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Understandably, a number of usual followers of my blog are finding my politically toned entries a little tedious. It’s time I changed gear and reverted back to more standard content.

I’m not looking for sympathy, but I’ve got a hell of a lot on my plate at the moment. I have to admit that I am feeling the strain currently. My routine is very disjointed travelling to and from Salford and Malvern, but I am certain all the hard work will pay off!

In this post I’ll bring all of you who are interested in my house renovation project up to date with progress. I have taken some photos.

Lianne is managing the renovation project of our new house in Malvern very well and things are moving on at a pace. In just over a week, half the original 1850 sash windows have been stripped back and restored, re-weighted and cords replaced. We have managed to retain nearly all of the original glass planes which are only a couple of millimetres thick and re-lead them. The particularly challenging scaffolding has gone up and the roofers are cracking on. They have already re-lined and re-felted, as well as added additional insulation to the roof area.

This week rendering repairs will be taking place and a fresh coat of paint will be applied, at the moment the guys are just preparing the surface, sanding, stripping, repairing etc.

Here is the awesome view from the top level of scaffolding!

I’m feeling positive about the reaction I’m getting from the people I talk to about UKIP. It is important for us supporters to communicate effectively what the UKIP programme for Britain would be. We are not single issue-monomaniacs; we need to have something to say about public services and the other domestic issues that really concern the voters… Luckily we do.

Today I want to focus on the controversial subject of immigration, an often heated and contentious conversation subject, but undoubtedly one of the primary issues affecting all Britons. It is such an important issue; it is about time that there was a full and frank public consultation and debate.

I am often confronted with a statement similar to “you’re only one step away from the BNP aren’t you?” Don’t fall for the Lib/Lab/Con propaganda – take a look at our policies. We are a non-racist, non-sectarian party. We are absolutely opposed to everything that the BNP stands for!

UKIP absolutely want to keep the proud British tradition of helping genuine asylum seekers who fear for their lives, but we cannot hide from Britain’s growing population strains. This Labour government has shown an embarrassing and irreversibly damaging incompetence at managing Britain’s immigration system. Our government doesn’t even know how many immigrants are currently in the UK!

To add to this worry, it’s a fact that even those immigrants who commit serious crimes are rarely deported after their sentences. This is a totally unacceptable situation.

It is impossible to analyse the financial impact of uncontrolled immigration for exactly these reasons, but I think we can be safe in saying that the cost is huge and an unfair burden for the British taxpayer. We can all see that the effects of uncontrolled immigration are serious and far-reaching. Even if we focus on those immigrants that we do have a record of, since 1997 there has been a 500% increase in citizenship approvals – the figure now running close to 200,000 per year.

Once citizenship has been granted, the ex-immigrant/new Briton can claim child benefit, income support, sickness benefit and council and housing tax benefits. They can apply for council housing, receive unlimited NHS care, travel freely around the world as a British citizen and count on help from British embassies everywhere. Their spouses and children automatically gain the right to stay in the UK.

Of course, I do not hold the completely cynical view that all new British citizens will go on to abuse the system, there absolutely will be cases of new citizens contributing to Britain fairly, but it would certainly be interesting to see the statistics. I am also certainly not discounting that there are vast swathes of Britons also milking the system, but we are focusing on immigration here and the strain being put on public services and the public purse has to be considered.

The British public has not been consulted on the immigration issue. Lack of listening to public opinion has been a characteristic of the Labour government. When are we ever consulted about these irreversible decisions being made on our behalf? The EU should not decide or dictate who can come to live, work and settle in Britain. The British people ourselves should decide. We can only decide for ourselves outside the EU.

UKIP are the only party advocating Britain’s withdrawal from the EU so that we may pursue policies that benefit the British citizen and the national interest. The UKIP Immigration policy is an example of how a realistic and common sense solution can only be pursued outside of the EU shackles.

Here is a bulleted summary from UKIP’s immigration policy.

• Strict immigration and border controls
• A stop to all permanent immigration for at least 5 years (five-year moratorium)
• Introduction of a points system similar to that operated by Australia
• Deport immigrants that commit crimes.
• Find and deport illegal immigrants – personnel and resources engaged in deporting failed illegal asylum seekers and illegal immigrants will be tripled in size.

Please view the full policy here:
http://www.ukip.org/content/ukip-policies/226-immigration-ukip-policy-2009

It’s a worrying fact that most young people don’t participate in the electoral process. Especially when the decisions being made now by today’s Government are directly and irreversibly affecting our futures. There is a serious amount of voter apathy from young people around my age (23).

Frustratingly, evidence indicates that my generation has become switched off from politics. We are bitter about the trade off that we’ve had to make between gaining a qualification for the consequence of a heavy debt burden. Our hindered endeavour to save for the deposit for our first property, only to discover the slim chances of independently being granted a mortgage have also undoubtedly given our spirits a knock. These are just two very simple, everyday common examples of how our Government is letting us down, and clearly not operating with our best interests at heart.

Perhaps admirably, and in a very British way we seem to have accepted our lot and are just getting on with it! We are a large portion of the silent majority and we need to get interested, get involved and have our issues brought to the frontline, have our points made and heard strongly. We need to gain some enthusiasm, not just for politics but for safeguarding our future, the future Britain – the potentially great future Britain.

Unbeknown to vast swathes of young British people, something terrible is going on. The types of media that young people consume are not covering it effectively (if at all!) and many of us are simply not aware of the tragic impending situation.

Very shortly Great Britain will cease to exist as an independent country and instead, our nation will become a ‘province’ of Europe. Now this may sound like scaremongering nonsence, but it is absolute fact! Essentially, once the Czech Republic and Ireland ratify the Lisbon Treaty the EU will take on it’s own ‘legal personality’ – it will become a nation in its own right.

The British people were promised a referendum on EU membership, but this has never materialised. Another of New Labour’s broken promises alongside ‘World-class public services’ and ‘whiter than white’ politics.

The UK Independence Party is the only moderate, democratic party to advocate Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.

I whole-heartedly believe that Britain cannot only exist, but it can prosper outside the EU. I do not feel at all comfortable knowing that over 80% of our laws are being made in Brussels. Laws that we have to abide by, but are damaging British business, British culture, increasing our council tax and putting an immense strain public services and the public purse.

The British people deserve a free, independent Britain, governed by our elected Parliament at Westminster. We do not deserve a weakened authority of Government having to submit and pander to Brussels. We need to save the £15 billion spent on the EU every year and invest it right here in Britain.

As young voters, we really can’t afford not to get involved.