As a party we relied too much on one man and his vision for this country, we have 1000's of volunteers up and down the country at our fingertips that were dormant under Farage's leadership, the public see the same people time and time again in the press, this is why some voters do not see us as a credible alternative, charisma and charm can only get us so far.
Farage's departure has left us with a massive decision, a decision that will make or break our party. We must not have a divide like the Conservative party has with the North, we need a leader who can unite not only the party but the entire country. Our job is no longer to protest the establishment but to become a force to be reckoned with that sends a chill up the spine of Labour and the Conservatives. As a party we have the enthusiasm, talent and determination to take this country forward and with a little more professionalism, strategy and structure we can become an unstoppable force.
With the current state of British politics UKIP needs a leader with a true vision and who will take us from being a party of protest to being a party for the future of the United Kingdom. No means no and this is regardless of the views of Theresa May, we must fight to secure the best possible deal for the United Kingdom outside of the European Union. A graphic used by CCHQ during the 2015 general election showed Ed Miliband in the pocket of the SNP, well this is now the Conservative party. Theresa May has been Prime Minister for a matter of days and has already said she will not invoke article 50 until the SNP agree; but they will never agree. We need to be constantly talking about Brexit and making sure that the 17.4 million people that voted to leave the European Union get what they voted for. However our job is almost done as far as the European Union is concerned. Our MEPs will slowly start to pull out of Brussels and with that our message must evolve and change.
Jonathan's vision for UKIP is exactly what I had hoped for. He understands that we must reach out to the 13.6 million people who voted leave on June the 23rd but did not vote UKIP in the general election. The traditional Labour voters - especially in the North East - have been abandoned by the champagne socialists who claim to represent them. The Labour party as too busy holding secret meetings and fighting with each other to fight for the working class. Conservative voters will also be looking closely at UKIP because of one women, Theresa May. The Conservative party don't really care and I am still of the opinion Vote Leave didn't really want to win the referendum but wanted to settle a long battle that was once fought on the playground at Eton between Boris Johnston and George Osborne. As an ex Conservative I know their grassroots membership will not stand for the scenario that played out during the leadership election. UKIP will become more and more appealing to the grassroots membership and electorate if Jonathan becomes leader. The Conservative party have denied the British public of the best opportunity to get the best possible deal when leaving the European Union and they will not forgive or forget those actions if the negotiations are mismanaged.
To appeal to the 13.6 million voters that voted to leave but not for UKIP we need a strategy and Jonathan knows that. He is ready to establish task-forces for a wide range of tasks in upcoming elections. He is ready to form groups to help defend current council seats that were won in 2013 as a priority with others dealing with by-elections, targeting winnable seats and one for the 2020 general election with contingency plans in place in case of an early general election.
Jonathan also understands the need for funding to fight target seats like Hartlepool in 2020. UKIP's message needs to develop, the quality of literature needs to improve as does the parties media image and campaign materials. The constitution of the party needs to be updated which should bring power back to the party membership. A reform of the party membership structure is also on the cards with Jonathan as leader. Jonathan knows that the leader's job is to provide direction and accountability at every stage but not to micromanage it.
These ideas are the exact reason why I joined UKIP and the exactly reason why 1000's of others have followed since Theresa Mays appointment. Labour members are also defecting to us as they are tired with the infighting within Labour. UKIP is a party for the people without elitism where everybody has a voice and is allowed an opinion, with no whips and no "party line". However the party is in need of a more modern outlook and becoming more professional, this will increase UKIP's chances in the future. We are no longer protesting the establishment but are fighting to become it. With the vision that Jonathan has we will be able to become an absolutely unstoppable force and not just a thorn in the side of a few Labour or Conservative elected representatives.