On Wednesday evening I decided to watch the TV debate between Nigel Farage of Ukip and Nick Clegg of the LibDems.
It was on the subject of the European Union and the UK’s role within it.
An important topic, especially with the European Elections coming up next month, but that wasn’t why I wanted to watch.
What interested me were the two individuals.
Nick Clegg is very much the career politician. He has worked in or around politics either lobbying or as an MEP (Member of the European Parliament) or now as an MP.
He wanted to be a politician and it is his career choice. Mr Farage on the other hand got involved with politics because he was fed up with the way career politicians were running our country.
Although I don’t agree with all of Mr Farage’s ideas I do understand where he is coming from.
In 2004 when I found out that the people running our country had been prepared to commit to war in Iraq behind the back of Parliament and that thousands of TA soldiers had been sent to war without proper training so that that decision was kept secret, I was furious and decided that I had to try and do something to change things.
I didn’t want to become a career politician but I realised that politics was the way to create change.
The people who were responsible for those decisions in 2004 were all career politicians. They are not now. I am pleased to have played my part in ending that in the election in 2010.
Having watched the debate I agreed with all the polls that said that Mr Farage won the debate hands down. I was pleased for two reasons.
Firstly, because there needs to be a real debate about the future relationship of our country with the EU.
What was sold as a trading organisation now sees itself as a super state and we deserve a say on whether or not we want to be a part of that.
The only way that we can have a referendum is if our parliament passes legislation to allow it.
That cannot be something that Ukip will deliver because not even Mr Farage would say he expects to have a majority, or a controlling interest, in Westminster after the General Election in 2015.
It is something a Conservative government will deliver and I am pleased that my party has come round to my way of thinking.
The second reason that I was pleased is because I enjoy seeing career politicians being taken down a peg or two!
Very best wishes,
Simon
