jonathan Arnott has spoken out over the case of Mark Coleman, who faces deportation to Zimbabwe on a technicality under Home Office rules. He urged all Sheffield residents to sign the petition here against deportation of a man who could face persecution is sent ‘back’ to Zimbabwe, despite the fact that his home and ancestry are in Britain.

Jonathan said, “In Zimbabwe, the economy has collapsed thanks to Mugabe’s misrule and inflation is now over 1000%. Zimbabwe should be one of the richest countries in Africa, yet over 3 million Zimbabweans need emergency food aid. Minority groups are persecuted - the government should not be sending anyone back to the conditions in Zimbabwe, let alone someone whose family is British, and whose father was born there only because his grandfather was serving there in the British armed forces! Please join the campaign and sign the petition here!”

Yorkshire Post - “People are turning to the likes of the UK Independence Party”

The Yorkshire Post reports here on a new opinion poll for Yorkshire which shows that since the General Election, UKIP and smaller parties have more than doubled their support since the general election. Today, 15% of people in Yorkshire plan to snub the three traditional main parties at the ballot box - up from 7% at the last general election just 2 years ago.

UKIP's Jonathan Arnott said, "The results are encouraging because they show that people are finally realising that the three traditional parties don't represent them. There's now very little difference between Labour, Lib Dem and Conservative policies on taxation, crime and immigration. Is it any wonder that more and more voters are turning to the UK Independence Party?"

Happy-ish 300th Anniversary

Today is the 300th anniversary of Parliament's ratification of the Act of Union between England and Scotland. The SNP are calling for Scotland to become an independent country. Of course the UK Independence Party believe that the Union should continue provided that most English people want it to, and provided that most Scottish people want it to.

But the UK government has given extra powers to the Scottish Parliament - no problem with that, if that's what the people of Scotland want. However, this has created an extra tier of politicians and many people in England now complain that Scottish MPs in Westminster vote on issues that don't affect Scotland at all.

Is there a way to sort out this mess, and find a fair way to protect the Union? Jonathan Arnott said, "The UK Independence Party has a strong policy on this issue, which you can read here. We can sack dozens of politicians to save money, and at the same time create an English Parliament so that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all treated fairly."

Just 23% of Sheffield residents happy with Council record on cleaning up graffiti

In a report released recently, council figures show that just 23% of Sheffield people are happy with the Council's graffiti removal service, compared to 37% a year ago.

UKIP's Jonathan Arnott said, "The public are clearly unhappy, because graffiti is an everyday experience for people living in Sheffield. All local residents should be able to feel proud of living in a city like Sheffield, and keeping the streets tidy is what we pay our Council Tax for.

This evening, I saw a can of paint that had been thrown over a street and bigoted writing had been daubed in paint across the pavement. The area was covered by CCTV cameras, but when was the last time you saw the police take graffiti seriously?"

Only the UK Independence Party promotes zero-tolerance policing for Sheffield. When zero tolerance was introduced in Durham, the crime rate plummeted.

Labour do SOMETIMES get it right

The Bank of England has increased interest rates to 5.25%, a move which took the City by surprise. Giving the Bank of England the independence to set its own rates is possibly the best thing that Labour has done in almost 10 years of government. Interest rates should never be used as a political tool to win elections.

Setting interest rates too low leads to the economy growing faster than we can cope with, and inevitably the markets correct - causing unemployment.

Setting interest rates too high leads to people being unable to pay their mortgages, falling house prices and negative equity. Businesses can’t afford to borrow in order to expand and growth of the economy is stifled.

5.25% is probably about right for the UK economy at the moment. Putting rates up or down by even a quarter of a percent has an impact on the UK economy.

Now imagine if Britain were to join the euro, with the eurozone interest rate of 3.5% a long way below the correct level for the UK.

Never again could we set the right rate for British jobs - the short-term effect would be house prices spiralling out of control. The long-term effect would be a return to the boom-and-bust economics that people still associate with the last Conservative government. Joining the euro would be worse than just losing our British pound coins or the short-term price rises by businesses exploiting the confusion; we would lose control of our own economy forever.

Labour’s spy systems under fire from UKIP

An online petition against the government's plans for in-car spy systems to charge motorists for every mile they drive now has over 260,000 signatures, but the government has indicated that it isn't going to change anything as a result.

Your local UKIP representative Jonathan Arnott said "The Prime Minister's office introduced the e-petitions as a way of bringing government closer to the people, but feels free to ignore the most popular petition on the site. Why doesn't Labour come clean and tell us that it really doesn't care about your views at all?"

You can sign the petition here, assuming that you believe Labour cares about your views. A rival petition in favour of ‘road pricing' has so far attracted just 12 signatures. Just another 260,022 more needed to catch up!

Update - another 700 signatures have been recorded in the last half an hour. The people are speaking, but the government still isn't listening.

Sheffield Labour Party - are you still there?

The Sheffield Labour party site www.sheffieldlabourparty.co.uk doesn't seem to have been updated since last May's Council elections.

Jonathan said, "Labour are supposed to be running the Council, but they can't even manage their own website. The ‘In Your Area' section has nothing to do with residents' concerns, but is actually a rant against the last Conservative government that was voted out almost a decade ago! I don't mind attacking the Conservatives - it's a pastime I indulge in myself from time to time - but don't Sheffield residents have a right to expect better from the party that runs their council?"

