Canvassing in Newark
June 5th is polling day in Newark. This is my fifth election since 1999. My second in a fortnight. And my first Westminster election. I’m the UKIP candidate.
Opinion polls are still putting the Conservatives in the lead. I just can’t relate those numbers to our experience. We’ve done a huge amount of canvassing, and on that basis we’re at least level pegging! Maybe better. In fifteen years I’ve never seen the kind of enthusiasm we’re getting here — on the doorstep, in the street, in the shops and the pubs. It’s heartwarming.
Yesterday a colleague was walking in from the station (we’ve had hundreds of activists in town). He was confronted with an Agence France video reporter. “Can you help me?” said the journo. “I need to interview someone who’s not voting UKIP, but I can’t find anyone”. “Sorry” said my colleague, “but I’m afraid I’m UKIP’s Party Chairman”.
Of course the voters of Newark are worried by local issues. The A&E Department at Newark hospital (or lack of it). Flooding in Southwell. Problems with local schools and local transport infrastructure.
Of course some plan to vote UKIP because they’re fed up with the legacy parties. But many simply agree with UKIP policies. On managed immigration (not “Pulling up the drawbridge”, as Nick Clegg puts it). On energy prices and wind turbines. On grammar schools. On foreign aid. On not being governed by foreign institutions in Brussels — and paying £55 million a day for the privilege.
And they’re not taken in by Labour’s lies. We’re not going to privatise Newark hospital. Or charge £200 (or anything at all) for GP visits. Or scrap paid holidays or maternity leave. The voters are smart enough to see through this malicious propaganda — and they’ve got the measure of the relentless press onslaught against our party in recent weeks.
I can’t tell you we’re going to win on Thursday. That’s up to the voters. But I’d say the odds are fifty-fifty. Maybe better. We’re coming up fast on the rails.
Roger Helmer MEP 
For the sake of the country, I hope so!
What’s not to like about Ukip policies?
Best of luck.
Good luck to you and all your team Roger. If I could afford the cost of the journey, I’d have been happy to help too.
Oh I do so hope that you win, Roger. You deserve to!
It really would put the cat amongst the pigeons, and show TPTB that we are fed up to the back teeth being treated like ‘mushrooms’.
You and Ukip could hardly have done more. Roger, your experience is similar to my more limited exposure on Sunday. Some great tweets too. My favourite on the lines that 100s of Ukip supporters in Newark because they are patriots. Hundreds of Tories because they are threatened by Central Office with dire career prospects otherwise. Central office resembles Politburo more and more.
Looking forward to you being Ukip’s first MP. Everything crossed for tomorrow.
I suspect that as in Eastleigh the voters who voted before the campaign started are the ones who will decide the election. I sincerely hope they chose change. Even if they haven’t then I bet that of the votes cast on the day, UKIP will top the results list.
The unseemly haste of this campaign, all the minimums of time just met…..
Good luck, The problem you face is twofold. The status qou effect and the majority haven’t realised the intent of the collective, yet.
Break a leg Roger, in the nicest possible way.
With a wife (new UKIP supporter!) just home from hospital and rather immobile, a journey to support you has not been possible, but this message will hopefully serve to send our best wishes for success, and our admiration for the effort you have put in. Good luck, Mr Helmer.
If you win, Roger, I will grow one of those fetching ‘tashes of yours.
Many of the Bloggers 4ukip have been working hard to spread the breaking news regarding QMV and it’s implications. They have managed to post on the Newark web site warning everyone who is interested just what a liar Cameron is : his 2017 referendum pledge his less than useless and of course he was aware of that nearly as slimey as Blair who he apparently admires !!! Do hooey it helps. This thing is massive we are being conned. Big time.
Reblogged this on Tallbloke's Talkshop.
Good luck and best wishes Roger. I hope the voters who haven’t bothered for years wake up and smell the coffee. To not use your vote is a denial of democracy.
And yet all we see after the ‘vote’ is noses in the trough.
Wishing you the best of British!
We’re keeping fingers and paws crossed – and given that the result in 2010 was 4% of the vote, you’re a winner in any case!
Good luck to you, Roger!
When the elections are over, I hope you will have time to explore the unreported events in August 1945 that changed the course of history and led society to its present demise.
Make sure you have plenty of friends watching the count – a lot of activists seem to get jobs helping to count the vote!
Good luck mate 🙂
So you have already made an assumption that there may be dishonest behaviour in counting the votes. You should not judge others by your own standards.
You are a true gentleman good luck the people’s army are right behind you
Suggest at this late stage that Voters take along their own biro’ or pen to make their mark. I don’t trust you know who one bit.
Hi Roger, my heart is with you my friend and I just wish i had the wellbeing to be in Newark campaigning with you, but I’m afraid that such a possibilty is not to be at this moment in time. You have a massive figure to overturn and i do seriously think that there is a faint possibilty that this can be achieved but I think the real story is the sudden amount of pressure Camoron has placed upon his senior figures to campaign and also just what a percentage UKIP/you can reduce that majority by!
