UKIP Cambridge candidate: "if everybody cycled, there would be no roads to ride on"

A few years ago I chaired a general election hustings in my constituency in North London. It was organised by Friends of the Earth so it was all about green issues. To be fair to UKIP their candidate actually attended (which was more than his Conservative rival did). The poor fellow was a little out of his depth and I don't think UKIP actually had any policies on the environment at the time (they have now, I believe - unfortunately). The UKIP candidate did come up with an inspired solution to our energy needs. Bring back into service all those old windmills to generate electricity!

Just comically ill-informed but sadly pretty typical of the far right in this country. Always found it odd that they don't like cycling more given it pretty much represents their values of individual liberty, small government and personal responsibility.

Either way, don't let the comedy detract from the fact that UKIP are basically a load of racists. Remember the Nazi Party emerged from mainstream rightwing parties - not as fanciful or melodramatic an idea as it sounds.

As an aside, UKIP are also spectacularly ill-informed on how well our economy would fare on its own - most UKIP members seem to think we are still an industrial powerhouse with a huge empire when in fact we need to align with Europe in order to survive in a world of huge economic blocs like China, India, Brazil, Russia, USA. We'll disappear up our own ar$es otherwise but Nigel Farrage will obviously just blame that on immigrants.

FFS!

Yes this chap is ill-informed and nobody on this forum, including me, will agree with him on his views on cycling,.however I have to make the following observations:

1. The article selectively quotes parts of their manifesto with reference to cycling to support the authors political views - the other points missed out are mainly concerned with promoting cycling safety. Hardly balanced journalism..but this is not for the first time on road.cc as per the article on UKIP a couple of months ago.

2. To simply brand people with eurosceptic views as racist is pathetic and in no way helping to further debate about an issue that is important to a lot of British people across the political spectrum

PS I do not vote UKIP but it winds me up when people fight 'bigotry' by being intolerant bigots themselves.

It should be possible to be a keen cyclist, without having a political agenda, surely?

If this half-wit and/or his party get elected to anything, I object that I'll be paying for people that I don't use or want to use.

As pointed out above, all kinds of taxpayers, including cyclists, have paid for all these road facilites with varying degrees and type of contribution. I don't like that my taxes contribute to car parks, motorways etc. which I don't use. BLOODY MOTORISTS, USING FACILITIES THAT CYCLISTS HAVE PAID FOR.

The most dangerous mix is power with low intelligence.

UKIP is not intended to win any elections in the UK. It's run by a Rothschild gold trader as a distraction for anyone who's dissafected with the mainstream fascist parties but who hasn't yet realised that we live in a fascist country where all the parties are the same, with the same fascist policies emanating from the same masonic lodge where all the party leaders convene. Don't waste your energy fretting over this pointless charade.

I've blogged up the conversation I've had with Peter Burkinshaw over the last couple of days. Polite, but essentially entrenched and selfish.
Quelle surprise:

http://www.vulpine.cc/Blog/commuting/preaching-to-the-unconvertable

Thank you Peter for reminding me of the quote...

Racism the last bastion of the truly ignorant.

Sorry, have I stumbled upon some kind of trailer for a new series of Little Britain with Marjorie Doors and Fat-Fighters being replaced by Peter Burkinshaw and UKIP???

UKIP - rise of the right wing facists, not surprised by Burkinshaw's ignorance.

It's OK laughing at this guy who is gonna sink without trace, but there are thousands of them standing next Thursday. They are dangerous people, who have got to be stopped. Vote next week, tactically if necessary.

Come on guys, it's UKIP; what did you expect, a balanced, well thought out response taking all things in to consideration?

I'm surprised he hasn't managed to get "foreigners" into his reply somewhere.

UKIP - not known for policy brilliance.

He would do well to visit a growing business in Cambridge called Outspoken Delivery. These guys do amazing things with bikes and are rwally helping to make deliveries in Cambridge much more sustainable and efficient. They also pride themselves in riding responsibly and being aware that negative images of cyclists go a long way to fuel the hate spouted by idiots like Mr Burkinshaw.

UKIP in mentalist shocker.

We need to be able to counter these arguments because a frighteningly large number of people do believe the codswallop UKIP and others promote. I'm surprised he didn't have a go at cyclists who don't stick to cycle paths!

Apparently Mr. Burkinshaw has "lived and worked in Holland."

Somehow he managed that without discovering the benefits of both cycling and Europe.

UKIP have some seriously daft ideas - including also opposing HS2 even though the WCML has only about seven years of capacity left (I work right by it - it's extraordinary how many trains there are).

Looking forward to that book coming out.

Is it true he wrote the first draft in crayon?

It's almost enough to make me vote for Scottish independence - just in case the mass ignorance ever takes hold and this lot end up with a sniff of power. Terrifying prospect.

Genius. I particularly like the fact that his responses aren't even consistent, let alone reasoned, and that he's responded as part of his campaign in one of the most cycling-centric cities in the UK. Obviously a very clever chap.

I've emailed him too. I was slightly more sarcastic than aslongasicycle, but perhaps he won't spot that and will think I'm a genuine supporter

You set the "bar" at a certain height then look around you, lower it then watch it being smashed into, lower it even further until you end up with it set low enough that an ant could step over then UKIP still manage to hit it.

I'm ashamed to admit but i watched Question Time last night on tv with farage as a guest and he is only a whisker away from being a full blown member of the EDF or BNP judging by some of his comments last night. Embarrassing is an understatement, no wonder the standard of candidates is so low from them.

"if everybody cycled, there would be no roads to ride on"

Damnit, then someone would have to invent a non road bike... maybe with fat knobbly tyres, suspension, etc... Who knows... it might even catch on!

I understand that UKIP is the party for people who would like to join the BNP but shop at Marks and Spencers.

There are so many things wrong here that I'm beginning to think he's doing it deliberately in the hope of minimal backlash due to stunned silence.

@Nick Hussey - Good luck with that!

Having said that though, if they'll get cyclists in this country referring to things in miles again instead of those jonny foriegn kilometre things, then they might just win me back over

Darn it. As an East Chesterton resident, cyclist, and tax payer, I guess it would be wrong for me to vote for him now. And their other policies seemed so positive and well-balanced... Ho hum.