Common Sense


72% of new laws affecting UK citizens come from Brussels, and the European Union is now at the centre of everything done by our government. Trade, post office closures, immigration, VAT, fuel taxes, farming and fishing are EU-controlled.

With the Lisbon Treaty, we now have an EU President, EU Foreign Minister and embassies.

UKIP believes in replacing our EU membership with Swiss-style free trade agreements with the EU and other countries across the globe.

       We pay over £40 million a day to be in the EU.
     The EU forces us to accept unlimited immigration from 26 other countries.
     The two richest countries in Europe - Norway and Switzerland - aren't even in the EU.


We all feel we're paying too much tax, but most of us fear that tax cuts could lead to cuts in services like police, schools and hospitals.

We can save money by leaving the EU making tax simpler and slashing bureaucracy to let us cut taxes and improve services.

Our simple, low-rate 'Flat Tax' will cover both Income Tax and National Insurance - and no tax on the first £11,500 per year of earnings. People on minimum wage should pay nothing.

    
     Flat tax would take 4.5 million people out of tax.
   Simplify pensions and stop means testing
   Scrap Inheritance Tax over time.
   Simpler for business - replace VAT with a fair Local Sales Tax.


Our government has pumped more money into the NHS, but extra bureaucracy and waste drains that money away.

The EU threatens the NHS's existence through the Health Services Directive, lower medical standards and working time rules on doctors.


UKIP would keep the NHS free at the point of need but allow greater flexibility and top-up funding, and require a return to high standards.

     Ensure locally-run, cleaner hospitals.
     Elected health boards to stop hospital closures.
     Fully support GPs at the heart of a better NHS.

     On-the-job nursing and medical training.

Our government doesn't even know the true level of UK immigration, thanks to the lack of proper border controls. Serious criminals are rarely deported after serving their sentences.

Under Labour, mass immigration has added 3.5 million people -equivalent to half London's population. Our infrastructure cannot cope; this is about numbers - space not race.

     End uncontrolled mass immigration
     Triple Border Agency personnel.
     Find and deport illegal immigrants.
     Work permits only for UK economic needs.
     Keep our proud tradition of helping genuine asylum seekers who fear for their lives.

UK democracy isn't working properly.

Do you have an opinion on drug legalisation, euthanasia, animal rights or the death penalty? Your MPs currently decide these moral issues on a free vote - making it almost impossible for you to use your vote to make a difference.

That's why UKIP believes that you should be able to get involved in democracy through Swiss-style referenda on key local and national issues - and force politicians to listen.

     Let the public call binding referendums on key local and national issues.
     Provide free 'hotel' type accommodation to MPs and scrap the second home allowance.
     Set up an independent panel on MP expenses.

Crime in the UK is out of control. Law-abiding citizens fear for their safety and criminals are released early or on bail to commit more crimes.

The failed Human Rights Act is a 'Criminals' Charter' protecting criminals, yet doing nothing to protect the decent, hard-working majority.

Police now enforce minor motoring offences more rigorously than shoplifting or assault. People are losing faith in the system.

     Make sentences mean what they say.
     Scrap the Human Rights Act.
     Put police back on the beat.
     Create enough prison places.
     Give people the vote on police priorities.

Education should be about ensuring excellence, giving our children the best possible start in life. But today's education system downplays merit, prioritises government interference and ignores issues like bullying and lack of quality schools.

The brightest pupils are not challenged, and no genuine vocational choice is offered until age 16

We must scrap Labour's target of 50% of young people going to university, which is causing huge debt and reducing the value of degrees.

     Student grants, not student loans.
     Proper skills training and apprenticeships
     Schools to reflect pupils' ability - whether academic or skills-based.

Defence is the primary duty of government. Whatever your views on Britain's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, we should all agree that our soldiers deserve our full support.

Our armed forces are overstretched and often have to0make do with poor quality or faulty equipment - British soldiers pay with their lives.

Meanwhile, our war heroes  receive poor medical treatment and little financial support if wounded.

     Spend 40% more on defence
     Recruit 25,000 more regular troops.
     Double the size of the Territorial Army
     Proper pay and medical care for our heroes.
     Rebuild the Royal Navy; more RAF aircraft

Our roads, trains and airspace are overcrowded. Public transport and roads need improvement.

Tax on petrol currently adds around 180% to the net fuel cost. Parking fines and speed cameras are over-used.

UK hauliers suffer from unfair competition from foreign lorries paying nothing to use UK roads.

     Invest in new high-speed rail routes and re-open selected local lines.
     Encourage electric cars, lorries and trains.
     Make foreign lorries pay to use UK roads.
     Stop persecuting motorists with huge tax rises and over-zealous enforcement.

Obsession with carbon emissions is getting in the way of sensible measures to protect our environment. We should invest in technology to make cars more efficient and cut fuel emissions.

Wind farms work only at 30% efficiency, yet hydroelectric power is safe and reliable. Nuclear power is now safer and cleaner.

It's unacceptable to have British goods dumped in China or Africa to be recycled.

     Invest in environmentally-friendly technology.
     Oppose new wind farms
     Nuclear stations to free the UK from reliance on Russian gas and Middle East oil
     Use incentives not fines to encourage people to do their bit.




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