Sideways
Donor
In OTL, one of the criticisms levelled against UKIP is that they claim a high rate of expenses in the EU parliament but don't attend many parliamentary sessions. What if, instead of simply not going to very many parliamentary meetings, they made a policy of going to none at all? Someone said to me recently that abstention had been UKIP's original policy. Maybe they could have kept it up.
If this was Sinn Fein style abstentionism, UKIP MEPs would still draw pay and keep an office in Brussels. But they wouldn't have to go there regularly, and could campaign more in the UK.
Would the British public go for this arrangement? On the one hand, it looks like paying UKIP money just to self-promote and never represent the nation's interests. On the other hand, they may be able to argue that it's better value for money than other MEPs, as there would be less expenses.
This UKIP would be a better protest vote, as voters wouldn't have to worry about what they stand for themselves. It would be a good way to vote against politicians. On the other hand, they may have difficulty transferring that support to other elections.
If this was Sinn Fein style abstentionism, UKIP MEPs would still draw pay and keep an office in Brussels. But they wouldn't have to go there regularly, and could campaign more in the UK.
Would the British public go for this arrangement? On the one hand, it looks like paying UKIP money just to self-promote and never represent the nation's interests. On the other hand, they may be able to argue that it's better value for money than other MEPs, as there would be less expenses.
This UKIP would be a better protest vote, as voters wouldn't have to worry about what they stand for themselves. It would be a good way to vote against politicians. On the other hand, they may have difficulty transferring that support to other elections.