Labour recommends inflation-busting council tax rise. Again.

Sheffield City Council is proposing a 3.9% increase in Council Tax for next year. Astonishingly, the Labour-controlled Council is spinning this as ‘the lowest ever’ Council Tax increase in Sheffield.

Jonathan commented “Labour are traditionally the party of the ‘working class’, but it’s the poorest people who pay the highest percentage of their income in Council Tax. Last year, the UK Independence Party told Labour exactly where they could find the money to freeze Council Tax, but they preferred to put tax up instead.”

Jonathan has also pledged to fight further increases to councillors’ allowances. The increases alone are expected to cost Sheffield council taxpayers at least £200,000 over the next two years.

The UK Independence Party is expected to make a major national policy announcement soon on the issue of Council Tax.

Vote Jonathan - most popular day

Vote-Jonathan continues to grow, with over 2,500 hits recorded in just over 24 hours between Sunday evening and Monday evening. The interactive quiz has caught people's imagination, with many suggestions for improvements received.

Jonathan said, "I'm absolutely delighted by the success of my website, which proves that people really do care about political issues - even if they don't always trust parties to deliver. Hopefully after taking the quiz, people will feel more enthusiastic about voting for what they believe in.

We'll be making some changes to the content of the quiz as a result of the feedback received. But a lot of people have complained that their views sometimes aren't represented by any of the choices on the quiz. Unfortunately, sometimes none of the parties actually represent everyone's view. That's why UKIP believe that the public should be allowed to call a binding referendum on important issues - you should be able to FORCE the government to listen to you!"

It’s official: Jonathan to stand at the 2007 Sheffield City Council elections

Jonathan Arnott has now officially been selected to fight the Woodhouse ward at the elections to Sheffield City Council this May.

Last year, Jonathan finished in 3rd place with 14.5% of the vote - ahead of the Conservatives and Greens, and just 29 votes behind the Liberal Democrats.

In 2007, he hopes to do even better. Jonathan said "In this ward, UKIP campaign hard all year round on local issues that matter to local residents. But most residents have heard nothing from other parties - except one taxpayer-funded newsletter glorifying our local MP! At the election, there will be a clear choice. Do you want more of the same? Or do you want action on the issues that matter to you? "

UKIP on the up, traditional parties slipping back

Recently released figures show that the UK Independence Party's membership has increased by 1,000 over the past 3 months. Meanwhile, Conservative, Lib Dems and Labour continue to see their memberships fall.

See here for more information.

If you would like to become part of the growing number of people who want a new force in British politics to replace the cosy Lib-Lab-Con consensus, you can join UKIP here.

Jonathan talks to party leader Nigel Farage MEP

Jonathan asked the UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage MEP:

"How can UKIP get the support of local people in Sheffield? Most people think that UKIP are a party of ex-Conservatives, but most local people vote Labour"

Nigel answered "There were 9 million people who voted in 1992 but didn't bother to vote in 2005. Most of these people don't think that their vote makes any difference. Now that Labour, Lib Dems and Conservatives are so similar, we need to show people that we are different. UKIP's flat tax policy will help traditional Labour voters. By making the tax system simpler, we can take over 4 million people out of tax altogether"

Jonathan added, "Many people on benefits wouldn't be much better off if they went out to work. A flat tax system would make sure that everyone is rewarded for working hard - the best way to reduce unemployment in this country!"

The full explanation of the flat tax policy can be found here:
http://www.vote-jonathan.co.uk/PDFS/Flat-tax-policy.pdf

NO to post office closures in Sheffield

Only the UK Independence Party and the Lib Dems are saying ‘Hands Off Our Post Offices' in Sheffield. Government plans to close post offices which are not profitable across the country forget that the people who need our post offices the most are often the elderly and the sick, who are unable to travel large distances to find another post office.

Of course, the reason that they're closing is because the European Union won't allow the government to keep subsidising British post offices. And the Lib Dems are enthusiastically pro-EU...

Your local UKIP representative Jonathan Arnott said "The Lib Dems oppose post office closures in Sheffield, but in Parliament they support the closures by supporting the EU. The word ‘hypocrisy' springs to mind."

Do they care about what the public want?

The EU's own opinion poll Eurobarometer (which is funded by you and me, the British taxpayer) has found that just 34% of British people think that being in the European Union is a good thing.

It also found that in every single country of the European Union, between 70% and 97% of people want tougher sentences for criminals.

Is the government listening?

Does the council really care about city centre businesses?

First Group, which runs most of Sheffield’s buses, has announced that it’s putting fares up by up to 15% on the 6th of January. An all-day saver on First buses will go up from £3.50 to £4.

Labour-controlled Sheffield City Council has announced that parking charges in town are to go up by 8%.

If fewer people can afford to go into town, more city centre businesses will close.

Vote-Jonathan: Quiz now launched

The “Which political party should I support?” quiz has now been added to this website.

My results were - UKIP 96%, Conservative 45%, Green 38%, Lib Dem 33%, Labour 13%. Looks like I joined the right party…!