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UKIP Is Not Norsefire. Not Yet Anyway.

Europe recently held elections for the European Union, and Britain held local council elections on the same day. Europe saw an increase in nationalist parties, many of them anti-European Union, including Britain's UKIP, which took majorities in both British polls. UKIP stood on a platform of leaving the European Union, resisting the Euro currency and restricting immigration. The comic book community has been rather vocal – even if some weren't quite sure what was going on.

But here's the thing. That isn't the situation in Britain and there are no signs that it will be. UKIP is not Norsefire, the fascist government from V For Vendetta that had risen to power by taking advantage of anti-immigrant rhetoric. But it's worth pointing out that leader Nigel Farage is married to a German. They are in favour of managed immigration and secession from the EU which allows free trade of labour within Europe.

I don't agree with them, I see the benefit that immigration has brought to my city and country. I'm also happy to stay in the EU, though would encourage some reform.

But the UKIP aren't proposing the rounding up of immigrants, gays, black, Jews into camps for expulsion or execution. The closest Britain has to that are the British National Party, a party who the UKIP have banned any member of from ever joining their party.

Of course, they are the only party that has had to. Certainly there are plenty of racists who vote for UKIP, but that's more of a tactical vote. They'd prefer to vote BNP, but UKIP has a better chance. The Labour Party attracts the votes of many people who are far to the left of them. That doesn't make the Labour Party a bunch of Trotskyists. Not anymore.

Britain does of course like moaning. About anything they can think of. We aren't known as whinging Poms for nothing. But actually doing something about it?

What is actually happening is a rise of single issue politics. Because yes, with a large amount of publicity, UKIP topped the polls on anti-EU and anti-Euro rhetoric. But they are not the British equivalent of the French National Front or the Greek Golden Dawn who are fascist. Calling UKIP facist is like calling a socialist,  a communist, when there's a world of difference. It's easy, its a caricature but its lazy and not accurate.

Entertainingly of course, Mark Millar supports both the Scottish National Party and UKIP, two nationalist parties who are diametrically politically opposed to each other on many levels. So the most outspoken comic creator on independence for Scotland, and one who has appeared in political advertising and thanked publicly by First Minister Alex Salmond didn't have much to say publicly about the elections. But afterwards talking independence, he tweeted,

There's a chance, Mark. There's a chance….

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