EUBanana wrote:
UKIP doubled their membership in the past week, apparently, from 20,000 to 40,000.
To put it into context the "big three" have 120,000 ish - Labour has half a million on paper but their entry fee is almost zero so how serious a lot of those are is up for debate, lots of people who clicked a button rather than actual activists.
Is there any data/information on who those new UKIP members are?
I don't follow British politics that closely but from what I am familiar with, recent activities that might have led to an increase in UKIP membership might include:
---people frustrated with Therese May's dawdling on Brexit
---the resignations of Boris Johnson and whoever the guy was tasked with managing Brexit
I would suspect that the above two points would likely result in Tories leaving their party and joining UKIP
----a last factor could be the very public joining of UKIP by online figures like Sargon, Count Dankula, Paul Joseph Watson and Milo (let's call them the "shitposters").
If there is data around who these new UKIP members are and if their ages skew on the younger side (20s and 30s), then I would guess that the above 4 shitposters joining would be a big reason for the increase. And that increase in membership would likely be people who have not in the past been formal members of any political party...."fresh young blood".
If the shitposters are a major reason for the bump in membership, if they coordinate and plan their activities (into something more serious that simply shitposting) then they could conceivably play a somewhat meaningful role in the future direction of the party.I think that the recent interview that Sargon did with Neil Hamilton is an indication that at least he (of the shitposters) is taking this a bit more seriously.
Your thoughts EUBanana?
My bolded comments above.
If you watch carefully at the 1:30 mark you will notice Sargon sitting with other UKIP members, apparently working strategy with them on outreach and messenging.
THIS is what I was hoping for.
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