UKIP poster boy is a racist immigrant, film at 11

[Tamas]

 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ukip-eu-elections-poster-boy-andre-lampitt-suspended-after-racist-tweets-come-to-light-9284136.html

Ukip has been forced to suspend the "poster boy" of its European election broadcast, after it was revealed he had posted a series of vile racist comments on Twitter.

Builder Andre Lampitt was one of principal characters in the slickly produced promotional film which was aired across the BBC and ITV on Tuesday night.

Mr Lampitt was shown walking across a building site describing the difficulty he had a finding work as a result of unrestricted immigration from Europe.

"Since the lads from Eastern Europe are prepared to work for a lot less than anybody else, I've found it a real struggle," he laments. "It's getting hard to provide for my family."

But despite appearing to be an immigrant himself from Zimbabwe – or Rhodesia as he prefers to call it – it was Mr Lampitt's other views which landed in him hot water with the party of which he is a member.

In a series of Tweets going back over more than a year he reveals his thoughts on everything from Muslims, to AIDS, Syria and forced sterilisation.

They do not make pretty reading.

"Get over it, slavery was an act of war," he wrote on 19 March. "You lost stop being so damn jealous and move forward."

Then in response to two other Twitter users he wrote: "Muslims are animals their faith is disgusting their prophet is (a) pedophile". (sic)

Other forthright views included on Ed Miliband ("He is Polish and not British so how'd he know what's good for Britain?"), Africa ("I was born and grew up in Africa please leave Africa for the Africans lets them kill themselves off don't go there") and Syria ("When I voted they did not tell me they would spend our tax money on Syrians I'm sorry but this is unfair")

The tweets were first brought to the attention of the party by The Independent - and they swiftly moved to suspend Mr Lampitt.

A party spokesman said: "We are deeply shocked that Mr Lampitt has expressed such repellent views. His membership has been suspended immediately pending a full disciplinary process."

[Valmy]

A party spokesman said: "We are deeply shocked that Mr Lampitt has expressed such repellent views. His membership has been suspended immediately pending a full disciplinary process."

Yeah that is pretty shocking after seeing your billboard campaign that your party would attract these sorts of people.  I am shocked SHOCKED to find xenophobia going on around here. 

[celedhring]

So he's been expelled for adhering to the party platform? 

[Josquius]

Hatred against foreigners=good
Hatred against other races=bad....or at least people don't vote for that so let's pretend it is

-UKIP policy memo

[Syt]

Austrian FPÖ had a similar incident. After their candidate for EU parliament called the EU a "Neger-Konglomerat" and made racist remarks about a black Austrian football player he got kicked of the candidates' list. It's widely believed that this is an attempt by FPÖ to get out of the racist/neo-nazi corner they keep getting pushed back into whenever one of their guys says stuff like this.

Their campaign from what I can see so far is more along the lines "EU bureaucracy bad", "banks bad" etc,

[Sheilbh]

A while back the Ukip executive considered the idea of a deal with the BNP. Basically the BNP would run in the North and Ukip in the South. Turns out it had been orchestrated by Farage. All the people who voted for the deal were kicked out the party.

It's tough though as they're growing so rapidly. I don't know if they've got the resources or structure to make sure they're able to stay on message.

On the other hand there's been a few of these scandals now and it's had no effect on the polls. If you're an anti-politics party then political scandals just bother people less. It's sort of priced in.

[Richard Hakluyt]

UKIP will attract those sort of people. I'm more interested in the respectable and decent component of their support; they are not being catered for by the established political parties hence the protest vote.

We are failing to keep up with the house construction, schools, hospitals etc that are necessary for an expanding population. Shortages in these areas acts as a recruitment tool for racism; tolerance is stretched if people can't get a place to live, or a sensible school place for their child............by no means all of the grumbling is coming from racists.

[Josquius]

If you don't want to vote for one of the big three parties then vote for the greens; they're about more than the environment. You don't have to vote for closet racists....
Well. That should be the case but the greens don't even bother running in most places

[Tamas]

UKIP will attract those sort of people. I'm more interested in the respectable and decent component of their support; they are not being catered for by the established political parties hence the protest vote.

We are failing to keep up with the house construction, schools, hospitals etc that are necessary for an expanding population. Shortages in these areas acts as a recruitment tool for racism; tolerance is stretched if people can't get a place to live, or a sensible school place for their child............by no means all of the grumbling is coming from racists.

I get that, but that is not really a valid excuse. I am pretty sure there are other political organisations other than the big three plus UKIP. Yet those are not strengthened by protest votes.
We might want to wishy-wash it but let's face it: EVERYONE who votes for a party like this at the very least TOLERATES the agenda of the loud lunatics coming to it.

[Richard Hakluyt]

The last time this happened was back in 1991 or so, the Greens surged in the local elections...........but were then wiped in the General Election. The Lib-Dems have also been a party of protest but have lost that due to participation in the government.

I predict that many UKIP Euro MPs will be elected next month but that they will get zero seats in the 2015 General Election. That is still a nuisance though as their presence will not help the European parliament gain status and power, which I think is a necessary development that would solve the EU's democratic deficit.

[Norgy]

I found his tweets ranging from hilariously un-PC to downright mental.

I'd be more worried about Farage liking Putin for "his style".

[Razgovory]

Odd how so many people who subscribe to right wing populism turn out to be vile bigots.  You'd almost think there is some sort of connection.

[mongers]

Odd how so many people who subscribe to right wing populism turn out to be vile bigots.  You'd almost think there is some sort of connection.

But this leaves me confused as to why Tamas is flirting with them.   

[Razgovory]

Odd how so many people who subscribe to right wing populism turn out to be vile bigots.  You'd almost think there is some sort of connection.

But this leaves me confused as to why Tamas is flirting with them.   

I didn't know he was.  Maybe they have big tits.

[Tamas]

Odd how so many people who subscribe to right wing populism turn out to be vile bigots.  You'd almost think there is some sort of connection.

But this leaves me confused as to why Tamas is flirting with them.   

Just because what they believe to be classical liberalism has been monopolized by the Tea Party in the US, it does not mean I am on the far right. By very definition classical liberalism, or libertarianism if you will, is ought to be smack in the middle.