I think that you can reduce that 16,000 majority by 10,000 Roger; I also think that, should the now defunct ilLib-unDems vote with you, that you can seriously rattle the Tory diehards-and by God sir, I hope you do!
The best of luck to you Roger and I hope we meet again soon my friend 🙂
Sorry Roger, meant to leave you with this:- http://handymanphil.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/bob-blackman-mp-just-another-ash-clone.html
Rooting for you Roger Shake them all up , to win would be unbelievable to diminish the majority will have the WOW factor , love your new recruiting officer Mr Bliar, he should help ,
GOOD LUCK
Best of luck to you and your team Roger.
An honest man that says it how it is. He has been lied about and vilified constantly over many months and he is still fighting strongly to do what is best for Newark. Just have to hope the good people of Newark all get up and vote and drag friends and family along to do so also. Vote helmer a man for the people to help the people. I think Newark residents are wise enough to see through the hate, lies and propaganda unlike the Tory blind sheep followers
We are with you all the way Roger
Rooting for you Roger and wishing you ALL THE VERY BEST OF GOOD LUCK AND THE VERY BEST OF GOOD WISHES. Anne
They’d be mad to vote for anyone else. Hilarious today to listen to Theresa May’s spat with Gove as the Tories panic. Meanwhile Ed Miliband brazenly lying about how he can offer an “immigration bill” to stop foreign workers undercutting British wages. Like hell!
Wishing you the best of luck Roger! Ukip are the only party bold and brave enough to ask the difficult questions facing the current times we live in. The other parties are so far removed from the real world and have little or no idea how uncontrolled immigration is affecting local services and communities. Keep up the good work!
Good luck Roger…ignore opinion polls they are rarely right!
Good luck Roger. The real opinion poll is today. I hope that the Newark electorate will teach these deceitful and lying politicians a lesson they will never forget.
May much more than the floating vote be with you.
Tories still don’t get it
Labour will be poverty for all – again
LibDems hopefully gone forever.
Dennis Skinner got it in one yesterday!
What did Dennis have to say Colin? I didn’t quite catch it.
After the Black Rod invite from the Queen he immediatly said, ” coalitions last stand”
We definitely live in great hope !
Thanks Colin.
Good Luck today Roger ! You and your campaigners have done Newark proud. We’re with you all the way and looking at the comments on local web sites of Newark you have got plenty of support young and old ! Fingers crossed that the good people of Newark realise what a difference ‘this day’ will make by voting for you and UKIP and what a genuine positive difference it will make to their town and their families and friends. Once again thank you Roger !
Good luck hope you win. I think you will do well
Go ‘get em, Rog! Hope you win – even if you don’t, give the Tories a good shoeing at the polls!
IT IS D-DAY for ukip in Newak says Roger Helmer!! He was in a war you know. He wasn’t old enough to be in WW2 as a troop, but he was born right near the end of it in 1944 which means he has been through a war, so you should trust your elders, he fought hard being born and alive for a year in WW2, and he is entitled to dismantle the NHS and stuff if he wants because it’s hard fighting babies like him that built the socialism they deserved and they say we don’t need it any more because you are all filthy dole scum and haven’t been through a proper war. He was 6 months old when d-day happened, where were you??? Nowhere that’s right, not even born yet, let alone sat in your council house that *he built* watching jeremy kyle.
WTF are you on about? D-Day is a metaphor you moron. Where has roger said that he was in the forces ever? Where has he said he has been at a D-Day?
Oh and for the morons that think there’s only one D-Day, I have some bad news. The term D-Day wasn’t coined for the Normandy landings, it’s a standard military term. Colloquially known as ‘Do it Day’ but really has no meaning.
Good luck Roger – and watch out for those postal votes!
Good luck Roger from a fellow TFA member
Now 6:30pm. Any news on turnout?
Oh, well. I hear the Tories rustled up 100 MPs to pound the streets and get people to vote and still they ended up with a reduced majority. UKIP a very commendable second, from nowhere!
Glad to see that the electorate in Newark voted with their brains. The predicted “earthquake” turned out to be no more than a small tremor.that signals the end of UKIP’s clatter.
Not quite. The tories brought in 600 activists last Sat and 1000 activists yesterday (polling day). Turnout was 53%, so those voters were effectively levered out of their homes to vote. Was there any prizes for that? The tories won’t be able to repeat that tactic at the General Election. Strange really, because turnouts are around 30% or less usually. The 60% loafers usually just don’t care.
The tories did everything to ensure a non PPE graduate could not enter Parliament. I think the tories knew that just one UKIP MP in Westminster would keep UKIP clearly in the public view.
Jacob Rees-Mogg reckons UKIP is conservatism with a small ‘c’ and means it bodes extremely well for conservatism in UK (+/- Scotland) with two tory party’s present.
