Yesterday FairFuelUK champion Quentin Willson tweeted: “Nigel Farage has met with FairFuelUK and I. He totally gets low fuel duty. Needed no convincing! Shame other politicos aren't as sharp.”
Unless it has escaped your attention Nigel Farage is the leader of UKIP, which is a party that has some transport friendly policies in its manifesto. It wants to scrap the toll on the Dartford Crossing and opposes any form of tolling on UK roads and motorways.
Furthermore that manifesto also says UKIP “will seek to reduce fuel duty and reduce the disparity in price between diesel and petrol”. It adds that that “fuel duty is too high and has held the economy back”.
Equally as part of this election cycle has had to defend itself against accusations of racism, Islamaphobia and xenophobia.
Engaging with UKIP over common ground is part of a wider campaign by FairFuelUK ahead of the European elections on 22 May. Campaign co-ordinator Howard Cox tweeted on the same day: “Emailed 243 EU MEP Candidates. 55 Replied so far supporting fuel duty cut for growth. Greens are the exception & Lib Dems don’t have a policy.”
You can argue that the battle for lower duties on fuel needs to find friends in high places to maintain the momentum of the campaign. In a YouGov/ Sunday Times poll conducted on 25 April Farage’s party, UKIP, took 31% of voting intentions (followed by Labour on 28% and the Conservatives on 19%).
You can’t blame FairFuelUK for championing the cause of lower fuel duty and aligning itself with those who are sympathetic. UKIP has the momentum in this election and the mainstream parties have retaliated to UKIP’s zealous brand of reactionary populism with equally uninspiring and predictable knee-jerk reactions.
Weighing up economic progress with the baggage UKIP brings is not an easy circle to square.