Friday, April 15, 2016
Assembly E (DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Center City)
This paper will explore the internal dynamics of local support for the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) in the North East, North West, and Midlands regions of England. Drawing upon ethnographic data collected over the course of ten weeks of preliminary doctoral thesis/dissertation research during the summer of 2015, this paper will discuss how UKIP supporters used local meeting spaces and various social and other informal gatherings to negotiate differences in opinion or perspective between one another. Importantly, these were also sites at which UKIP supporters openly discussed discrepancies between their own local objectives and those of the national party organization. These discrepancies, and the complex social and political divisions that frequently underlie them, speak to the heterogeneous nature of UKIP’s support base. In discussing how individuals and local groups navigate these internal disagreements, this paper seeks to demonstrate that this heterogeneity is a defining feature of contemporary UKIP, and a potential asset in its upcoming involvement in campaigns for local English council seats and in the national referendum on the UK’s European Union membership. UKIP supporters have already demonstrated their intent to be closely involved in both campaigns over the next year or longer. Insights on the party’s internal dynamics – particularly with regard to their handling of internal disputes and disagreements – will contribute to a better understanding of how this group is able to form a cohesive network that is capable of both local and national political influence.