After this the tories will still not get it. At least liberals are close to trashed.
Brian, really. How embarrassing to come on her and try to say we failed in any way. Only UKIP and the Greens increased their vote on last time, and bless ’em, the Greens didn’t get very far above the mark.
The people of Newark got to see just about every Tory MP and every cabinet minister about 3 times and Cameron 4 times and what did they do? Did they provide the Tories with a resounding rejection of UKIP? Did they mince us into the ground? Did the Lib Dems rise up as the party of ‘IN’ to throw UKIP out?
No. NO and thrice NO. What happened was that the Tory majority was reduced by more than half and UKIP’s vote went up by 20% and more. I think King Canute had a sage tail to tell when they said he could turn the tide back.
So Brian, do everyone including yourself a favour and drown your sorrows in a bucket of sangria…..
You didn’t win so, errr, you failed!
You should apply for a job at Tory central office mate. With wins like that you’ll be out on your arse before too long.
I am completely happy with you thinking Newark was a simple Tory win. You keep telling yourself that, please do. You and Grant Schapps share a mirror and keep saying that to yourself…………….
But you only got 26% of the total votes cast (or roughly 13% of the electorate). And at a time when UKIP have been getting an inordinate amount of publicity in the media. I would regard that as a failure. You will need a lot more than that if you are to get any parliamentary seats.
I’m happy with your assessment, yeah its time to pack up and go home because brian say so…..yawn
Shame you wasn’t blessed with one !!!
Cattlebrain that response should have gone after your sarcasm about tories voting with their brains.
It is of course rather typical that you Ukippers have to resort to insults when faced with a truth that you find unpleasant
You plainly wouldn’t know the truth if it bit you in the ass brian. But I’m happy that the spin merchants are all out there telling everyone that UKIP is finished. Just makes me smile wider when they get it wrong, again and again and again.
These people seem to think they can wish things away, so amusing really.
As I said, you can’t stop yourselves from resorting to insults. You may wish to believe that UKIP is on a roll, but I am afraid that it is just a busted flush.
I repeat, you go on thinking, believing and acting like that is true -PLEASE.
It will just make it easier to beat you.
I must say it’s a bit rich of you Brian to accuse others of resorting to insults. I thought that was your stock in trade! This local election was just one battle, yet again UKIP voters are increasing in number and you are right to be bothered by it, and bothered by it I think you are…the Tories are panicking, how good does that feel?
Firstly I think that you will find that I have only resorted to insults in response to insults thrown in my direction, and secondly I would feel rather good that the Tories are panicking, if indeed they were. What on earth makes you think that I am a Tory supporter? They are nearly as bad as UKIP.
I did not say you are a Tory Brian, just that they are panicking. I reread my comment and I can see how you misunderstood me, my bad!
Well done Roger against the party machine that went ten to the dozen against you that still has the Wow factor.. you reduced the majority that took some doing .
Well done Roger. Looks like a hung Parliament in 2015 with Ukip holding balance of power!
With how many seats?!?
Well given the way Tories count, quite a few I’d say……………
Come now, Me_Again, even you can count to zero.
I will put a £100 bet that you will win, at most, 1 seat. That will be wherever Farage decides to stand.
Why do up want to know, a friendly interest?!
D Day is actually today, and had nothing to do with UKIP
The common thread is we were fighting for our sovereignty then and again now. Difference is LibLabCon have sold out to the enemy.
Oh dear not a pedant purist by any chance? A metaphor perhaps? An analogy even?
Right wingery. The question is will Farage be brave enough to stand? Given the lacklustre performance of his party at this election he might be wise enough to not bother with Westminster and concentrate on fiddling round to little or no effect in Europe.
I am sorry you did not get elected. That was a real shame. But overturning a huge majority like that in the teeth of a well organised Conservative operation with lots of money was never going to be easy was it.
What we need to do now is to make sure the UK leaves the EU(rezone) and joins EFTA before the “federalists” get their More Europe at our expense.
Agree with most of the sentiment Mike, BUT, we don’t want an agreement where we pay money to them. The EFTA is just that. We just need to negotiate a free, free trade agreement.
We aren’t Norway and we aren’t Switzerland. Back in the days when they negotiated their agreements the EU was apparently in the ascendant. Now they’ll just be happy to get a tariff free deal from our end.
Do not be too hasty to jump into the EFTA option. EFTA and the EEC were 20th century creations driven by high tariffs. Tariffs are now low or non existent. Read further at
Click to access Out_Of_The_EU_and_into_the_world.pdf
Exactly Barry. They were made when the EU thought it was on top. No card player would pick up that hand.
Thank you, Roger, for your efforts!
I do not know when, but I am absolutely certain that eventually “Truth will be victorious!”
Breitbart UK today:
Geert Wilders Flouts EU Rules, Will Attempt to Sit in Dutch and European Parliaments
Likely will get barred…like Westminster.
Most amusing.