The UKIP effect in Lancashire

The second article on how parties could affect the Preston area and Lancashire if they obtained power or held influence after the General Election.  UKIP are today’s subject as they were in the news last week after a speech by their leader that said Belgium wasn’t a proper country.

The main policy and purpose of UKIP is to leave the EU and reach a free trade agreement.  It isn’t easy to say how that will impact the region particularly as we are the furthest away from the continent, although close to Ireland.  Although it could be said that free movement of people across EU borders will no longer be a right and therefore migration patterns will change.   Most of the immigration in this area has not been from the EU so it will have little effect.  Although it seems locals don’t want to do the jobs EU migrants are doing and if they do it increases costs.  So whether increasing costs will drive work elsewhere, and if there would be an increase in illegal and non-EU labour to make up the numbers is an unanswered question.

One of the policies that might be good for the area is a 40% increase in the defence budget as there is a large regional defence industry. Although it isn’t said where the money will go, I assume home defence will be the main agenda. 

Also the policy of building nuclear power stations will retain existing Lancashire jobs at Heysham and Salwick and create new ones for the replacement stations that will be required soon.

The policy to replace VAT with local tax could have mixed effect.  If local areas are able to keep their sales taxes it should benefit areas containing businesses, although it would be subject to central government agreement no doubt. Councils with mainly residential property will not have as great an income from this so whether that effects them isn’t clear.  It could start a tax war between say Preston and Blackburn to attract trade. Although it would have to be a significant change to make effect.

Other policies include scrapping inheritance tax, allowing doctors to work as many hours as needed and having elected health boards. How many workers want their hours to be unrestricted? Personally I’d prefer to be treated by a doctor who hasn’t been up all night.  Notice there is no mention of scrapping the 48hr working limit for everyone else.  Scrapping Human Rights laws, increasing prisons and local voting on police priorities are listed.

UKIP’s other polices include combining income tax and national insurance and raising the tax threshold to £11,500, which sounds a good idea, both of which are similar to Liberal Democrat policies.

It could be said that overseas investment will be less if the UK isn’t in the EU.  Many companies invest here in expectation of it being a place with equal access to EU markets but generally with a more business friendly climate.  Also without a UK influence the EU could take measures against UK interests, perhaps deliberately, without us having a say.  Britains standing in the world might be affected by not being in the EU with the move towards large power blocks.  Some say Australia for example doesn’t have such an arrangement but Britain has historically been at the top table and might find itself squeezed unless being outside the EU creates a resurgence.
 
Overall an interesting package of populous measures designed to appeal to those who don’t like bureaucracy and don’t like the EU.   They are similar to what many Conservative voters would like.  It could therefore be said a UKIP vote is likely to help Labour, a triumph of unintended consequences.